Proposal:America First Vaccine Act

This proposal is archived and closed to further debate. It was introduced in the 116th Congress, which has concluded, and the bill was not enacted into law.

Bill	S 4542
Type of Legislation	Senate Bill
Congress	116
Status	Archived — 116th Congress concluded
Source	View original on Congress.gov

Geographic Scope

National

Description

America First Vaccine Act

This bill prohibits a U.S.-headquartered manufacturer of a COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) vaccine that was developed with federal pandemic relief funding from distributing it outside of the United States, unless the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) certifies that domestic need for the vaccine already has been met.

However, HHS may waive the certification requirement and permit distribution outside of the United States if HHS makes a determination that such distribution would be in the interest of U.S. public health.

A manufacturer that violates the requirement must reimburse the federal government for all amounts received by the manufacturer in support of development of the vaccine, plus interest.

Bill Title

America First Vaccine Act

Linked Goals

• Goal:Promote General Welfare

Steps

• 2020-09-09: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
• 2020-09-09: Introduced in Senate

Projected Outcome

A more informed proposal or public response aligned with the Promote General Welfare goal.