Us Congress 2023-2024 Regular Session

Us Congress Senate Bill SB619 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	S. 619
2		-	One Hundred Eighteenth Congress
3		-	of the
4		-	United States of America
5		-	AT THE FIRST SESSION
6		-	Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
7		-	the third day of January, two thousand and twenty three
8		-	An Act
9		-	To require the Director of National Intelligence to declassify information relating
10		-	to the origin of COVID–19, and for other purposes.
11		-	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
12		-	the United States of America in Congress assembled,
13		-	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
14		-	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘COVID–19 Origin Act of 2023’’.
15		-	SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
16		-	It is the sense of Congress that—
17		-	(1) identifying the origin of Coronavirus Disease 2019
18		-	(COVID–19) is critical for preventing a similar pandemic from
19		-	occurring in the future;
20		-	(2) there is reason to believe the COVID–19 pandemic
21		-	may have originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology; and
22		-	(3) the Director of National Intelligence should declassify
23		-	and make available to the public as much information as pos-
24		-	sible about the origin of COVID–19 so the United States and
25		-	like-minded countries can—
26		-	(A) identify the origin of COVID–19 as expeditiously
27		-	as possible, and
28		-	(B) use that information to take all appropriate meas-
29		-	ures to prevent a similar pandemic from occurring again.
30		-	SEC. 3. DECLASSIFICATION OF INFORMATION RELATED TO THE
31		-	ORIGIN OF COVID–19.
32		-	Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of
33		-	this Act, the Director of National Intelligence shall—
34		-	(1) declassify any and all information relating to potential
35		-	links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin
36		-	of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19), including—
37		-	(A) activities performed by the Wuhan Institute of
38		-	Virology with or on behalf of the People’s Liberation Army;
39		-	(B) coronavirus research or other related activities per-
40		-	formed at the Wuhan Institute of Virology prior to the
41		-	outbreak of COVID–19; and
42		-	(C) researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology
43		-	who fell ill in autumn 2019, including for any such
44		-	researcher—
45		-	(i) the researcher’s name;
46		-	(ii) the researcher’s symptoms;
47		-	(iii) the date of the onset of the researcher’s symp-
48		-	toms; S. 619—2
49		-	(iv) the researcher’s role at the Wuhan Institute
50		-	of Virology;
51		-	(v) whether the researcher was involved with or
52		-	exposed to coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute
53		-	of Virology;
54		-	(vi) whether the researcher visited a hospital while
55		-	they were ill; and
56		-	(vii) a description of any other actions taken by
57		-	the researcher that may suggest they were experi-
58		-	encing a serious illness at the time; and
59		-	(2) submit to Congress an unclassified report that con-
60		-	tains—
61		-	(A) all of the information described under paragraph
62		-	(1); and
63		-	(B) only such redactions as the Director determines
64		-	necessary to protect sources and methods.
65		-	Speaker of the House of Representatives.
66		-	Vice President of the United States and
67		-	President of the Senate.
	1	+	II
	2	+	118THCONGRESS
	3	+	1
	4	+	STSESSION S. 619
	5	+	To require the Director of National Intelligence to declassify information
	6	+	relating to the origin of COVID–19, and for other purposes.
	7	+	IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
	8	+	MARCH1, 2023
	9	+	Mr. H
	10	+	AWLEY(for himself, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. LEE, and Mr.
	11	+	S
	12	+	COTTof Florida) introduced the following bill; which was read twice,
	13	+	considered, read the third time, and passed
	14	+	A BILL
	15	+	To require the Director of National Intelligence to declassify
	16	+	information relating to the origin of COVID–19, and
	17	+	for other purposes.
	18	+	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
	19	+	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
	20	+	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
	21	+	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘COVID–19 Origin Act 4
	22	+	of 2023’’. 5
	23	+	SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 6
	24	+	It is the sense of Congress that— 7
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	27	+	•S 619 CPS
	28	+	(1) identifying the origin of Coronavirus Dis-1
	29	+	ease 2019 (COVID–19) is critical for preventing a 2
	30	+	similar pandemic from occurring in the future; 3
	31	+	(2) there is reason to believe the COVID–19 4
	32	+	pandemic may have originated at the Wuhan Insti-5
	33	+	tute of Virology; and 6
	34	+	(3) the Director of National Intelligence should 7
	35	+	declassify and make available to the public as much 8
	36	+	information as possible about the origin of COVID– 9
	37	+	19 so the United States and like-minded countries 10
	38	+	can— 11
	39	+	(A) identify the origin of COVID–19 as ex-12
	40	+	peditiously as possible, and 13
	41	+	(B) use that information to take all appro-14
	42	+	priate measures to prevent a similar pandemic 15
	43	+	from occurring again. 16
	44	+	SEC. 3. DECLASSIFICATION OF INFORMATION RELATED TO 17
	45	+	THE ORIGIN OF COVID–19. 18
	46	+	Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact-19
	47	+	ment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence 20
	48	+	shall— 21
	49	+	(1) declassify any and all information relating 22
	50	+	to potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Vi-23
	51	+	rology and the origin of the Coronavirus Disease 24
	52	+	2019 (COVID–19), including— 25
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	55	+	•S 619 CPS
	56	+	(A) activities performed by the Wuhan In-1
	57	+	stitute of Virology with or on behalf of the Peo-2
	58	+	ple’s Liberation Army; 3
	59	+	(B) coronavirus research or other related 4
	60	+	activities performed at the Wuhan Institute of 5
	61	+	Virology prior to the outbreak of COVID–19; 6
	62	+	and 7
	63	+	(C) researchers at the Wuhan Institute of 8
	64	+	Virology who fell ill in autumn 2019, including 9
	65	+	for any such researcher— 10
	66	+	(i) the researcher’s name; 11
	67	+	(ii) the researcher’s symptoms; 12
	68	+	(iii) the date of the onset of the re-13
	69	+	searcher’s symptoms; 14
	70	+	(iv) the researcher’s role at the 15
	71	+	Wuhan Institute of Virology; 16
	72	+	(v) whether the researcher was in-17
	73	+	volved with or exposed to coronavirus re-18
	74	+	search at the Wuhan Institute of Virology; 19
	75	+	(vi) whether the researcher visited a 20
	76	+	hospital while they were ill; and 21
	77	+	(vii) a description of any other actions 22
	78	+	taken by the researcher that may suggest 23
	79	+	they were experiencing a serious illness at 24
	80	+	the time; and 25
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	83	+	•S 619 CPS
	84	+	(2) submit to Congress an unclassified report 1
	85	+	that contains— 2
	86	+	(A) all of the information described under 3
	87	+	paragraph (1); and 4
	88	+	(B) only such redactions as the Director 5
	89	+	determines necessary to protect sources and 6
	90	+	methods. 7
	91	+	Æ
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