Title: Safe Indoor Spaces Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Safe Indoor Spaces Act
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a prize competition to incentivize the development of systems or devices that limit indoor transmission of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) and the virus that causes it.
To be eligible for the prize, a system or device must meet certain criteria with respect to decreased viral transmission rates, scalability, and costs.
In addition, HHS must establish a board comprised of experts in public health, education, small business, and engineering to advise on this competition.


[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8315 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8315

  To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a 
program to award a financial prize to persons who successfully develop 
  a system or device that makes enclosed sections of a building safer 
  during the COVID-19 public health emergency, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 18, 2020

  Mr. Harder of California (for himself, Mrs. Murphy of Florida, Ms. 
   Sherrill, Mr. Trone, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. O'Halleran, Mr. Carson of 
 Indiana, and Ms. Spanberger) introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a 
program to award a financial prize to persons who successfully develop 
  a system or device that makes enclosed sections of a building safer 
  during the COVID-19 public health emergency, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Safe Indoor Spaces Act''.

SEC. 2. COVID-19 TECHNOLOGY PRIZE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in 
this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall establish a program to 
award a financial prize to persons who successfully develop a system or 
device for use during the COVID-19 public health emergency that meets 
the criteria under subsection (b).
    (b) Criteria.--To be eligible to receive a prize under this 
section, a person must develop a system or device that meets the 
following:
            (1) Inactivates or eliminates all traces of airborne SARS-
        CoV-2 from the air of an enclosed section of a building.
            (2) Decreases the rate of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in an 
        enclosed section of a building to a rate of transmission of 
        SARS-CoV-2 that is comparable to an outdoor setting.
            (3) Able to be installed in or service an enclosed section 
        of a building or the ventilation systems of a building, 
        including--
                    (A) schools;
                    (B) public buildings; and
                    (C) most types of buildings used as places of work.
            (4) With respect to public buildings, able to be installed 
        in or service not fewer than 150,000 buildings in not less than 
        6 months.
            (5) Maintains or increases the cost of controlling the 
        environment of a building by not more than 10 percent.
    (c) Establishment of Board.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a board to 
        advise the Secretary with respect to the program established 
        under subsection (a).
            (2) Membership.--The board shall be composed of 5 members 
        appointed by the Secretary, including--
                    (A) a public health expert;
                    (B) an individual with experience in education;
                    (C) an individual who represents small businesses; 
                and
                    (D) an engineer with expertise in public health.
    (d) Financial Award.--Based on the advice of the board established 
under subsection (c), the Secretary shall make each award under the 
program established under subsection (a) in an amount equal to or less 
than $5,000,000.
    (e) Intellectual Property.--The Federal Government may not acquire 
an intellectual property right in any product or idea by virtue of the 
submission of such product or idea in the prize competition under this 
section.
    (f) COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.--In this section, the term 
``COVID-19 public health emergency'' means a public health emergency 
for which a declaration is in effect under section 319 of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d), with respect to COVID-19.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
        carry out this Act $5,250,000 for fiscal year 2021.
            (2) Administrative expenses.--Not more than $250,000 of the 
        amount appropriated under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year may 
        be used for administrative expenses incurred in carrying out 
        this section.
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