Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry (NC-10) introduced H.R. 7017, the Right to Test Act – legislation that will allow individual states to approve and distribute diagnostic tests when the state or federal government has declared a public health emergency.

"This current pandemic has taught us that widespread and readily available testing is crucial to our ability to quickly and effectively respond to an emerging public health emergency. Yet, our nation’s current regulatory structure prevents this, blocking individual states from producing and distributing their own tests. The Right to Test Act will change this. By removing regulatory barriers, this legislation will allow each state to build out their own diagnostic testing capabilities, enabling them to more rapidly respond to public health threats."

This legislation is the House companion to S. 3769 introduced by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). It will empower states to reduce testing delays and more rapidly respond to the evolving health needs of their communities as they work to curb the spread of COVID-19 or other future health threats.

“As we work to defeat the coronavirus and help Americans safely return to work, we need to look at ways to make testing more widely available,” said Senator Cruz. “The Right to Test Act would remove bureaucratic barriers and empower states to act quickly and effectively to help people safely access diagnostic tests. It’s a commonsense solution to testing shortages and would help states more effectively reduce the spread of this virus.”

Click here to read the full bill text.