,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dcia ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #cj1 #bjbj,mr4 ,schatz 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 and ,mrs4 ,feinstein7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to authorize a public service announcement campaign on the efficacy of cloth face coverings in reducing the spread of ,,covid-#ai1 to authorize a program to provide cloth face coverings to any individual in the ,united ,states who requests one free of charge1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,masks ,work ,act of #bjbj4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,,sars-,co,v-#b virus has killed over #aej1jjj individuals in the ,united ,states and infected more than #d1jjj1jjj others4 7#b7 ,the measures taken to contain the virus1 including social distancing and stay at home orders1 have resulted in a significant economic disruption1 causing tens of millions of individuals to lose jobs and income4 7#c7 ,scientific experts have warned of the danger of a second wave of infections striking the ,united ,states in fall and winter4 7#d7 ,scientific experts within the ,united ,states ,government and elsewhere have strongly advised individuals to wear cloth face coverings as a means to slow the spread of ,,covid-#ai and have stated that wearing cloth face coverings may reduce the spread of respiratory droplets that may carry the disease4 7#e7 ,there is a growing body of scientific research indicating that high levels of cloth face covering adoption by a population can reduce transmission of the virus1 and may prevent asymptomatic or presymptomatic carriers from unknowingly infecting others4 7#f7 ,one scientific model estimated that if #hj percent of the population adopted proper face covering use1 transmission would be #a_/ab what it would be in a population without wearing cloth face coverings4 ,another newly released study conducted with animals found that certain face coverings reduced transmission of ,,covid-#ai by #ge percent4 7#g7 ,nations in ,southeast ,asia with high levels of cloth face covering wearing have been more effective than others in reducing the spread of ,,covid-#ai1 and have experienced comparably fewer infections and deaths as a result4 7#h7 ,a recent study from the ,university of ,iowa's ,college of ,public ,health suggests that the #ae ,states and the ,district of ,columbia1 having mandated wearing face coverings in public between ,april #h1 #bjbj1 and ,may #ae1 #bjbj1 averted as many as #bcj1jjj to #dej1jjj ,,covid-#ai cases4 7#i7 ,many individuals have heeded the calls of public health experts to wear cloth face coverings and have made major sacrifices in other aspects of their life in order to control the spread of the virus4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that -- 7#a7 following the consensus advice of public health experts to wear face coverings can meaningfully reduce transmission rates for ,,covid-#ai1 resulting in fewer deaths1 fewer individuals made seriously ill1 and less economic disruption2 7#b7 individuals should wear appropriate face coverings in accordance with public health guidance1 including in situations where social distancing is difficult or impossible1 particularly in indoors environments1 both to protect themselves and to protect older individuals or others with health conditions that increase the risks of serious illness due to ,,covid-#ai2 and 7#c7 leaders across the political spectrum should model behaviors recommended by public health experts by wearing face coverings appropriately and encouraging those around them to do the same4 #d4 ,public service announcement campaign 7a7 ,in general ,the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention 7in this section referred to as the ,director7 shall carry out a linguistically and culturally competent public service announcement campaign on television1 radio1 the internet1 and digital platforms1 and in print publications1 informing the public on-- 7#a7 the efficacy of cloth face coverings2 and 7#b7 why cloth face coverings are recommended by public health experts to reduce the spread of ,,covid-#ai4 7b7 ,audience ,in carrying out the campaign under subsection 7a71 the ,director shall ensure that public service announcements reach as many individuals as possible with scientifically accurate messages about cloth face coverings4 7c7 ,accessibility ,the ,director shall ensure that public service announcements are provided in formats suitable for people who are deaf1 hard-of-hearing1 deaf-blind1 blind1 and people who cannot rely on speech to be heard and understood1 including the following3 7#a7 ,american ,sign ,language4 7#b7 ,large print4 7#c7 ,braille4 7#d7 ,fully accessible websites4 7#e7 ,captioned videos4 7d7 ,language ,the ,director shall ensure that public service announcements under this section are provided in languages in addition to ,english1 including-- 7#a7 the languages recommended in the ,department of ,homeland ,security's ,language ,access ,plan issued on ,october #a1 #bjaf1 and any succeeding plan2 7#b7 ,native ,american languages that are official ,state languages that have not less than #a1jjj speakers1 and any other ,native ,american language with not less than #aj1jjj speakers2 and 7#c7 territorial languages that are official languages4 7e7 ,additional languages or formats ,the ,director shall ensure that public service announcements under this section are developed in additional languages or formats as needed to meet specific ,state or local needs as requested by a ,state governor or department of health4 7f7 ,grants and contracts ,in carrying out the campaign under subsection 7a71 the ,director may1 subject to the availability of appropriations1 award grants to1 and enter into contracts with1 public and private entities 7including nonprofit organizations74 7g7 ,authorization of ,appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years #bjbj and #bjba1 to remain available until expended4 #e4 ,cloth face coverings for all 7a7 ,in general ,subject to the availability of appropriations1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7in this section referred to as the ,secretary7 shall carry out a program1 in partnership with other ,federal agencies1 to provide cloth face coverings to any individual in the ,united ,states who requests such coverings free of charge by ,united ,states mail and through other means1 such as distribution at ,,covid-#ai testing sites1 as determined appropriate by the ,secretary4 7b7 ,requests ,in carrying out this section1 the ,secretary shall establish procedures allowing individuals to request up to three cloth face coverings per person in their household through the internet1 by mail1 or by phone 7including text messaging74 7c7 ,consultation ,the ,secretary shall consult with the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 the ,director of the ,national ,institutes of ,health1 and the heads of other agencies as appropriate regarding the design and selection of cloth face coverings to be provided under this section4 7d7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years #bjbj and #bjba1 to remain available until expended4 #f4 ,national ,institutes of ,health research on cloth face covering efficacy 7a7 ,in ,general ,the ,director of the ,national ,institutes of ,health 7in this section referred to as the ,director7 shall conduct or support research on the efficacy of cloth face coverings1 face shields1 and other facial coverings to reduce the spread of ,,covid-#ai4 7b7 ,use of funds ,research under this section may include-- 7#a7 research on the effect of wearing cloth face coverings on the spread of ,,sars-,co,v-#b and ,,covid-#ai2 7#b7 research on the situations for which cloth face coverings are scientifically indicated2 7#c7 research on the most effective materials or designs of cloth face coverings2 and 7#d7 other topics as the ,director determines appropriate4 7c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #be1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbj through #bjbb1 to remain available until expended4