,i #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dbib ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #cj1 #bjba,ms4 ,velzquez 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,katko1 ,mr4 ,pascrell1 ,ms4 ,johnson of ,texas1 ,mrs4 ,carolyn ,b4 ,maloney of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,tonko1 ,ms4 ,clarke of ,new ,york1 ,ms4 ,sewell1 ,mr4 ,carson1 ,mr4 ,suozzi1 ,ms4 ,meng1 ,mr4 ,higgins of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,allred1 ,mr4 ,veasey1 ,ms4 ,ross1 ,mrs4 ,fletcher1 and ,mr4 ,sires7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to provide for the establishment of ,,covid-#ai and pandemic response centers of excellence1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,,covid-#ai and ,pandemic ,response ,centers of ,excellence ,act4 #b4 ,,covid-#ai and pandemic response centers of excellence 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ij days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7referred to in this ,act as the ,secretary7 shall award grants1 contracts1 or cooperative agreements to academic medical centers for the establishment or continued support of not less than #aj centers of excellence to address issues associated with-- 7#a7 ,,covid-#ai1 including-- 7,a7 testing and diagnostics1 including availability and accessibility2 7,b7 patient care1 including related follow-up care for ,,covid-#ai survivors2 7,c7 best practices in the use of supplies and therapeutics2 7,d7 mental health treatment of frontline health care workers and other caregivers2 7,e7 health1 health care disparities1 and best practices for promoting health equity2 7,f7 research2 and 7,g7 education and training1 including for health professionals1 scientists1 and communities2 and 7#b7 future pandemic preparedness and response1 including-- 7,a7 the priorities specified in paragraph 7#a72 7,b7 working in a coordinated fashion with the advisory committee established under subsection 7c7 and respective ,state and local health authorities for the purposes of disseminating information1 best practices1 and other such public health-related measures2 and 7,c7 readiness to conduct or contribute to basic1 clinical1 translational1 and implementation research into novel or existing public health threats1 such as participating in diverse clinical trial research or vaccine1 diagnostic1 or therapeutic development1 however appropriate4 7b7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to receive a grant1 contract1 or cooperative agreement under subsection 7a71 an entity shall-- 7#a7 be an academic medical center2 and 7#b7 submit to the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require1 including a description of-- 7,a7 how the entity will conduct or contribute to the activities described in such subsection2 7,b7 how many individuals with ,,covid-#ai the entity has cared for and the entity's continued capacity and expertise to provide such care1 and how the entity improves health outcomes for such individuals1 and reduces health inequities among such individuals2 7,c7 how the entity plans to comprehensively care for ,,covid-#ai survivors2 7,d7 how the entity identifies and addresses the mental health needs of the frontline health care workforce to ensure the ability of such individuals to continue to care for the community1 in addition to current and future ,,covid-#ai patients2 7,e7 how the entity will conduct research and address health and health care inequities by identifying1 implementing1 or developing ,,covid-#ai evidenced-based strategies and interventions and engaging the populations heavily impacted by ,,covid-#ai in their community2 7,f7 how the entity will engage with the community and share information concerning ,,covid-#ai basic1 clinical1 translational1 and implementation research1 including vaccine research2 7,g7 the most significant risk factors and comorbidities of ,,covid-#ai patients observed by the entity and strategies employed by the entity to reduce the risk of ,,covid-#ai transmission2 7,h7 the long-term health effects of ,,covid-#ai and effective treatments utilized by the entity to treat those infected with ,,covid-#ai2 7,i7 secondary factors in ,,covid-#ai mobility and mortality identified by the entity1 such as antibiotic resistant infections and blood clotting disorders2 7,j7 how the entity will collaborate with other health care institutions1 public health agencies1 and community-based organizations to ensure equitable care to marginalized and underserved populations1 including rural and ethnic minority communities2 7,k7 how the entity will conduct research involving the unique pathophysiology of ,,covid-#ai in children and adolescents and unique needs of pregnant women2 and 7,l7 how the entity is prepared to contribute to advance planning and real-time response efforts for subsequent outbreaks that present a significant potential to imminently become a national public health emergency4 7c7 ,advisory committee 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall establish an advisory committee to facilitate collaboration1 information sharing1 and the dissemination of best practices relating to the ,,covid-#ai pandemic1 in addition to preparing for1 monitoring1 mitigating1 and responding to future pandemics4 ,the advisory committee shall be composed of a designee of each of the following3 7,a7 ,the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention4 7,b7 ,the ,director of the ,national ,institutes of ,health4 7,c7 ,the ,commissioner of ,food and ,drugs4 7,d7 ,the ,assistant ,secretary for ,preparedness and ,response4 7,e7 ,the ,director of the ,biomedical ,advanced ,research and ,development ,authority4 7,f7 ,the ,secretary of ,defense4 7,g7 ,a representative from each center of excellence established under this section4 7,h7 ,not more than #bj representatives from national organizations that work with and can represent populations disproportionately impacted by ,,covid-#ai1 populations vulnerable for disproportionate impact during a subsequent pandemic1 and populations disproportionately impacted by other health disparities4 7#b7 ,meetings ,the advisory committee under paragraph 7#a7 shall convene not less than twice annually4 7#c7 ,votes ,in carrying out its duties pursuant to section #i of the ,federal ,advisory ,committee ,act 7#e ,u4,s4,c4 ,app471 the advisory committee shall vote on which best practices with respect to ,,covid-#ai and pandemic response to disseminate4 7d7 ,,covid-#ai and pandemic response centers of excellence program fund 7#a7 ,establishment of fund ,there is established a fund to be known as the ,,covid-#ai and ,pandemic ,response ,centers of ,excellence ,program ,fund 7referred to in this section as the ,fund7 to provide awards under this section4 7#b7 ,appropriations ,out of any funds in the ,treasury not otherwise appropriated1 there are authorized to be appropriated1 and there are appropriated1 to the ,fund1 #ejj1jjj1jjj for the second calendar quarter of fiscal year #bjbb4 7e7 ,amount of award ,the amount of an award to a center of excellence under subsection 7a7 shall be not less than #aj1jjj1jjj for the first calendar quarter of fiscal year #bjbb1 and #e1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbc1 #bjbd1 #bjbe1 #bjbf1 and #bjbg4 7f7 ,condition ,each center of excellence shall1 as a condition of receipt of funds under subsection 7a71 submit to the ,secretary a budget that describes the activities to be funded under the award1 which may include the purchasing of equipment1 costs related to construction1 and other such activities that contribute to the center's ability to address the issues described in subsection 7a7 and to address and prepare for future pandemics4 7g7 ,reporting process ,an entity that receives an award under this section shall work with an office within the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services1 as designated by the ,secretary1 to submit annual progress reports and other such annual reports determined necessary by the ,secretary4 7h7 ,distribution ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall1 to the extent practicable1 ensure an equitable national geographic distribution of the grants1 contracts1 or cooperative agreements1 including areas of the ,united ,states where the incidence of ,,covid-#ai cases or cases of a disease responsible for a subsequent pandemic1 is highest4 7i7 ,advisory committee reporting ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and every year thereafter1 the advisory committee established under subsection 7c7 shall submit to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce of the ,house of ,representatives a report which shall include a synthesized analysis of all ,centers of ,excellence grantees findings1 best practices determined for each item specified under paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b7 of subsection 7a71 policy recommendations1 and other reports determined necessary by the ,secretary4 7j7 ,academic medical center defined ,in this section1 the term academic medical center means-- 7#a7 an institutition with-- 7,a7 integrated health care delivery2 7,b7 medical education and training2 and 7,c7 basic1 clinical1 translational1 and implementation research operations2 and 7#b7 an institution that meets such other criteria as the ,secretary may establish4