PREVENT Pandemics Act

Bill: 117-s-3799
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2022-03-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Advanced technology and technological innovations
Advisory bodies
Aging
Allied health services
Asia
Blood and blood diseases
Business records
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Chemical and biological weapons
Child health
China
Community life and organization
Congressional operations and organization
Congressional oversight
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Department of Health and Human Services
Digital media
Disability and paralysis
Disaster relief and insurance
Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Education programs funding
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Emergency planning and evacuation
Employee hiring
Employee leave
Employment and training programs
Executive Office of the President
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal officials
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Genetics
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Government lending and loan guarantees
Government studies and investigations
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Health care coverage and access
Health care quality
Health facilities and institutions
Health information and medical records
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Health technology, devices, supplies
Higher education
Immunology and vaccination
Indian social and development programs
Industrial facilities
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Intellectual property
International organizations and cooperation
Licensing and registrations
Manufacturing
Medical education
Medical research
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Mental health
Minority health
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Nutrition and diet
Performance measurement
Prescription drugs
Product development and innovation
Public contracts and procurement
Public-private cooperation
Research administration and funding
Research and development
Research ethics
Rural conditions and development
Scientific communication
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
State and local government operations
Strategic materials and reserves
Student aid and college costs
Technology assessment
Terrorism
World health

Summary:
action_date: 2022-03-10
text: 

Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act or the PREVENT Pandemics Act

 
This bill sets out programs and activities primarily to address public health preparedness and response.
 
Specifically, the bill establishes a legislative task force to investigate the COVID-19 pandemic and a White House office to advise on pandemic preparedness and response. It also revises authorities, programs, and other aspects of the Department of Health and Human Services and associated agencies to support preparedness and response activities at all levels of government.
 
Other matters addressed in the bill include
 
 
grants related to health disparities and for centers for public health preparedness;
 
collection and dissemination of public health data (e.g., genomic sequencing of pathogens);
 
workforce programs for public health and related fields;
 
the safety and availability of the blood supply;
 
research concerning viruses and other pathogens with pandemic potential, vaccines and other medical countermeasures, and the long-term health effects of COVID-19;
 
biosafety and security related to biological agents and toxins;
 
national security, privacy and information security, and foreign influence in biomedical research;
 
the administration of the Strategic National Stockpile; and
 
domestic manufacturing of medical countermeasures.
 
 
The bill also modifies the regulation of medical products with a particular focus on expediting the development and approval of medical countermeasures. Additional areas of focus include strengthening medical product supply chains and supporting innovation in, for example, clinical trial designs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-03-15
text: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2022-03-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2022-03-10
text: Introduced in Senate