Angie Craig, Phil Roe Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation Giving States COVID-19 Testing Support

Statement

Today, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) and Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.) introduced the bipartisan and bicameral Suppress COVID-19 Act to provide states with the support they need to eliminate the spread of COVID-19. Rep. Phil Roe is a lead author. In the Senate, the bill is carried by Sens. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.).

Based on research by leading public health experts, the Suppress COVID-19 Act seeks to end testing shortages and provide states with the tools they need to identify and suppress outbreaks. The legislation would set aside $25 billion for states to purchase tests and testing supplies, and it authorizes states to form interstate compacts that allow them to overcome challenges with the testing supply chain. The Suppress COVID-19 Act also provdes $25 billion to states for contact tracing and test administration.

"In order to reopen our local economies safely, it's imperative that we increase testing," said Rep. Craig. "Make no mistake, we still need a national testing strategy, and this bill is intended to complement such a strategy. It would provide states with necessary investments to strengthen their testing capacities."

"One of the keys to defeating COVID-19 and getting life back to normal is making sure we can administer a fast, accurate test to anyone who needs one," said Rep. Roe. "The United States already has better testing than anywhere in the world, and our legislation will ensure that states have the resources they need to acquire more tests and further improve their testing supply chains."

Under the bill, states are not required to use testing dollars in the context of regional agreements; however, those that do will be eligible for part of a $5 billion set-aside from the overall testing amount. Unlike states alone, regional compacts can:

give manufacturers of tests and supplies guaranteed contracts, providing them the certainty they need to ramp up testing capacity;
deliver innovative tests at an affordable price, rapidly expanding the national testing arsenal;
allow multiple states to leverage their market power to purchase tests and testing supplies at lower rates;
protect small, rural and remote states from being crowded out of the testing market by big states; and
distribute tests across a region to plug gaps in testing capacity.

Source