S. 641: FREEBIRD Act

Fair Removal of Existing and Enforced Bans on Immunization Relating to Destination Act or the FREEBIRD Act

This bill nullifies the order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) titled Amended Order Implementing Presidential Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic and published on April 7, 2022. (The order restricts the entry of noncitizens who are not immigrants into the United States by air travel unless they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or otherwise attest that they will take public health measures to prevent the spread of the disease.)

The bill also nullifies any successor or subsequent orders that require foreign persons traveling by air to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of entry and prohibits the use of federal funds to administer or enforce such a requirement. However, the bill does not affect the CDC order published on January 5, 2023, that governs COVID-19 testing or documentation of COVID-19 recovery for certain individuals traveling from China to the United States by aircraft.

In addition, the CDC must report to Congress about the number of visitors who were denied entry into the United States from April 7, 2022, until the date of the bill's enactment.