H.R. 4142 — Introduced in House

I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4142 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 15, 2023 Mr. Santos introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To provide for a cause of action for any United States national who lost a relative due to COVID–19. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the CCP Wrongful Death Accountability Act of 2023. 2. Cause of action (a) In general Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a United States national, if an immediate relative of that national has died of COVID–19, may, in a civil action against the Government of China, recover appropriate relief. (b) Action by citizen of United States Notwithstanding any other provision of law (including chapter 85 of title 28, United States Code, commonly referred to as the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act) a citizen of the United States may bring an action for damages in an appropriate district court of the United States against the Government of the People’s Republic of China for harm suffered by the citizen as a result of the COVID–19 pandemic. (c) Payment by United States If an individual is awarded damages in an action under this section, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China has not satisfied such award before the date that is one year after the date on which the damages were awarded, the individual may seek an order from the court directing the United States to pay such award to the individual. The payment by the United States of any such award shall be deducted from any interest or debt owed by the United States to the People’s Republic of China, or from any amounts made available to provide United States assistance to the People’s Republic of China. (d) Definition In this section: (1) Harm The term harm includes costs associated with— (A) the payment of overtime to frontline workers; (B) purchasing masks and sanitizing products; (C) purchasing vaccines; (D) research and development; (E) developing COVID–19 testing sites and testing individuals for COVID–19; (F) purchasing medical equipment related to COVID–19; (G) unemployment payments; and (H) laws to provide other assistance during the COVID–19 pandemic. (2) Immediate relative The term immediate relative means a brother, sister, mother, or father, either biological or adopted.