FREEBIRD Act

Bill: 118-s-641
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
Introduced: 2023-03-02
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Aviation and airports

Cardiovascular and respiratory health

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Health information and medical records

Immunology and vaccination

Infectious and parasitic diseases

Travel and tourism

World health
Latest action: action_date: 2023-03-02
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-03-02
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Fair Removal of Existing and Enforced Bans on Immunization Relating to Destination Act or the FREEBIRD Act</b></p> <p>This bill nullifies the order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) titled <i>Amended Order Implementing Presidential Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic</i> and published on April 7, 2022. (The order restricts the entry of noncitizens who are not immigrants into the United States by air travel unless they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or otherwise attest that they will take public health measures to prevent the spread of the disease.)</p> <p>The bill also nullifies any successor or subsequent orders that require foreign persons traveling by air to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of entry and prohibits the use of federal funds to administer or enforce such a requirement. However, the bill does not affect the CDC order published on January 5, 2023, that governs COVID-19 testing or documentation of COVID-19 recovery for certain individuals traveling from China to the United States by aircraft.</p> <p>In addition, the CDC must report to Congress about the number of visitors who were denied entry into the United States from April 7, 2022, until the date of the bill's enactment.</p>

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 641 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 2, 2023 Mr. Lee (for himself, Mr. Marshall , Mr. Daines , Mr. Rubio , Mr. Scott of Florida , Mr. Ricketts , and Ms. Lummis ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID–19 vaccination for foreign travelers, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Fair Removal of Existing and Enforced Bans on Immunization Relating to Destination Act or the FREEBIRD Act . 2. Terminating CDC requirement for proof of COVID–19 vaccination for foreign travelers (a) In general Beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the air travel vaccination requirement for foreign travelers shall have no force or effect. (b) Prohibition on funding Beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, no Federal funds may be used to administer, implement, or enforce the air travel vaccination requirement for foreign travelers. (c) Air travel vaccination requirement for foreign travelers In this Act, the term air travel vaccination requirement for foreign travelers refers to the requirement specified in— (1) the order issued by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention entitled Amended Order Implementing Presidential Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID–19 Pandemic and published in the Federal Register on April 7, 2022 (87 Fed. Reg. 20405 et seq.), for proof of COVID–19 vaccination for air travelers who are covered individuals (as defined in such order); or (2) any successor or subsequent order of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requiring foreign persons traveling by air to show proof of COVID–19 vaccination as a condition on entering the United States. 3. Report Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall submit a report to Congress on the number of visitors denied entry under the order specified in section 2(c)(1) during the period beginning on April 7, 2022, and ending on the date of the enactment of this Act. 4. Rule of construction Nothing in this Act may be construed to suggest that the provisions of section 2 shall effect the order issued by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention entitled Requirements for Negative Pre-Departure COVID–19 Test Results or Documentation of Recovery from COVID–19 for Aircraft Passengers Traveling to the United States From the People’s Republic of China and published in the Federal Register on January 5, 2023 (88 Fed. Reg. 864) for proof of negative pre-departure COVID–19 test results or documentation of recovery from COVID–19 for aircraft passengers traveling to the United States from the People’s Republic of China or departing from a designated airport (as defined in such order) if such passenger has been in the People’s Republic of China within the 10 days prior to departure for the United States.