U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Helps Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Require Federal Government to Collect and Report Coronavirus Demographic Data -- Including Race and Ethnicity

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in introducing the bicameral Equitable Data Collection and Disclosure on COVID-19 Act, which would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to collect and report racial and other demographic data on COVID-19 testing, treatment, and fatality rates, and provide a summary of the final statistics and a report to Congress within 60 days after the end of the public health emergency. It would require HHS to use all available surveillance systems to post daily updates on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website showing data on testing, treatment, and fatalities, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, age, socioeconomic status, disability status, county, and other demographic information.

The legislation comes as reports across the United States point to stark racial disparities in COVID-19 cases and fatalities. As of April 14 in Milwaukee County, there are 1,865 confirmed cases and 91 deaths from COVID-19. Of those, African Americans account for 43 percent of the confirmed cases and 62 percent of the deaths, despite accounting for just 26 percent of the total population in the county.

“Public health disparities are contributing to higher rates of coronavirus cases and deaths. In particular, this pandemic is disproportionately impacting African Americans in Milwaukee. This legislation will require the CDC to collect and publicly release all demographic data on COVID-19 testing, treatment, hospitalizations and death rates, so we can learn more and provide the resources necessary to combat the spread of this virus and better support underserved communities across this country,” said Senator Baldwin.

Specifically, the Equitable Data Collection and Disclosure on COVID-19 Act would require the reporting of the following data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, age, socioeconomic status, disability status, county, and other demographic information:

• Data related to COVID-19 testing, including the number of individuals tested and the number of tests that were positive.
• Data related to treatment for COVID-19, including hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions and duration;
• Data related to COVID-19 outcomes, including fatalities.

It would also authorize $50 million in funding for the CDC, state public health agencies, the Indian Health Service, and other agencies to improve their data collection infrastructure and create an inter-agency commission to make recommendations on improving data collection and transparency and responding equitably to this crisis.

The legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tom Carper (D-DE), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Mark Warner (D-VA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Gary Peters (D-MI).

In the House, the legislation is being introduced by Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Representative Karen Bass (D-CA-37), Representative Barbara Lee (D- CA-13), and is co-sponsored by 80 of their colleagues.

The Equitable Data Collection and Disclosure on COVID-19 Act is endorsed by the National Urban League, Lawyer’s Committee on Civil Rights, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum and National Action Network.