U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) on Monday announced new legislation he and other Senators plan to introduce to create the America Forward Commission, a panel of independent experts tasked with developing a broad strategy of how and when to safely reopen the country.  Schatz was joined by U.S. Senators Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn).

“Reopening communities, schools, and businesses following a pandemic is a serious public health matter, and we should treat it that way. Independent experts should be the ones helping us determine how we can reopen the country when it is safe to do so,” said Senator Schatz.

The legislation will not have politicians appoint the members, but instead require the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to appoint 10-15 members, with at least one expert in the following fields: public health, economics, transportation, medicine, national security, and state and local government.

The American Forward Commission’s duties include:

• Examining and developing standards, tools and techniques necessary to ensure that federal, state, and local officials can diagnose, isolate, and mitigate the coronavirus, including seasonal reoccurrences, and address other public health and economic impacts;
• Evaluating information sharing policies and practices for essential information between federal, state, and local stakeholders, as well as business and non-profit entities;
• Determining necessary medical supplies, personal protective equipment, and other materials; and
• Evaluating proposals to strengthen the resilience of economic sectors and protect American workers most vulnerable to disruption from viral pandemics.

The Commission will make real-time recommendations to policymakers. The White House Coronavirus Task Force will be required to respond in writing to the Commission’s recommendations within one week of receipt, and to publicly post its responses.