Title: To direct the President to use authority under the Defense Production Act of 1950 to ensure an adequate supply of equipment necessary for limiting the spread of COVID-19.
Policy area: Health

Summary:
This bill directs the President to use existing authorities under the Defense Production Act of 1950 to ensure the supply of ventilators, N-95 respirator masks, and other personal protective equipment to address COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). (That act confers upon the President a broad set of authorities to influence domestic industry in order to provide essential materials and goods needed for the national defense.)
The President must (1) make a determination that the ventilators and protective equipment are essential for the national defense; (2) identify private-sector capacity to produce such equipment; and (3) exercise authorities under the act to mitigate, where possible, the dependency of the United States on overseas sources and to ensure the supply of such equipment.
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the agency coordinating the response shall submit weekly reports to Congress on the status and distribution of such equipment.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6410 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6410

 To direct the President to use authority under the Defense Production 
  Act of 1950 to ensure an adequate supply of equipment necessary for 
                    limiting the spread of COVID-19.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 27, 2020

  Mr. Larson of Connecticut introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the President to use authority under the Defense Production 
  Act of 1950 to ensure an adequate supply of equipment necessary for 
                    limiting the spread of COVID-19.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The global shortage of medical supplies due to the 
        COVID-19 pandemic has paralyzed healthcare systems around the 
        world and threatens to collapse the United States healthcare 
        system.
            (2) There are approximately 160,000 ventilators in the 
        United States.
            (3) It has been estimated that as many as 742,000 could be 
        needed.
            (4) The Department of Health and Human Services estimated 
        that healthcare providers may need 3,500,000,000 face masks to 
        meet potential long-term need.

SEC. 2. USE OF DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT AUTHORITY FOR EQUIPMENT NECESSARY 
              FOR LIMITING SPREAD OF COVID-19.

    (a) In General.--Immediately upon the enactment of this Act, the 
President shall--
            (1) determine under section 101(b) of the Defense 
        Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4511(b)) that--
                    (A) medical equipment described in paragraph (3)(B) 
                is scarce and critical material essential to the 
                national defense; and
                    (B) the requirements of the national defense for 
                such equipment cannot be met without exercising the 
                authorities provided by the Defense Production Act of 
                1950 (50 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.);
            (2) identify private sector capacity to produce such 
        equipment; and
            (3) exercise the authorities provided by the Defense 
        Production Act of 1950 to the extent necessary--
                    (A) to mitigate, where possible, the dependency of 
                the United States on overseas sources of supply of each 
                such materials during the global shortage; and
                    (B) to ensure the immediate adequacy of productive 
                capacity and supply of ventilators, N-95 masks and 
                other essential personal protective equipment needed to 
                address the COVID-19 crisis, including at least--
                            (i) 600,000 ventilators; and
                            (ii) 300,000,000 N-95 masks.
    (b) Reports.--Beginning on the date of the declaration of a 
national pandemic or the declaration of a public health emergency and 
ending on the date that is 7 days after the termination of such 
pandemic or emergency, the head of the agency coordinating the National 
response to the pandemic or emergency, shall submit to Congress weekly 
reports on--
            (1) the status of the production of equipment, ventilators, 
        and medical protective gear;
            (2) available resources; and
            (3) the plan for the distribution of equipment, 
        ventilators, and medical protective gear.
    (c) Termination.--This section, and authorities carried out 
pursuant to this section, shall terminate on the date on which the 
national emergency declared under the National Emergencies Act (50 
U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), relating to the COVID-19 outbreak, terminates.
                                 <all>