,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #hefb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,october #i1 #bjbj,mr4 ,larson of ,connecticut 7for himself and ,mr4 ,courtney7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to require the ,director of the ,defense ,logistics ,agency to establish a system for ,states and localities to access covered items during a covered emergency1 to ensure that the ,director of the ,defense ,logistics ,agency is the head of the ,,covid-#ai ,joint ,acquisition ,task ,force1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,pandemic ,essential ,supplies ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the global shortage of medical and sanitation supplies due to the ,,covid-#ai pandemic has paralyzed health care systems and strained emergency response capabilities of governments around the world4 7#b7 ,the pandemic demonstrated the interdependent nature and the limitations of global supply chains as both our nation and the world competes for a finite number of suppliers for critical medical and sanitation resources4 7#c7 ,providing a comprehensive understanding of how to procure1 manage1 deliver1 and sustain at scale was necessary during this crisis1 and will be critical as the ,u4,s4 replenishes current supplies and plans for future crises4 7#d7 ,the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency and the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services were challenged to rapidly identify1 procure and deploy large quantities of goods and services while simultaneously responding and planning for the recovery of the ,united ,states from this global pandemic4 7#e7 ,the traditional interagency emergency response structure1 built to respond to natural disasters typically defined by geographic locales1 does not have the capacity to scale quickly to address a crisis of this magnitude4 7#f7 ,the ,department of ,defense leveraged acquisition and supply chain expertise are uniquely suited to rapidly scale and establish acquisition strategies1 for both procurement of supplies1 expansion of industrial capabilities and distribution of such supplies as the ,,covid-#ai response requirements evolved4 7#g7 ,as the combat logistics support agency for the ,nation1 the ,defense ,logistics ,agency 7,,dla7 manages the global supply chain--from raw materials to end user to disposition--for the ,army1 ,marine ,corps1 ,navy1 ,air ,force1 ,space ,force1 ,coast ,guard1 #aa combatant commands1 other ,federal agencies1 and partner and allied nations4 7#h7 ,,dla has supported the ,,covid-#ai response of the ,department of ,defense by increasing the production and acquisition of critical items through existing large-scale contracts across multiple supply chains4 7#i7 ,as a logistics integrator and acquisition and service provider1 ,,dla has the unique capability to manage the supply chain that few other organizations1 public or private1 can match to assist ,states1 local governments1 hospitals1 and health care providers around the country with supplies so they are not needlessly competing against one another4 7#aj7 ,additionally1 the ,,covid-#ai ,joint ,acquisition ,task ,force 7,,jatf71 established by the ,undersecretary of ,defense for ,acquisition and ,sustainment1 plays a critical role in the national response to the ,,covid-#ai pandemic4 7#aa7 ,the ,,jatf's understanding of reliance on foreign suppliers1 often many tiers down in the supply chain1 and the impact of that reliance on producing at scale has allowed the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services to better plan for replenishment of the ,strategic ,national ,stockpile4 7#ab7 ,,dla should provide direct support for ,states during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic and future emergencies4 7#ac7 ,,dla can identify private sector capacity and assess additional needs for rapid mass production a ,,covid-#ai vaccine in advance of approval by the ,federal ,drug ,administration of such vaccine4 7#ad7 ,the ,secretary of ,defense should be prepared to reconvene the ,,jatf to support future emergencies such as ,,covid-#ai4 #c4 ,defense ,logistics ,agency system to access covered items during a covered emergency 7a7 ,establishment ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,director of the ,defense ,logistics ,agency shall-- 7#a7 establish and maintain an online system1 or expand access to an existing system1 through which ,states and local governments affected by a covered emergency may submit requests for covered items2 and 7#b7 establish procedures for fulfilling such requests4 7b7 ,funding ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 acting through the ,director of the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency1 shall transfer such amounts as determined by the ,secretary of ,defense1 acting through the ,director of the ,defense ,logistics ,agency1 to be derived from the unobligated balances of amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the ,disaster ,relief ,fund1 to reimburse costs that the ,secretary of ,defense certifies to the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security were incurred to carry out this section4 7c7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,covered emergency ,the term covered emergency means-- 7,a7 a major disaster declared by the ,president under section #dja of the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act2 or 7,b7 an emergency or disaster declared by a ,governor of a ,state or the head of a unit of local government4 7#b7 ,covered item ,the term covered item means a good or service determined by the ,director of the ,defense ,logistics ,agency to be essential to respond to a covered emergency4 7#c7 ,unit of local government ,the term unit of local government means a county1 municipality1 town1 township1 village1 parish1 borough1 or other unit of general government4 #d4 ,,covid-#ai ,joint ,acquisition ,task ,force ,the ,under ,secretary of ,defense for ,acquisition and ,sustainment shall designate the ,director of the ,defense ,logistics ,agency as the head of the ,,covid-#ai ,joint ,acquisition ,task ,force 7established on ,march #be1 #bjbj74 #e4 ,reports 7a7 ,mass production of ,,covid-#ai vaccine ,not later than #fj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,director of the ,defense ,logistics ,agency shall submit to ,congress a report describing the needs of the domestic manufacturing base for the mass production of a ,,covid-#ai vaccine1 including the raw materials needed and an identification of specific entities that could support such mass production4 7b7 ,quarterly reports 7#a7 ,in general ,each quarter1 the ,director of the ,defense ,logistics ,agency shall submit to ,congress-- 7,a7 an assessment of the identified needs1 personnel requirements1 funding requirements1 and timelines and milestones of operations for the response and recovery efforts of ,defense ,logistics ,agency and the ,,covid-#ai ,joint ,acquisition ,task ,force during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic2 and 7,b7 a description of any challenges faced in carrying out such efforts and recommendations to resolve such challenges4 7#b7 ,termination ,the requirement under paragraph 7#a7 shall terminate at the end of the first quarter that begins after the national emergency declared under the ,national ,emergencies ,act 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #afja et seq471 relating to the ,,covid-#ai outbreak1 terminates4