# 116-hr-6599: COVID Research Act of 2020

116-hr-6599, COVID Research Act of 2020, is a 116th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Lucas, Frank D. [R-OK-3] (R-OK); status Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-6599
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 116-hr-6599
- Congress: 116
- Title: COVID Research Act of 2020
- Status: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Introduced: 2020-04-23
- Sponsor: Rep. Lucas, Frank D. [R-OK-3] (R-OK)
- Cosponsors: 9
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

COVID Research Act of 2020 or the Computing Opportunities to Vanquish Infectious Diseases Research Act of 2020 This bill requires the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to undertake specified actions related to forecasting emerging infectious diseases. The OSTP, acting through the National Science and Technology Council, must establish an interagency working group to coordinate federal activities concerning infectious disease prediction and forecasting. Among other tasks, the working group must identify challenges in predicting outbreaks and develop a strategic plan to address them. The bill also provides statutory authority for the Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The committee must provide expertise to the working group and otherwise facilitate science and policy discussions concerning emerging infectious diseases. The committee must issue public reports and brief Congress on its activities. In coordination with specified entities, DOE shall carry out, and report to Congress on, a competitive research program for the National Laboratories and others to leverage analytical tools and computational and networking capabilities to prevent and respond to emerging infectious diseases, including COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). DOE must also establish the Emerging Infectious Diseases High Performance Computing Research Consortium to support the research program.

## Cosponsors (9)

- Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14] (R-TX), 2020-04-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Babin, Brian [R-TX-36] (R-TX), 2020-04-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS), 2020-04-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Posey, Bill [R-FL-8] (R-FL), 2020-04-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Olson, Pete [R-TX-22] (R-TX), 2020-04-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gonzalez, Anthony [R-OH-16] (R-OH), 2020-04-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Rooney, Francis [R-FL-19] (R-FL), 2020-04-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Murphy, Gregory F. [R-NC-3] (R-NC), 2020-04-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18] (D-TX), 2020-05-08T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 116-hr-5685: Securing American Leadership in Science and Technology Act of 2020
- 116-hr-4305: PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act
- 116-hr-3495: Improve Well-Being for Veterans Act
- 116-hr-7278: JUSTICE Act
- 116-hr-1570: Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2020
- 116-hr-748: CARES Act

## Sources
- [116-hr-6599 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/6599)

## Related
- [116-hr-5685: Securing American Leadership in Science and Technology Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-5685)
- [116-hr-4305: PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-4305)
- [116-hr-3495: Improve Well-Being for Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-3495)
- [116-hr-7278: JUSTICE Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7278)
- [116-hr-1570: Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-1570)
- [116-hr-748: CARES Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-748)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-6599 (as of 2025-11-18).