Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Ebola Response Act of 2014”.
Ebola Response Act of 2014
A BILL
To direct the President to take action to protect against the transmission of Ebola virus from individuals traveling to the United States from abroad, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Protecting against the transmission of Ebola from individuals traveling from abroad
In general— Subject to subsection (b), the President, acting through the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall—
prohibit any individual from entering the United States for a period of 30 days following the individual’s presence in a country experiencing an Ebola outbreak;
before allowing any individual who is a national of a country experiencing an Ebola outbreak, or has recently been present in such a country, to enter the United States, ensure that—
the individual tests negative for the Ebola virus by means of a serum neutralization, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR), an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), or another diagnostic test approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
the individual’s body temperature is measured as being normal; and
one or more qualified health care professionals provides written certification of the negative test results under subparagraph (A) and the normal body temperature measurement under subparagraph (B); and
as a condition on allowing an individual described in paragraph (2) to enter the United States, require such individual to submit to a 21-day period of monitoring for symptoms of Ebola virus disease.
Exemptions— The President may exempt officials, employees, and contractors of the Departments of State and Defense from the requirements of subsection (a) if the President determines that such Departments have sufficient measures in place to protect against the transmission of Ebola virus by such individuals.
Definition— In this Act:
The term country experiencing an Ebola outbreak means a country whose population is experiencing Ebola virus disease in epidemic proportions, as determined by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The term qualified means recognized by the American Medical Association or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as capable of providing the written certification under subsection (a)(2)(C).
The term “normal” means, with respect to human body temperature, within 1 degree Fahrenheit of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.