Pandemic Community Reserve and Public Health Response Act
This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants and otherwise expand the federal public health reserve corps, including by reactivating retired personnel, to assist with COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) response efforts. This corps includes, among others, the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, the Medical Reserve Corps, and certain personnel of the Federal Emergency Management Agency appointed to respond to disasters and emergencies.
Specifically, HHS must award grants to governmental health departments to recruit and train personnel to serve in the federal public health reserve corps and assist with COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and treatment. To carry out these grants, health departments may establish partnerships with institutions that offer medical training and public health programs, giving priority to partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions. HHS must also develop a training program, in consultation with the Department of Defense, that addresses activation and surge capacity of the reserve corps to respond to COVID-19.
In addition, HHS must award grants, in consultation with the Department of Labor, to local workforce development boards to develop career plans and other activities to facilitate the transition of reserve corps personnel to other health-related occupations.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7801 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7801
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to
State, local, and Tribal public health departments to train and equip
Federal public health reserve corps personnel to assist with testing,
contact tracing, and treatment of COVID-19, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 27, 2020
Ms. Fudge introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on
Education and Labor, Armed Services, and Transportation and
Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to
State, local, and Tribal public health departments to train and equip
Federal public health reserve corps personnel to assist with testing,
contact tracing, and treatment of COVID-19, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Pandemic Community Reserve and
Public Health Response Act''.
SEC. 2. GRANTS TO INCREASE FEDERAL PUBLIC HEALTH RESERVE CORPS
PERSONNEL.
(a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall--
(1) award grants to State, local, and Tribal public health
departments to train and equip public health and medical
personnel to serve as Federal public health reserve corps
personnel to assist with testing, contact tracing, and
treatment of COVID-19;
(2) reactivate retired personnel of any such corps to
assist with such testing, contact tracing, and treatment of
COVID-19; and
(3) in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, award
grants to local workforce development boards established under
section 107 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29
U.S.C. 3122) to develop transition plans (including career
exposure, career planning, and career pathways) and
transferable credits and certifications for Federal public
health reserve corps personnel to pursue further service in a
health-related career.
(b) Funds.--A State, local, or Tribal health department that
receives a grant under this section may use funds received through the
grant awarded under subsection (a)(1) to establish partnerships with
medical training and public health programs, such as medical schools,
nursing schools, respiratory therapy programs, and community-based
organizations, to recruit individuals to serve as Federal public health
reserve corps personnel.
(c) Priority.--In establishing partnerships under subsection (b), a
State, local, or Tribal health department that receives a grant under
this section shall give priority to institutions eligible to receive
funding under section 371 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1067q).
(d) Training.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall
establish, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, a national
training program (in digital and in-person formats) for individuals
serving as Federal public health reserve corps personnel with respect
to responding to COVID-19, including necessary surge capacity and
activation on short notice in local communities, including hot spot
areas with 100 or more COVID-19 hospital admissions. Any certification
received for completion of any such training shall not supersede any
training required under State law for public health personnel.
(e) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which the
emergency period (as defined in section 1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5(g)(1)(B))) ends, and annually
thereafter, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to
the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the
Senate a report on the state of the Federal public health reserve
corps, including--
(1) the rate of participation by members of racial and
ethnic minority groups in such corps;
(2) specific occupations of corps personnel;
(3) careers attained after service in the corps; and
(4) specific recommendations on the amount of funding
necessary for successful deployment of Federal heath reserve
corps personnel during public health emergencies.
(f) Federal Public Health Reserve Corp.--In this section, the term
``Federal public health reserve corps'' includes--
(1) Federal public health and medical personnel under the
authority of the Secretary, including the Ready Reserve Corps,
the Regular Corps, the National Disaster Medical System, the
Medical Reserve Corps, and the Emergency System for Advance
Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals;
(2) personnel of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
appointed under section 306(c) of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5149);
(3) personnel of the Pandemic Community Reserve Corps; and
(4) members of the National Guard.
(g) State Defined.--In this section, the term ``State'' has the
meaning given that term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000,000 to remain
available until expended.
SEC. 3. GRANTS TO ESTABLISH PANDEMIC COMMUNITY RESERVE CORPS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in
consultation with the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall award grants to
State, local, and Tribal public health departments to establish and
operate a Pandemic Community Reserve Corps within the jurisdiction of
such State, local, or Tribal public health department for the purposes
of--
(1) increasing diversity in recruitment of reserve corps
personnel;
(2) ensuring a locally-sourced public health workforce to
supplement the existing State and Federal public health
infrastructure; and
(3) assisting with testing, contact tracing, and treatment
of COVID-19.
(b) Conditions.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall,
as a condition on the receipt of a grant under this section, require
that a State, local, or Tribal public health department that receives a
grant under this section--
(1) requires that personnel of the Pandemic Community
Reserve Corps complete training under the national program
established under section 1(d); and
(2) in establishing and operating a Pandemic Community
Reserve Corps, gives priority to dislocated workers, the
underemployed, youth, veterans, and individuals with barriers
to employment.
(c) Reports.--
(1) Reports to secretary.--Not later than 1 year after the
date on which the first grant is awarded under this section,
and annually thereafter, each State, local, and Tribal public
health department receiving such a grant shall submit to the
Secretary of Health and Human Services a report on the state of
the Pandemic Community Reserve Corps within the jurisdiction of
such State, local, or Tribal public health department,
including--
(A) the rate of participation by members of racial
and ethnic minority groups in such corps;
(B) specific occupations of corps personnel;
(C) careers attained after service in the corps;
and
(D) specific recommendations on the amount of
funding necessary for successful deployment of Pandemic
Community Reserve Corps personnel during public health
emergencies.
(2) Report to congress.--Not later than 1 year after the
date on which the emergency period (as defined in section
1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-
5(g)(1)(B))) ends, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of
Health and Human Services shall submit to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the
Senate a report on the state of the Pandemic Community Reserve
Corps receiving funding pursuant to this section, including the
information specified in each of subparagraphs (A) through (D)
of paragraph (1).
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Locally-sourced.--The term ``locally-sourced'' means,
with respect to personnel of a Pandemic Community Reserve Corps
established pursuant to subsection (a), individuals residing
within the community or communities served by that Pandemic
Community Reserve Corps that reflect the diversity of such
community or communities.
(2) State.--The term ``State'' has the meaning given that
term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000,000 to remain
available until expended.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Armed Services, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Armed Services, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Armed Services, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Armed Services, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
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