U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) on April 3 unveiled bipartisan legislation to require the creation of a national commission that would prepare America for future national emergencies.

Rep. Fitzpatrick sponsored the Made in America Emergency Preparedness Act, H.R. 6431, with six original cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Tom Reed (R-NY), Will Hurd (R-TX), and Anthony Brindisi (D-NY) to authorize the creation of a National Commission on United States Preparedness for National Emergencies.

Modeled on the 9/11 Commission, Rep. Fitzpatrick’s proposed commission would look at the national emergency response by the U.S. government and private sector to the current pandemic, according to a bill summary provided by the congressman’s office.

“Our response to the September 11th terror attacks was ‘Never Again.’ We must have that same exact response to COVID-19,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said. “This landmark, bipartisan legislation does just that.”

The commission also would be tasked to report its findings to Congress and the president on what steps and items are needed to ensure America’s effective response to future national emergencies, according to the summary.

If enacted, the bill also would deny federal funds designated for emergency preparedness to states that failed to implement the findings of the commission’s report by 2025 unless the U.S. Department of Homeland Security could certify that the state is working in good faith to implement the commission’s findings.

Additionally, states would be required to be recertified every fiscal year, according to the bill summary.

The commission also would be required to report and make recommendations to the president on goods deemed essential to a response to a national emergency that must be manufactured stateside to ensure that the federal procurement supply chains are more self-sufficient and can rely on more domestic sources of production, the summary says.

“We simply cannot outsource our public safety and national security to foreign nations. We must reconstitute our healthcare and public safety supply chain back to the United States,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “Medical products, protective equipment, pharmaceuticals, emergency response equipment, and all other critical items and materials needed to respond to a national emergency must be produced domestically for domestic consumption, especially during a critical, time-sensitive crisis.”

“We cannot leave our nation’s fate in the hands of other nations, especially not China,” agreed Rep. Hurd. “The United States will ultimately get out of this pandemic, and we will restart stronger and more prepared for future emergencies.”

H.R. 6431 also would mandate that by 2025, federal agencies responsible for responding to national emergencies are procuring essential supplies, like medication and personal protective equipment from domestic sources or manufacturing in the U.S., among other provisions.

“We must learn from this crisis and in the future, we need to strengthen our supply chain and not be over-reliant on adversaries like China to help us in our time of need,” said Rep. Brindisi.

“It is only fair that we carefully review this current situation and take steps to digest and understand how we can get better going forward,” Rep. Reed added. “We care about ensuring our nation is stronger and more prepared for the next emergency.”