Title: A resolution encouraging the President to use authorities provided by the Defense Production Act of 1950 to scale up the national response to the coronavirus crisis.
Policy area: Health

Summary:
This resolution calls upon the President to use existing authorities under the Defense Production Act of 1950 to increase production of medical supplies, including personal protective equipment, to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus disease).
The resolution supports the use of such authorities to

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 547 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 547

 Encouraging the President to use authorities provided by the Defense 
    Production Act of 1950 to scale up the national response to the 
                          coronavirus crisis.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 18, 2020

    Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Jones, Ms. Warren, Mr. Brown, Mr. 
 Blumenthal, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Booker, Mr. Bennet, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. 
   Van Hollen, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Peters, Mr. Carper, and Ms. Smith) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                 on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Encouraging the President to use authorities provided by the Defense 
    Production Act of 1950 to scale up the national response to the 
                          coronavirus crisis.

Whereas more than 3,800 people in the United States have already tested positive 
        for the novel coronavirus across 49 States, the District of Columbia, 
        and 3 territories, with experts believing the number is already much 
        higher;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have projected that 
        between 160,000,000 and 214,000,000 people could be infected by the 
        novel coronavirus in the United States over the course of the pandemic;
Whereas the United States health care sector is facing severe shortages of 
        critical supplies for coronavirus testing and treatment, including 
        personal protective equipment for staff and infected patients, N95 
        respirators, sanitizing materials, ventilators, and test kit supplies;
Whereas the Strategic National Stockpile contains only a fraction of the 
        supplies that the Department of Health and Human Services estimates will 
        be necessary to respond to the coronavirus crisis, with the stockpile 
        currently holding less than 0.3 percent of the amount of respirators 
        estimated to be necessary;
Whereas the President has the existing authority under the Defense Production 
        Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.) to take immediate action to 
        mobilize United States industry for emergency preparedness activities 
        conducted pursuant to title VI of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
        and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5195 et seq.), which has been 
        previously used to respond to public health hazards; and
Whereas the President issued a national emergency declaration relating to the 
        novel coronavirus under section 501(b) of the Robert T. Stafford 
        Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5191(b)) on 
        March 13, 2020: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) calls on the President to use existing authorities 
        under the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4501 et 
        seq.) to massively and quickly ramp up production in the United 
        States of medical supplies, including personal protective 
        equipment, needed to respond to the ongoing public health 
        emergency driven by the spread of the novel coronavirus;
            (2) urges the President to prioritize the use of those 
        authorities to produce and secure additional personal 
        protective equipment, test kit supplies, respirators, 
        ventilators, and sanitizing materials for use within the health 
        care sector in the United States;
            (3) supports the use of authorities under title I of the 
        Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4511 et seq.) to 
        allocate and control the distribution of medical materials 
        needed for testing and treating the novel coronavirus, 
        including by directing suppliers to prioritize and accept 
        government contracts to restock the Strategic National 
        Stockpile where necessary;
            (4) supports the use of authorities under title III of the 
        Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4531 et seq.) to 
        provide financial incentives to manufacturers and suppliers of 
        critical medical equipment, including loans, loan guarantees, 
        direct purchases, and purchase commitments; and
            (5) supports the use of authorities under title VII of the 
        Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4551 et seq.) to 
        establish voluntary agreements between the Federal Government 
        and private industry that would allow for the temporary 
        coordination of production of necessary and scarce medical 
        supplies.
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