I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6701 
To require a longitudinal study on the impact of COVID–19. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 5, 2020 
Ms. ESHOO (for herself, Mr. BURGESS, Ms. DEGETTE, and Mr. GUTHRIE) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To require a longitudinal study on the impact of COVID– 
19. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ensuring Under-
standing of COVID–19 to Protect Public Health Act’’. 
SEC. 2. STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF COVID–19. 
Part A of title IV of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 281 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 404O. STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF COVID–19. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of NIH, in con-
sultation with the Director of the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, shall conduct a longitudinal study, 
over not less than 10 years, on the full impact of COVID– 
19 on infected individuals, including both short-term and 
long-term health impacts. 
‘‘(b) TIMING.—The Director of NIH shall begin en-
rolling patients in the study under this section not later 
than 6 months after the date of enactment of this section. 
‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS.—The study under this section 
shall— 
‘‘(1) be nationwide; 
‘‘(2) include diversity of enrollees to account for 
gender, age, race, ethnicity, geography, comorbidi-
ties, and underrepresented populations, including 
pregnant and lactating women; 
‘‘(3) study individuals who were infected with 
COVID–19 who experienced mild symptoms, such 
individuals who experienced moderate symptoms, 
and such individuals who experienced severe symp-
toms; 
‘‘(4) monitor the health outcomes and symp-
toms of individuals who were infected with COVID– 
19, or had prenatal exposure to COVID–19, includ-
ing lung capacity and function, and immune re-
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sponse, taking into account any pharmaceutical 
interventions such individuals may have received; 
‘‘(5) monitor the mental health outcomes of in-
dividuals infected with COVID–19, taking into ac-
count any interventions that affected mental health; 
and 
‘‘(6) monitor individuals enrolled in the study 
not less frequently that twice per year after the first 
year of the individual’s infection with COVID–19. 
‘‘(d) PUBLIC-PRIVATE RESEARCH NETWORK.—For 
purposes of carrying out the study under this section, the 
Director of NIH may develop a network of public-private 
research partners, provided that all research, including the 
research carried out through any such partner, is available 
publicly. 
‘‘(e) SUMMARIES
OF FINDINGS.—The Director of 
NIH shall make public a summary of findings under this 
section not less frequently than once every 3 months for 
the first 2 years of the study, and not less frequently than 
every 6 months thereafter. Such summaries may include 
information about how the findings of the study under this 
section compare with findings from research conducted 
abroad. 
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‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this section.’’. 
Æ 
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