S.Amdt. 2062

SA 2062. Mr. SASSE (for himself and Mr. Coons) submitted an amendment
intended to be proposed to amendment SA 1502 proposed by Mr. Schumer to
the bill S. 1260, to establish a new Directorate for Technology and
Innovation in the National Science Foundation, to establish a regional
technology hub program, to require a strategy and report on economic
security, science, research, innovation, manufacturing, and job
creation, to establish a critical supply chain resiliency program, and
for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of title V of division B, add the following:

SEC. 2528. GLOBAL COVID-19 RELIEF PROGRAM.

(a) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate
that--
(1) the COVID-19 pandemic is a once-in-a generation
opportunity for the United States to demonstrate global
leadership;
(2) the People's Republic of China is engaged in an
aggressive vaccine diplomacy game and uses COVID-19
assistance as a coercive tool to secure political and
economic gains;
(3) providing other countries with COVID-19 assistance and
access to vaccines should be a top priority for the
Department of State

[[Page S3527]]

and the United States Agency for International Development
for the rest of fiscal year 2021; and
(4) it is in the interests of the United States to work to
preserve and protect United States private sector incentives
for future vaccine development and to ensure technological
innovation in order to meet the vaccine diplomacy challenges
of the next pandemic.
(b) Global COVID-19 Relief Program.--The Secretary of State
should establish a global COVID-19 relief program through
which Department of State and United States Agency for
International Development personnel, including contractors,
can--
(1) assist host governments with--
(A) the procurement from the United States Government of
COVID-19 vaccines developed in the United States;
(B) direct procurement of such vaccines from United States
vaccine manufacturers; and
(C) procurement of other COVID-19-related medical advice,
technical advice, and material assistance from the United
States Government and United States vaccine manufacturers;
and
(2) serve as liaisons for United States vaccine
manufacturers to facilitate--
(A) overseas licensing agreements;
(B) direct purchase agreements; and
(C) the expansion of vaccine production capacity overseas.
(c) American Vaccine Diplomacy Task Force.--
(1) Establishment.--Not later than 60 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State should
establish a task force to facilitate the overseas licensing
and direct purchasing agreements of vaccines developed in the
United States.
(2) Membership.--If a task force is established pursuant to
paragraph (1), the task force should be composed of--
(A) 1 or more representatives of the Department of State at
the Under Secretary level, or designees;
(B) 1 or more representatives of the United States Agency
for International Development at the Assistant Administrator
level, or designees;
(C) 1 or more representatives of the Department of Commerce
at the Under Secretary level, or designees;
(D) 1 or more representatives of private sector companies
in the United States that are significantly involved in the
production of COVID-19 vaccines;
(E) 1 or more representatives from civil society, including
organizational leaders with expertise in the manufacturing,
procurement, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines developed
in the United States; and
(F) any other representatives that the Secretary of State
determines are necessary to support the work of the task
force.
(3) Duties.--If a task force is established pursuant to
paragraph (1), the task force should identify--
(A) a target set of countries for the facilitation of
overseas licensing and direct purchasing agreements of COVID-
19 vaccines developed in the United States;
(B) existing policy and legal hurdles to the facilitation
of overseas licensing and direct purchasing agreements of
such vaccines; and
(C) the necessary resources at the consulate, embassy, and
bureau levels to expedite the facilitation of overseas
licensing and direct purchasing agreements of such vaccines.
(4) Reporting requirement.--Not later than 60 days after
the establishment of the task force pursuant to paragraph (1)
and every 90 days thereafter until the date set forth in
paragraph (5), the task force should deliver a written or
verbal report to Congress and to the Secretary of State that
describes--
(A) the activities of the task force; and
(B) any legal, bureaucratic, or resourcing challenges
preventing the expedited facilitation of overseas licensing
and direct purchasing agreements of COVID-19 vaccines
developed in the United States.
(5) Sunset provision.--If a task force is established
pursuant to paragraph (1), the task force shall terminate on
the date that is 1 year after the date of its establishment
unless the Secretary of State--
(A) determines that the duration of the task force should
be extended; and
(B) not later than 30 days before extending the duration of
the task force, notifies Congress of the duration of, and
justification for, such extension.
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