Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) reintroduced Wednesday the Set Testing and Objectives Plan (STOP) COVID-19 Act, which he said would address state COVID-19 vaccine distribution, reporting, and transparency standards.
The bill would also create a program for cities and counties to increase testing, contact tracing, and transparency efforts to reduce COVID-19 spread.
“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,” Scott said. “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 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.”
The legislation is slated to, among other, actions – 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 percent of vaccine doses for the month or have a 25 percent penalty on all federal funds used; and create a voluntary, data-driven COVID testing and contact tracing program for cities and counties to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
“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,” Scott said.