Protecting America from Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8447 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8447 To protect against seasonal and pandemic influenza, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 22, 2026 Mr. Larsen of Washington (for himself, Ms. Ross, Ms. Stansbury, Ms. Norton, Ms. Barragan, and Mr. Thanedar) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To protect against seasonal and pandemic influenza, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting America from Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. The Congress finds the following: (1) Influenza occurs seasonally each year, and throughout history, has caused devastating pandemics. The 1918 influenza pandemic killed an estimated 675,000 Americans. (2) In an average season, influenza results in 6,300 to 52,000 deaths in the United States, including over 100 pediatric deaths. Additionally, influenza causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and millions of illnesses. (3) The Council of Economic Advisors issued a report in 2019 estimating that seasonal influenza costs the United States approximately $361,000,000,000 per year, and that an influenza pandemic has the potential to cause up to $3,790,000,000,000 in losses. This report was issued prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which will cost the United States an estimated $16,000,000,000,000. (4) Stra