Bill Summary
This legislation, known as the "COVID Research Act of 2020" or the "Computing Opportunities to Vanquish Infectious Diseases Research Act of 2020," aims to provide coordination for research and development related to pandemic disease prediction, forecasting, and computing.
The Act establishes an interagency working group to coordinate federal programs and activities for emerging infectious diseases, including data acquisition, analysis, and prediction. This group includes representatives from various federal agencies and is responsible for identifying challenges and developing a national strategic plan for addressing them.
The Act also establishes a standing committee on emerging infectious diseases and 21st century health threats, which will facilitate the exchange of ideas among federal agencies, the private sector, and the academic community. This committee will also provide workshops, reports, and briefings to relevant Congressional committees.
The Department of Energy is tasked with carrying out a research program to leverage the federal government's analytical and computational capabilities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to emerging infectious diseases. This program will involve collaboration with other federal agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector, and will include a high performance computing research consortium to support the program's activities.
The Act also includes provisions for coordination and reporting, as well as funding for the Department of Energy to carry out these activities.
Possible Impacts
1. The COVID Research Act of 2020 could provide funding and resources for institutions of higher education to conduct research and develop solutions for preventing and responding to pandemics, potentially leading to new breakthroughs and treatments for diseases that affect people.
2. The legislation could require the involvement of various government agencies and organizations, potentially causing delays or conflicts in decision-making and implementation of research and development plans.
3. The establishment of a High Performance Computing Research Consortium could create opportunities for collaboration and communication among government agencies, private sector entities, and universities, potentially leading to more effective and efficient research outcomes.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6599 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6599
To provide for coordination of research and development for pandemic
disease prediction, forecasting, and computing, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 23, 2020
Mr. Lucas (for himself, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mr. Babin, Mr. Marshall,
Mr. Posey, Mr. Olson, Mr. Gonzalez of Ohio, Mr. Rooney of Florida, and
Mr. Murphy of North Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to
the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for coordination of research and development for pandemic
disease prediction, forecasting, and computing, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``COVID Research Act of 2020'' or the
``Computing Opportunities to Vanquish Infectious Diseases Research Act
of 2020''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
(a) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Energy.
(2) National laboratory.--The term ``National Laboratory''
has the meaning given that term in section 2 of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).
(3) National academies.--The term ``National Academies''
means the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and
Medicine.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.
(5) Qualifying entity.--The term ``Qualifying entity''
means--
(A) an institution of higher education;
(B) an appropriate State or Federal entity,
including a federally funded research and development
center of the Department;
(C) a nonprofit research institution;
(D) a multi-institutional collaboration; or
(E) any other relevant entity the Secretary
determines appropriate.
SEC. 3. EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASE PREDICTION AND FORECASTING SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.
(a) Interagency Committee.--The Director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy, acting through the National Science and
Technology Council, shall establish or designate an interagency working
group to coordinate Federal programs and activities for emerging
infectious disease data acquisition, analysis, situational awareness,
prediction and forecasting, and other related activities.
(b) Co-Chairs.--The interagency working group shall be co-chaired
by the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and, on
an annual rotating basis, a representative from the participants of the
interagency working group, as selected by the Director of the Office of
Science and Technology Policy.
(c) Agency Participation.--The Committee shall include
representatives from--
(1) the Department of Health and Human Services;
(2) the Department of Homeland Security;
(3) the Department of Agriculture;
(4) the Department of Commerce;
(5) the Department of Energy;
(6) the Department of the Interior;
(7) the Department of Defense;
(8) the National Science Foundation;
(9) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
(10) the National Institutes of Health;
(11) the Department of State;
(12) the Department of Veterans Affairs;
(13) the Environmental Protection Agency;
(14) the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
(15) the United States Agency for International
Development;
(16) the Smithsonian Institution; and
(17) any other Federal agency as considered appropriate by
the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
(d) Responsibilities.--The Interagency working group shall--
(1) provide for interagency coordination of Federal
research, technological development, and operational practice
in the prediction of infectious disease outbreaks in humans,
animals, or plants to minimize their adverse health, economic,
and security impact;
(2) identify challenges in outbreak prediction and modeling
and develop a national strategic plan for Federal actions to
advance the development and effective application of outbreak
prediction capabilities;
(3) hold workshops and seminars to engage researchers and
stakeholders from universities, industry, public health
organizations, and non-profit organization; and
(4) engage with international partners and strategic allies
to share best practices and coordinate prediction and modeling
of infectious disease.
(e) Coordination With National Academies Standing Committee on
Emerging Infectious Disease and 21st Century Health Threats.--The
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall
coordinate with the National Academies to ensure that at least one
member of the interagency working group is also a member of the
committee under section 4.
(f) Biennial Reporting.--One years after the date of enactment of
this Act, and at least every 2 years thereafter, the Director of the
Office of Science and Technology Policy shall provide a summary report
to Congress on the activities of the working group.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL ACADEMIES STANDING COMMITTEE ON EMERGING INFECTIOUS
DISEASE AND 21ST CENTURY HEALTH THREATS.
(a) In General.--The Office of Science and Technology Policy, and
other agencies as determined by the Director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy, shall enter into an agreement with the National
Academies to create a ``Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious
Disease and 21st Century Health Threats'' (hereinafter in this section
referred to as the ``Standing Committee'').
(b) Participants.--The Standing Committee shall include members
with expertise in emerging infectious diseases, public health, public
health preparedness and response, biological sciences, clinical care
and crisis standards of care, risk communication, and regulatory
issues.
(c) Purpose.--The purpose of the Standing Committee is to
facilitate the exchange of ideas among Federal agencies, the private
sector, and the academic community, as well as other relevant
stakeholders, including--
(1) responding on short notice to requests from the Federal
Government to assess and consider the science and policy
implications of an emerging infectious disease or significant
public health threat;
(2) providing a venue to enable science and policy
discussions relevant to the Federal Government on emerging
issues, research, and activities through in-depth knowledge of
the sponsor's programs, goals, and objectives;
(3) identifying opportunities to integrate science into
national preparedness and response decision making;
(4) exploring lessons learned and best practices from
previous preparedness and response efforts, and identify
opportunities to disseminate that information to a variety of
stakeholders;
(5) serving as a forum for national policy discussions by
experts and other leaders in the field;
(6) identifying and discussing strategies for addressing
misinformation; and
(7) responding to the needs of the Working Group
established under section 3 for continuing dialog related to
strategic planning and program development to address emerging
infectious diseases, biosecurity, and public health and medical
preparedness.
(d) Report and Briefing.--The agreement under subsection (a) shall
specify that--
(1) the standing committee shall periodically organize
workshops and issue publicly available reports on the topics
described in subsection (c) and the activities of the Standing
Committee; and
(2) not later than one year after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Academies shall provide a briefing to relevant
Committees of the House of Representatives and Senate on the
progress and activities of the Standing Committee.
SEC. 5. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH
PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, in coordination with the Director
of the National Science Foundation and the Director of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, shall carry out a research
program to leverage the Federal Government's innovative analytical
tools and advanced computational and networking capabilities in order
to prevent, prepare for, and respond to emerging infectious diseases,
including COVID-19. The Secretary shall carry out this program through
a competitive, merit-reviewed process, and consider applications from
National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, multi-
institutional collaborations, industry partners and other appropriate
entities.
(b) Program Components.--In carrying out the program established
under subsection (a), Secretary shall coordinate with relevant Federal
agencies to determine a comprehensive set of technical milestones for
these research activities and prioritize the following objectives--
(1) supporting fundamental research and development in
advanced analytics and high-performance computing technologies
needed to characterize, model, simulate, and predict complex
phenomena related to emerging infectious diseases, including
COVID-19 mitigation challenges, including a focus on
bioinformatics, epidemiology, and molecular modeling;
(2) using expertise from the private sector and
institutions of higher education, and the National Laboratories
to develop computational software and capabilities that
prospective users may accelerate emerging infectious diseases
research and development;
(3) increasing the utility of the research infrastructure
of the Department, including scientific computing user
facilities and light source user facilities, by coordinating
with the Advanced Scientific Computing Research and Basic
Energy Sciences programs within the Office of Science;
(4) leveraging experience from existing modeling and
simulation research and work sponsored by the Department and
promoting collaboration and data sharing between National
Laboratories, research entities, and user facilities of the
Department by providing the necessary access and secure data
transfer capabilities; and
(5) ensuring that new experimental and computational tools
are accessible to relevant research communities, including
private sector entities engaged in technology development to
address emerging infectious diseases, including COVID-19
challenges.
(c) Coordination.--In carrying out these programs, the Secretary
shall ensure coordination and consultation with member of the working
group established in section 3. The Secretary shall ensure, to the
maximum extent practicable, coordination of these activities with the
Department of Energy National Laboratories, institutes of higher
education, and the private sector.
(d) Emerging Infectious Diseases High Performance Computing
Research Consortium.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary in coordination with the
Director of the National Science Foundation and the Director of
the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall establish and
operate an Emerging Infectious Diseases High Performance
Computing Research Consortium (referred to in this section as
the ``Consortium''), in order to support the program under
subsection (a) by providing, to the extent practicable, a
centralized location for multidisciplinary, collaborative,
emerging infectious disease research and development through
high performance computing and advanced data analytics
technologies and processes.
(2) Membership.--The members of such consortium shall be
representatives from relevant Federal agencies, the private
sector, institutes of higher education, which can each
contribute relevant compute time, capabilities, or other
resources.
(3) Activities.--The Consortium shall--
(A) match applicants with available Federal and
private sector computing resources;
(B) consider supplemental awards for computing
partnerships with Consortium members to qualifying
entities on a competitive merit-review basis;
(C) encourage collaboration and communication among
member representatives of the consortium and awardees;
(D) make available the high-performance computing
capabilities, expertise, and user facilities of the
Department and the National Laboratories; and
(E) submit an annual report to the Secretary
summarizing the activities of the Consortium,
including--
(i) describing each project undertaken by
the Consortium;
(ii) detailing organizational expenditures;
and
(iii) evaluating contribution to the
achievement of technical milestones as
determined in subsection (a).
(4) Coordination.--The Secretary shall ensure the
coordination of, and avoid unnecessary duplication of, the
activities of the Consortium with the activities of other
research entities of the Department, institutions of higher
education and the private sector.
(e) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House, and the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the Senate, and the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report detailing the
effectiveness of--
(1) the interagency coordination between each Federal
agency involved in the research program carried out under this
section;
(2) the collaborative research achievements of the program,
including the achievement of the technical milestones
determined under subsection (a); and
(3) potential opportunities to expand the technical
capabilities of the Department.
(f) Prohibition.--No funds allocated to the program described in
subsection (a) may be obligated or expended for commercial application
of technology.
(g) Funding.--From within funds authorized to be appropriated for
the Department's Office of Science, there shall be made available to
the Secretary to carry out the activities under this section,
$50,000,000 for fiscal years 2021 and 2022.
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