I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 271 
To provide for greater accountability with respect to Federal activities and 
expenditures relating to COVID–19, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 11, 2023 
Mr. ESTES introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Edu-
cation and the Workforce, the Judiciary, Armed Services, and Oversight 
and Accountability, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for greater accountability with respect to Federal 
activities and expenditures relating to COVID–19, and 
for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Restoring Normalcy 
in America Act’’. 
SEC. 2. HHS COVID–19 STUDY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services shall conduct a study on— 
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(1) the effectiveness of vaccines licensed under 
section 351 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 262) or authorized for emergency use under 
section 564 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cos-
metic Act (21 U.S.C. 360bbb–3) in providing immu-
nization against COVID–19 (including any addi-
tional doses of such a vaccine to be administered 
after the primary series of doses); 
(2) the effectiveness of treatments approved 
under section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355), licensed under sec-
tion 351 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 262), or authorized for emergency use under 
section 564 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cos-
metic Act (21 U.S.C. 360bbb–3) to treat COVID– 
19; 
(3) the rate of transmission of SARS–CoV–2 
throughout the United States, beginning on the first 
day of the emergency period (as defined in section 
1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1320b–5(g)(1)(B))); 
(4) the level of preparedness of the United 
States for future pandemics; and 
(5) the cause and origins of the COVID–19 
pandemic. 
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(b) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 
to the Congress a report on the findings of the study con-
ducted under subsection (a). 
(c) FUNDING.—Of the amounts made available to the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services in appropria-
tions Acts that remain unobligated as of the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary may use not more 
than 3 percent of such funds to carry out this section. 
SEC. 3. TERMINATION OF EMERGENCY USE AUTHORITY 
FOR COVID–19 PREVENTION AND TREAT-
MENT. 
Effective on the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting 
through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, may not 
authorize under section 564 of the Federal Food, Drug, 
and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 360bbb–3) for emergency 
use any drug, biological product, or device for use in the 
prevention or treatment of COVID–19. 
SEC. 4. COVID–19 FUNDING AUDIT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the 
United States shall conduct an audit of all Federal fund-
ing made available to the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and the 
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
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tion for programs and activities relating to COVID–19. 
Such audit shall include— 
(1) an accounting of the amount of such funds 
that have been obligated or expended, disaggregated 
by agency and activity; and 
(2) an accounting of any such funds that re-
main unobligated and available for rescission. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of 
the United States shall submit to the Congress a report 
on the findings of the audit conducted under subsection 
(a). 
SEC. 5. UNLAWFUL EMPLOYMENT PRACTICE UNDER TITLE 
VII OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 FOR 
FAILURE TO OFFER RE-EMPLOYMENT TO EM-
PLOYEES DISCHARGED FOR FAILURE TO RE-
CEIVE A VACCINATION AGAINST COVID–19. 
For purposes of section 703(a) of title VII of the Civil 
Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2003–2(a)), it shall be an 
unlawful employment practice for an employer to fail to 
give on request full consideration for, and to offer a posi-
tion at the pay and level equal to the applicable pre-dis-
charge pay and level, of employment to an individual pre-
viously discharged from employment by such employer 
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based on such individual’s failure to receive a vaccination 
against COVID–19. 
SEC. 6. COVID–19 VACCINATION STATUS AND PLACES OF 
PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION. 
Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 
2000a et seq.) is amended as follows: 
(1) In section 201, by inserting after ‘‘on the 
ground of race, color, religion,’’ the following: ‘‘fail-
ure to receive a vaccination against COVID–19,’’. 
(2) In section 202, by inserting after ‘‘on the 
ground of race, color, religion,’’ the following: ‘‘fail-
ure to receive a vaccination against COVID–19,’’. 
SEC. 7. COVID–19 VACCINATION STATUS AND FEDERALLY 
ASSISTED PROGRAMS. 
Section 601 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 
U.S.C. 2000d) is amended by inserting ‘‘failure to receive 
a vaccination against COVID–19,’’ before ‘‘race, color,’’. 
SEC. 8. COVID–19 VACCINATION STATUS AND EMPLOY-
MENT. 
(a) REINSTATEMENT OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 
FORCES INVOLUNTARILY SEPARATED FOR REFUSING TO 
RECEIVE A VACCINATION AGAINST COVID–19.— 
(1) REINSTATEMENT.—At the request of a cov-
ered individual, the Secretary concerned shall— 
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(A) reinstate the covered individual as a 
member of the Armed Force concerned, in the 
same rank and grade the covered individual 
held at the time of separation from the Armed 
Force concerned; and 
(B) expunge from the military service 
record of the covered individual any reference to 
adverse action against the covered individual 
solely on the basis of the refusal of the covered 
individual to receive a vaccination against 
COVID–19. 
(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(A) The term ‘‘adverse action’’ includes in-
voluntary separation, demotion, and discipline. 
(B) The term ‘‘covered individual’’ means 
an individual who was involuntarily separated 
from an Armed Force solely on the basis of the 
refusal of such individual to receive a vaccina-
tion against COVID–19. 
(C) The term ‘‘Secretary concerned’’ has 
the meaning given such term in section 101 of 
title 10, United States Code. 
(b) REINSTATEMENT OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES IN-
VOLUNTARILY SEPARATED FOR REFUSING TO RECEIVE 
COVID–19 VACCINE.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Any individual removed from 
the civil service (as that term is defined in section 
2101 of title 5, United States Code) solely on the 
basis of the refusal of the individual to receive a vac-
cination against COVID–19 may, at the discretion 
of the individual, be reinstated to a civil service posi-
tion at the same grade or level, and same rate of 
pay, as the position from which the individual was 
so removed. 
(2) OTHER MATTERS.—Any notation of an ad-
verse action with respect to such removal in the per-
sonnel record file of such an individual shall be re-
moved. 
(c) UNLAWFUL EMPLOYMENT PRACTICE UNDER 
TITLE VII OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 FOR FAIL-
URE TO RECEIVE A VACCINATION AGAINST COVID–19.— 
For purposes of section 703 of title VII of the Civil Rights 
Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2003–2), it shall be an unlawful 
employment practice for an employer— 
(1) to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any 
individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any 
individual with respect to his compensation, terms, 
conditions, or privileges of employment, based on 
such individual’s failure to receive a vaccination 
against COVID–19; or 
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(2) to limit, segregate, or classify his employees 
or applicants for employment in any way which 
would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of 
employment opportunities or otherwise adversely af-
fect his status as an employee, based on such indi-
vidual’s failure to receive a vaccination against 
COVID–19. 
Æ 
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