SENATE BILL: Coronavirus Containment and Emergency... (At Final Vote-1hr left)

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Sorry for the early call.  I withdraw my signature.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Vote on Final Passage of the Coronavirus Containment and Emergency Response Act:

Aye (6): Devout Centrist, LT, NC Yankee, Pyro, Scott and Tack50
Nay (0):
Abstain (0):

Didn't Vote (0):

This has passed the Senate and is presented to the VP for House Action.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

A BILL
To make emergency supplemental appropriations for the 2020 fiscal year, and for other purposes

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives, in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Title

This legislation may be cited as the Coronavirus Containment and Emergency Response Act.

Section 2. Findings

Congress finds the following:

(a) There is an ongoing global outbreak of COVID-19.

(b) Symptom onset can take up to two weeks from exposure, making the spread of the virus difficult to detect.

(c) The most common symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath.

(d) The virus spreads primarily between people through coughing and sneezing.

(e) COVID-19 is spreading rapidly and Congress finds that an urgent response is nessessary.

Section 3. Definitions

(a) Coronavirus disease 2019 is an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This disease shall by refered to by its acronym "COVID-19" for the purposes of this bill.

Section 4. Testing and Treatment

(a) Any medical institution capable of conducting testing for COVID-19 shall be required to conduct testing free of charge for any individual regardless of residence or citizenship who meets the following criteria:

(i) Has interacted an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the preceding 21 days.

(ii) Has been to, within the preceding 21 days, a region or country designated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as high risk for COVID-19.

(b) Any individual who has been instructed by a medical professional to self isolate for up to 14 days is required by law to do so.

(c) Employers shall not be permitted to penalize employees for absence if that employee has:

(i) Been instructed by a medical professional to self-isolate.

(ii) Tested positive for COVID-19.

(d) The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shall be instructed to maintain facilities capable of providing testing and treatment for COVID-19 within 10 miles of all ports of entry.

(e.) Medical institutions shall be required to provide medication, as prescribed by a medical professional, necessary to treat COVID-19 free of charge.

(f.) AtlasCare and all private health insurance companies must provide free coronavius testing and treatment.

(g.) The National Institutes of Health shall be instructed to conduct extensive research into COVID-19.

Section 5. Mandatory Medical Paid Leave

(a.) All employed people in Atlasia who have been diagnosed with coronavirus or are caring for family members with coronavirus must receive two-thirds of their wages for up to three months.

(b.) All employers must allow their workers to accrue seven days of paid sick leave, with an additional fourteen days available immediately in the event of public health emergencies.

Section 6. Unemployment Benefits

(a.) An additional $1,000,000,000 shall be appropriated to the Atlasian Department of Labor's Unemployment Insurance program for workers who are temporarily discharged from their jobs because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Section 7. Food Aid

(a.) An additional $1,300,000,000 shall be appropriated in emergency food aid for low-income pregnant women and children, senior citizens, and Atlasian Department of Agriculture food banks.  Regions and states may provide SNAP benefits to make up for lost school lunch benefits to children in low-income households if they are kept home from school because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Section 8. Miscellaneous Appropriations

(1.) $61,000,000 shall be available until expended, to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, including the development of necessary medical countermeasures and vaccines, advanced manufacturing for medical products, the monitoring of medical product supply chains.

(2.) $20,000,000 shall be available until expended, that such amounts may be transferred to the Small Business Administration for the cost of direct loans in any fiscal year may be used to make economic injury disaster loans.

(3a.) $2,200,000,000 shall be available, to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, until September 30, 2022, to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally.

(3b.) No less than $950,000,000 of the amount provided shall be for grants to or cooperative agreements with Regions, States, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes, to carry out surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory capacity, infection control, mitigation, communications, and other preparedness and response activities.

(3c.) No less than $300,000,000 shall be for global disease detection and emergency response.

(3d.) Funds appropriated under this Act may be used for grants for the construction, alteration, or renovation of non-Federally owned facilities to improve preparedness and response capability at the Regional, State, and local level.

(3e.) Funds appropriated under this act may be used for purchase and insurance of official motor vehicles in foreign countries.

(4a.) $836,000,000 shall be available for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases until September 30, 2024, to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally.

(4b.) $10,000,000 shall be transferred to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for worker-based training to prevent and reduce exposure of hospital employees, emergency first responders, and other workers who are at risk of exposure to coronavirus through their work duties.

(5a.) $3,100,000,000 shall be available to the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund until September 30, 2024, to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, including the development of necessary countermeasures and vaccines, prioritizing platform-based technologies with Atlasia-based manufacturing capabilities, and the purchase of vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, necessary medical supplies, medical surge capacity, and related administrative activities.

(5b.) Of the amount provided under this heading in this Act, $100,000,000 shall be transferred to “Health Resources and Services Administration—Primary Health Care” for grants under the Health Centers Program to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.

(5c.) For the “Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund”, $300,000,000 shall be available until September 30, 2024, for products purchased as described in the first paragraph under this heading, including the purchase of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.

(6.) For “Diplomatic Programs”, $264,000,000, shall be available until September 30, 2022, for necessary expenses to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, including for maintaining consular operations, reimbursement of evacuation expenses, and emergency preparedness.

(7.) For “Global Health Programs”, $435,000,000, shall be available until September 30, 2022, for necessary expenses to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.

(8.) For “International Disaster Assistance”, $300,000,000, shall be available until expended, for necessary expenses to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.

(9.) For the “Economic Support Fund”, $250,000,000 shall be available until September 30, 2022, for necessary expenses to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, including to address related economic, security, and stabilization requirements.

Section 9. Resolution in Support of Executive Authority to Temporarily Restrict Migration To and From the Republic of Atlasia

Be it resolved, that the President of the Republic of Atlasia may exercise, in times of pandemics and national crises, to unilaterally suspend migration to and from the Republic of Atlasia, for such time as might be necessary.

People's Regional Senate
Passed 6-0 in the Atlasian Senate assembled,