Today, Senator Rick Scott reintroduced the Set Testing and Objectives Plan (STOP) COVID-19 Act to set vaccine distribution reporting and transparency standards for states and create a program for cities and counties to increase testing, contact tracing, and transparency efforts in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Senator Rick Scott said, “We’ve made incredible progress on developing the vaccine and getting doses to states, but there is still a lot more work to do when it comes to ending the virus. All levels of government must work together to quickly distribute the vaccine so every American who wants one can easily get one. We also need to implement transparent, efficient, and measurable ways to contain the spread.”
The STOP COVID-19 Act:
- Requires states to:
- Create a vaccine registration website.
- Report weekly targets and if they miss the targets to explain why.
- Report detailed vaccine distribution metrics and demographic data down to the neighborhood level.
- Administer 95% of vaccine doses for the month or have a 25% penalty on all federal funds used.
- Creates a voluntary, data-driven COVID testing and contact tracing program for cities and counties to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
- Establishes metrics, including positivity rate, contract tracing and test results, to measure the effectiveness of the program.
- Authorizes a 100% federal share for the first two months, using unspent money in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund. That will continue after two months unless the city or county fails to attain the success metrics, then a 25% cost-share would apply.
- Increases transparency by requiring cities and counties to report testing metrics and community spread, as well as publish easily accessible information about testing locations and availability.
“The STOP COVID-19 Act sets vaccine distribution reporting and transparency standards for states and creates a program for cities and counties, using metrics-based incentives, to ensure communities are doing everything possible to keep residents safe. We must keep working to end the coronavirus and give Americans as much information as possible, so we can get back to our new normal,” said Scott.