- identify options for the Federal Government to maximize testing capacity of commercial labs and academic labs; and
- propose short- and long-term reforms for the Federal Government to: increase State, local, Tribal, and territorial capacity to conduct testing; expand genomic sequencing; and improve the effectiveness and speed of the Federal Government’s response to future pandemics and other biological emergencies.
(d) The Chair of the Testing Board shall coordinate with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the heads of other relevant agencies or their designees, as necessary, to ensure that the Testing Board’s work is coordinated with the Public Health Emergency Countermeasures Enterprise within HHS.
Sec. 3. Actions to Address the Cost of COVID–19 Testing. (a) The Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of HHS, and the Secretary of Labor, in coordination with the COVID–19 Response Coordinator, shall promptly, and as appropriate and consistent with applicable law:
- facilitate the provision of COVID–19 testing free of charge to those who lack comprehensive health insurance; and
- clarify group health plans’ and health insurance issuers’ obligations to provide coverage for COVID–19 testing.
(b) The Secretary of HHS, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the COVID–19 Response Coordinator, shall promptly, and as appropriate and consistent with applicable law:
- provide support for surveillance tests for settings such as schools; and
- expand equitable access to COVID–19 testing.
Sec. 4. Establishing a Public Health Workforce Program. (a) The Secretary of HHS and the Secretary of Labor shall promptly consult with State, local, Tribal, and territorial leaders to understand the challenges they face in pandemic response efforts, including challenges recruiting and training sufficient personnel to ensure adequate and equitable community-based testing, and testing in schools and high-risk settings.
(b) The Secretary of HHS shall, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, as soon as practicable:
- provide technical support to State, local, Tribal, and territorial public health agencies with respect to testing and contact-tracing efforts; and
- assist such authorities in the training of public health workers. This may include technical assistance to non-Federal public health workforces in connection with testing, contact tracing, and mass vaccinations, as well as other urgent public health workforce needs, such as combating opioid use.
(c) The Secretary of HHS shall submit to the President, through the COVID–19 Response Coordinator, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy (APDP), and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA), a plan detailing:
- how the Secretary of HHS would deploy personnel in response to future high-consequence public health threats; and
- five-year targets and budget requirements for achieving a sustainable public health workforce, as well as options for expanding HHS capacity, such as by expanding the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and Epidemic Intelligence Service, so that the Department can better respond to future pandemics and other biological threats.
(d) The Secretary of HHS, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Education, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, in coordination with the COVID–19 Response Coordinator, the APDP, and the APNSA, shall
