United States-Taiwan Public Health Protection Act
Bill: H.R.5870 | Sponsor: Rep. Khanna, Ro (D-CA)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
United States-Taiwan Public Health Protection Act
This bill requires the Department of State to establish an Infectious Disease Monitoring Center within the American Institute in Taipei, Taiwan. (The U.S.-Taiwan relationship is unofficial, and the American Institute in Taiwan office in Taipei performs many of the same functions as an embassy.)
The center must seek to partner with the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control to monitor infectious diseases in the region, including by regularly monitoring, analyzing, and disseminating open-source material, such as viral strains and other pathogens, from countries in the region.

To establish a joint United States-Taiwan Infectious Disease Monitoring 
Center to serve as an early warning center in the case of an infectious 
              disease outbreak in the Indo-Pacific region.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``United States-Taiwan Public Health 
Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Center.--The term ``Center'' means the Infectious 
        Disease Monitoring Center established pursuant to section 3.
            (2) Relevant congressional committees.--The term ``relevant 
        congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
                Senate;
                    (B) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
                Pensions of the Senate;
                    (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
                of Representatives; and
                    (D) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of State.

SEC. 3. INFECTIOUS DISEASE MONITORING CENTER.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services and the heads of other relevant 
Federal departments and agencies, shall--
            (1) establish an Infectious Disease Monitoring Center 
        within the American Institute in Taiwan in Taipei, Taiwan; and
            (2) not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act, complete a study of how best to establish the 
        Center that includes--
                    (A) consultation with the Taiwan Economic and 
                Cultural Representative Office in the United States, 
                the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, and any other 
                relevant instrumentalities of the Taiwanese Government; 
                and
                    (B) a consideration of the personnel, material, and 
                funding requirements necessary to establish and operate 
                the Center.
    (b) Partnership.--The Center shall seek to partner with the Taiwan 
Centers for Disease Control to conduct health monitoring of infectious 
diseases in the region by--
            (1) regularly monitoring, analyzing, and disseminating 
        open-source material from countries in the region, including 
        viral strains, bacterial subtypes, and other pathogens;
            (2) engaging in people-to-people contacts with medical 
        specialists and public health officials in the region;
            (3) providing expertise and information on infectious 
        diseases to the Government of the United States and the 
        Taiwanese Government; and
            (4) carrying out other appropriate activities, as 
        determined by the Director of the Center.
    (c) Staffing.--
            (1) Infectious disease experts.--The Secretary of Health 
        and Human Services shall annually submit a list to the 
        Secretary that identifies not fewer than 3 infectious disease 
        experts, from among the National Institutes of Health, the 
        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and 
        Drug Administration, who are recommended to serve as detailees 
        to the Center.
            (2) Other public health professionals.--The heads of other 
        relevant Federal departments and agencies may submit 
        recommendations to the Secretary of qualified persons within 
        their respective departments and agencies to serve as detailees 
        to the Center.
            (3) Selection.--The Secretary, after considering the 
        detailees recommended pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2)--
                    (A) shall appoint, for a period to be determined by 
                the Secretary--
                            (i) not fewer than 3 infectious disease 
                        experts detailed from among the National 
                        Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease 
                        Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug 
                        Administration to work at the Center, including 
                        1 expert to serve as the Director of the 
                        Center; and
                            (ii) not fewer than 1 qualified person from 
                        any other relevant Federal department or 
                        agency, including the Department of State and 
                        the United States Agency for International 
                        Development, to work at the Center;
                    (B) may employ qualified foreign service nationals 
                or locally engaged staff who are considered citizens of 
                Taiwan to work at the Center; and
                    (C) may enter into agreements with the Taiwanese 
                Government regarding employees of the Taiwan Centers 
                for Disease Control who may be tasked with supporting 
                or coordinating with the Center.
            (4) Compensation.--Individuals appointed by the Secretary 
        pursuant to clause (i) or (ii) of paragraph (3)(A)--
                    (A) shall be placed on leave without pay from their 
                respective Federal departments and agencies for the 
                duration of such appointment; and
                    (B) shall be compensated by the Department of 
                State.

SEC. 4. REPORT.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall submit a report to the relevant congressional 
committees that contains the results of the study described in section 
3(a)(2), including--
            (1) a plan on how to establish and operate the Center, 
        including--
                    (A) the personnel, material, and funding 
                requirements necessary to establish and operate the 
                Center; and
                    (B) the proposed structure and composition of 
                Center personnel;
            (2) a description of the efforts that have been undertaken 
        to establish the Center; and
            (3) a description of any consultations or agreements 
        between the Department of State and the Taiwanese Government 
        regarding the establishment and operation of the Center, 
        including--
                    (A) the role that employees of the Taiwan Centers 
                for Disease Control would play in supporting or 
                coordinating with the Center; and
                    (B) whether any employees of the Taiwan Centers for 
                Disease Control would be detailed to, or co-located 
                with, the Center.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Department of State.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
to the Department of State--
            (1) for fiscal year 2022, $300,000, of which--
                    (A) $250,000 shall be used to conduct the study 
                described in section 3(a)(2); and
                    (B) $50,000 shall be used to determine the 
                selection of detailees to the Center from among the 
                National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease 
                Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug 
                Administration, and other relevant Federal departments 
                or agencies; and
            (2) for fiscal year 2023, and each succeeding fiscal year, 
        $50,000, which shall be used to determine the selection of 
        detailees to the Center from among the National Institutes of 
        Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 
        Food and Drug Administration, and other relevant Federal 
        departments or agencies.
    (b) American Institute in Taiwan.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the American Institute in Taiwan for fiscal year 2022, 
and each succeeding fiscal year, $1,300,000, of which--
            (1) $1,200,000 shall be used to employ the personnel 
        described in section 3(c)(3); and
            (2) $100,000 shall be used for management expenses related 
        to operating the Center.
                                 <all>