The FREEBIRD Act eliminates a COVID-19 vaccination requirement that the CDC put in place for foreign visitors flying into the United States. Starting in April 2022, the CDC required non-citizens traveling by air to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or commit to taking public health precautions. This bill cancels that rule and prevents the government from creating similar vaccination requirements for international air travelers in the future. It also blocks the use of federal money to enforce any such vaccination rules.

The bill does make one exception: it doesn't affect a separate CDC rule from January 2023 that requires COVID-19 testing or proof of recovery specifically for people traveling from China to the U.S. by plane. Additionally, the CDC must report to Congress how many people were actually turned away at the border due to the vaccination requirement between April 2022 and when this bill becomes law.

In practical terms, this means foreign visitors will no longer need to prove they're vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the United States by air. The bill essentially removes a travel barrier that had been in place for roughly a year, though testing requirements for travelers from China remain unchanged.

FREEBIRD Act

Lee, Mike

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.