,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #gjbi  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,may #bg1 #bjbj,mr4  
,gonzalez of ,ohio 7for himself and ,ms4
 ,fudge7 introduced the following bill2 
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,energy and ,commerce  ,a ,,bill  ,to   
facilitate the re-opening of schools    
through study of children's role in     
transmitting ,,sars-,co,v-#b1 and for   
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,protect our   
,children from ,,covid-#ai ,act4  #b4   
,findings ,congress finds the following3
 7#a7 ,school closures have substantial 
negative effects on children's          
education1 mental health1 and social    
development4  7#b7 ,in general1 school  
closures compound inequalities in rural 
and low-income communities1 where       
students often lack access to computers 
and high-speed internet4  7#c7          
,returning children to the classroom    
will not only facilitate their          
development1 but also free up their     

adult caregivers as they return to work4
  7#d7 ,to date1 scientific evidence    
suggests children have a lower          
probability of developing a serious     
illness from ,,covid-#ai than adults4   
,it remains unclear1 however1 what role 
children play in transmitting           
,,sars-,co,v-#b4  7#e7 ,pursuing        
research that analyzes and understands  
the transmissibility of ,,sars-,co,v-#b 
in children will help families1         
educators1 and elected leaders make     
better decisions on re-opening schools  
and our economy4  #c4 ,study on         
children's role in transmitting         
,,sars-,co,v-#b  7a7 ,study  7#a7 ,in   
general ,not later than ,august #a1     
#bjbj1 the ,secretary of ,health and    
,human ,services 7in this section       
referred to as the ,secretary71 in      
coordination with the heads of agencies 
of the ,department of ,health and ,human
 ,services and experts from outside of  
the ,department1 as appropriate1 shall  
complete a study on children's role in  

transmitting ,,sars-,co,v-#b4  7#b7     
,issues to be studied ,the study under  
paragraph 7#a7 shall address-- 7,a7 the 
transmissibility of ,,covid-#ai from    
child to child1 child to adult1 and     
adult to child2  7,b7 the vulnerability 
of children1 especially those with      
underlying health conditions1 to severe 
illness as such vulnerability relates to
 ,,covid-#ai2  7,c7 the vulnerability of
 adults1 especially those with          
underlying health conditions1 who send  
their children back to school2 and  7,d7
 the vulnerability of adults1 especially
 those with underlying health           
conditions1 who interact with children  
who may be asymptomatic but infectious4 
7#c7 ,considerations ,in carrying out   
the study under paragraph 7#a71 the     
,secretary shall-- 7,a7 take into       
consideration the best available        
science1 including as provided by the   
,national ,academy of ,sciences2 and    
7,b7 ensure that such study includes    
consideration of children who are       

members of racial or ethnic minority    
groups4  7b7 ,reporting ,not later than 
,august #a1 #bjbj1 and quarterly        
thereafter through the end of the       
emergency period1 the ,secretary shall  
submit a report to the ,congress on     
children's role in transmitting         
,,sars-,co,v-#b4 ,the first such report 
shall include the results of the study  
under subsection 7a74  7c7              
,dissemination of best practices ,not   
later than ,august #a1 #bjbj1 and       
quarterly thereafter through the end of 
the emergency period1 the ,secretary    
shall disseminate to stakeholders best  
practices for protecting children and   
adults in educational settings4 ,the    
first best practices disseminated       
pursuant to the preceding sentence shall
 include any best practices for         
protecting children and adults in       
educational settings identified through 
the study under subsection 7a74  7d7    
,definition ,in this section1 the term  
emergency period has the meaning given  

to such term in section                 
#aace7;g77#a77;,b7 of the ,social       
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4           
#acbj;b-#e7;g77#a77;,b774