SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 49--MANDATING PROCEDURES TO ENSURE ADEQUATE PRECAUTIONS AGAINST COVID-19 IN SENATE BUILDINGS; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 173
(Senate - October 05, 2020)
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[Page S6039]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 49--MANDATING PROCEDURES TO ENSURE
ADEQUATE PRECAUTIONS AGAINST COVID-19 IN SENATE BUILDINGS
Mr. KAINE (for Mr. Schumer (for himself and Ms. Klobuchar)) submitted
the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Rules and Administration:
S. Con. Res. 49
Whereas on March 13, 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak in the
United States was declared a national emergency under the
National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.);
Whereas as of August 7, 2020, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention has--
(1) recommended ``that people wear masks in public settings
and when around people who don't live in [their] household,
especially when other social distancing measures are
difficult to maintain.''; and
(2) stated that ``masks may help prevent people who have
COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others'' and ``masks are
most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are
widely used by people in public settings.'';
Whereas as of October 5, 2020, nearly 7,500,000 people in
the United States had contracted COVID-19, and nearly 210,000
people in the United States have died as a result of COVID-
19;
Whereas the United States accounts for approximately 4.25
percent of the world's population but, as of October 5, 2020,
people in the United States account for over 20 percent of
those killed by COVID-19 globally; and
Whereas the Senate has seen an increase in the number of
Senators diagnosed with COVID-19: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring),
SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) it is essential to the continuity of government that
the United States Government and officials adhere to public
health guidance in order to combat the spread of COVID-19;
and
(2) the absence of a coordinated and comprehensive COVID-19
strategy in the Senate is a threat to the legislative branch.
SEC. 2. PROCEDURES FOR COVID-19 PROTECTION.
(a) Definitions.--In this section--
(1) the term ``Senate building'' means any Senate Office
Building or the Senate Wing of the Capitol; and
(2) the term ``Senate worker'' means--
(A) an employee whose pay is disbursed by the Secretary of
the Senate; or
(B) an employee of a contractor of an office or agency in
the legislative branch whose regular duty station is in a
Senate building.
(b) Mask Use.--All individuals shall wear a mask while in
any public area of a Senate building. The Committee on Rules
and Administration of the Senate shall issue guidance or
regulations to carry out this subsection.
(c) Adherence to Social Distancing Guidelines.--All
individuals shall adhere to guidance and recommendations of
the Office of the Attending Physician with respect to social
distancing while in a Senate building.
(d) Testing and Contact Tracing Program.--The Office of the
Attending Physician, Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the
Senate, and Secretary of the Senate, in consultation with the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department
of Health of the District of Columbia, shall develop and
implement a program to conduct--
(1) COVID-19 testing of--
(A) Senators; and
(B) Senate workers who will be physically present in a
Senate building in connection with the duties of the Senate
worker; and
(2) contact tracing with respect to any Senator or Senate
worker who tests positive for COVID-19.
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