WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) today joined U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in introducing legislation to protect the United States from further spread of the deadly Ebola disease by restricting travel to the U.S. from nations where the disease is emerging.

“It is commonsense to limit travelers entering the United States who may be exposed to deadly diseases like Ebola,” Roberts said. “As global travel becomes more commonplace, our policies on disease management and national security need to be re-assessed especially given the recent spread of Ebola within our shores.”

Senator Roberts cosponsored Senator Rubio’s “Keeping America Safe from Ebola Act of 2014.” The following is a summary of the bill:

Suspends new visas and revokes current visas of an individual who is:
A permanent resident or national of a country that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has certified is a country for “widespread transmission of Ebola” and;
Whose last habitual residence was a country that the CDC has certified is a country for “widespread transmission of Ebola.
Recognizing the importance of American health workers’ role in fighting disease outbreaks, the bill grants an exception for aid workers who need to travel the U.S. and are approved by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and; foreign military who need to travel to the U.S. and are approved by the Department of Defense.

To keep the American people and the Congress better informed, the bill also requires the President to report to Congress the status of Ebola outbreaks in each designated country and the progress made in fighting the disease. This will also include a description of the U.S. assistance to each designated country and any reasons that a complete travel ban is not in the interest of U.S. national security.

On Wednesday, Senator Roberts voted for a bill in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee that would add Ebola to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Priority Review Voucher Program. This will allow the FDA to incentivize the development of treatments and vaccines for Ebola, speeding up research to fight the disease.

Senator Roberts is a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and is the Co-Chair of the Rural Health Caucus.