Health Force, Resilience Force, and Jobs To Fight COVID–19 Act of 2021

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 32 To provide for the establishment of a standing Health Force and a Resilience Force to respond to public health emergencies and meet public health needs. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JANUARY 22, 2021 Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself, Mr. BENNET, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. CASEY, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, and Mr. REED) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To provide for the establishment of a standing Health Force and a Resilience Force to respond to public health emer- gencies and meet public health needs. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Health Force, Resil- 4 ience Force, and Jobs To Fight COVID–19 Act of 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. HEALTH FORCE. 6 (a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of the Health Force 7 established under this section to recruit, train, and employ 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:42 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S32.IS S32 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 32 IS a standing workforce of Americans to respond to the 1 COVID–19 pandemic in their communities, provide capac- 2 ity for ongoing and future public health care needs, and 3 build skills for new workers to enter the public health and 4 health care workforce. 5 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Centers for Disease Con- 6 trol and Prevention, through its State, local, territorial, 7 and Tribal partners, shall establish a standing Health 8 Force (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Force’’) com- 9 posed of community members dedicated to preventing and 10 responding to public health crises and emergencies, includ- 11 ing those declared by the Secretary of Health and Human 12 Services under section 319 of the Public Health Service 13 Act, including the COVID–19 emergency, and providing 14 increased capacity to address ongoing and future public 15 and community health needs. 16 (c) ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION.—The 17 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall— 18 (1) award grants, contracts, or enter into coop- 19 erative agreements for the recruitment, hiring, train- 20 ing, managing, administration, and organization of 21 the Force to States, localities, territories, Indian 22 Tribes, Tribal organizations, urban Indian health or- 23 ganizations, health service providers to Tribes, Na- 24 tive Hawaiian health organizations, community 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:42 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S32.IS S32 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •S 32 IS health centers, or federally qualified health centers 1 (referred to in this section as ‘‘Funded Entities’’); 2 (2) ensure that State, county, local health de- 3 partments, agencies, and community-based organiza- 4 tions, including community health centers and clin- 5 ics, receive funding from Funded Entities or directly 6 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 7 for the recruitment, hiring, training, managing, ad- 8 ministration, and organization of the Force, as ap- 9 propriate; 10 (3) provide assistance for expenses incurred by 11 Funded Entities prior to the awarding of a grant, 12 contract, or cooperative agreement under subpara- 13 graph (A) to facilitate the implementation of the 14 Force, including assistance for planning and recruit- 15 ment activities, as provided for in section 424 Rob- 16 ert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As- 17 sistance Act (42 U.S.C.5189b); and 18 (4) award and obligate funds as soon as is 19 practicable, and where possible, not later than 30 20 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 21 (d) FUNDING ALLOCATIONS.— 22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Of the total amount of funds 23 appropriated under this section for a fiscal year— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:42 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S32.IS S32 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •S 32 IS (A) not less than 5 percent shall be award- 1 ed to Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, urban 2 Indian health organizations, health service pro- 3 viders to Tribes, or Native Hawaiian health or- 4 ganizations under subsection (c)(1), of which 80 5 percent shall be awarded in proportion to popu- 6 lation size and 20 percent shall be awarded 7 based on the burden of disease and disability; 8 (B) not less than 80 percent shall be 9 awarded to States and territories under sub- 10 section (c)(1), of which— 11 (i) 60 percent shall be awarded in 12 proportion to population size, 20 percent 13 shall be awarded based on the number of 14 jobs lost over the preceding 12 months in 15 each State or territory as a proportion of 16 all jobs lost nationally during that time- 17 frame, and 20 percent shall be awarded 18 based on the burden of disease and dis- 19 ability; 20 (ii) not less than 40 percent shall be 21 allocated for State health departments; and 22 (iii) not less than 40 percent shall be 23 allocated for county and other local health 24 departments within the State. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:42 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S32.IS S32 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •S 32 IS (2) SUPPLEMENT AND NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds 1 appropriated under this section shall be used to sup- 2 plement, not supplant any existing funding for In- 3 dian Tribes, Tribal organizations, urban Indian 4 health organizations, health service providers to 5 Tribes, Native Hawaiian health organizations, 6 States, territories, State health departments, county 7 and other local health departments. 8 (e) SERVICE.— 9 (1) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—The Force 10 shall be composed of eligible members selected by 11 Funded Entities. At a minimum, Funded Entities 12 shall ensure that membership in the Force is not re- 13 stricted based on education or citizenship status. El- 14 igible individuals shall include those who are— 15 (A) at least 18 years of age; and 16 (B) authorized to work in the United 17 States, including an individual with Deferred 18 Action for Childhood Arrivals status (DACA) or 19 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under sec- 20 tion 244 of the Immigration and Nationality 21 Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a). 22 (2) RECRUITMENT.—With respect to the em- 23 ployment of Force members, Funded Entities shall 24 support recruitment efforts for Force personnel who 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:42 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S32.IS S32 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •S 32 IS are from or reside in the locality in which they will 1 serve, including efforts to recruit Force members 2 among focal communities as described in subsection 3 (h), as well as dislocated workers, individuals with 4 barriers to employment, veterans, new entrants in 5 the workforce, underemployed or furloughed work- 6 ers, graduates and students from Historically Black 7 Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Uni- 8 versities, Hispanic Serving Institutions and histori- 9 cally marginalized populations. As practicable, State 10 labor offices shall share information about Force op- 11 portunities with those individuals applying for or re- 12 ceiving unemployment benefits. 13 (3) PREFERENCE.—Notwithstanding any other 14 provision of law, preference in the hiring of Force 15 members shall be given to individuals who are dis- 16 located workers, individuals with barriers to employ- 17 ment, veterans, new entrants in the workforce, un- 18 deremployed or furloughed workers, or community- 19 based nonprofit or public health or health care pro- 20 fessionals, from focal communities as described in 21 subsection (h), or unemployed or underemployed in- 22 dividuals. First priority in such hiring shall be given 23 to individuals who are previous employees of Funded 24 Entities (or subawardees under paragraph (9)) who 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:42 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S32.IS S32 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •S 32 IS were, within the 2020 or 2021 calendar year, fur- 1 loughed, laid off, subject to a reduction in force, 2 placed or went on leave, or have recall rights subject 3 to collective bargaining agreement or applicable per- 4 sonnel policies. 5 (4) PLACEMENT.—To the extent feasible, as de- 6 termined by Funded Entities, members of the Force 7 shall be recruited from and serve in their home com- 8 munities. Force members shall be physically co-lo- 9 cated within State, local, territorial, Tribal health 10 departments, or within other eligible organizations 11 as defined by subsection (c)(1). According to local 12 needs, Force members may be physically co-located 13 with other local public health, health care, and com- 14 munity-based organizations, including community 15 health centers and free and charitable clinics, as de- 16 termined appropriate by Funded Entities. 17 (5) TRAINING.— 18 (A) CONTACT TRACING TRAINING.— 19 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the 20 Centers for Disease Control and Preven- 21 tion (referred to in this section as ‘‘Direc- 22 tor’’) shall continue to provide contact 23 tracing guidance and resources on their 24 public internet website, including contact 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:42 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S32.IS S32 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •S 32 IS tracing training plans, for Force members 1 to successfully conduct contact tracing ac- 2 tivities under subsection (f)(1). Funded 3 Entities shall determine which Force mem- 4 bers will be provided with contact tracing 5 training to meet State, locality, territory, 6 and Tribal public health needs. 7 (ii) TRAINING BY FUNDED ENTI- 8 TIES.—Funded Entities may provide con- 9 tact tracing training using the guidance 10 and resources described in clause (i) or 11 other evidence-informed programs, includ- 12 ing training programs carried out by the 13 Association of State and Territorial Health 14 Officials and by academic institutions. 15 (B) ADDITIONAL TRAINING.—Not later 16 than 90 days after the date of enactment of 17 this Act, the Director shall identify and, as nec- 18 essary, develop additional evidence-informed 19 training resource packages to provide Force 20 members the knowledge and skills necessary to 21 conduct the full complement of activities de- 22 scribe in subsections (f) and (g). Funded Enti- 23 ties shall determine which Force members will 24 be provided with additional training to meet 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:42 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S32.IS S32 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •S 32 IS State, locality, territory, and Tribal public 1 health needs. 2 (C) SPECIALIZED TRAINING.—In orga- 3 nizing the Force under this section, the Direc- 4 tor may elect to establish divisions of Force 5 members who receive specialized comprehensive 6 training, including divisions of Force members 7 who have met State licensure requirements, 8 have prior relevant experience, have supervisory 9 skills, or demonstrated aptitude. 10 (D) TRAINING REQUIREMENTS.—The 11 training programs under this paragraph shall— 12 (i) be adaptable by Funded Entities to 13 meet local needs; 14 (ii) be implemented as quickly as pos- 15 sible by either or both of the Centers for 16 Disease Control and Prevention and Fund- 17 ed Entities, based on local needs and abili- 18 ties; 19 (iii) be distance-based eLearning that 20 can be accessed electronically, including by 21 using a smartphone, with the goal of lim- 22 iting opportunities for disease transmission 23 while maximizing knowledge and skills ac- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:42 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S32.IS S32 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •S 32 IS quisition and retention among Force train- 1 ees; 2 (iv) include refresher training at reg- 3 ular and frequent intervals as determined 4 appropriate by the Director or Funded En- 5 tities; 6 (v) incorporate training components 7 on personal safety, including staying safe 8 around animals in the context of home vis- 9 its, use of personal protective equipment, 10 and health privacy and ethics; and 11 (vi) leverage existing training and cer- 12 tification programs approved by States, 13 territories, Tribal Nations, and community 14 health worker certifying bodies. 15 (E) MISCELLANEOUS.—Where determined 16 necessary, the Director may— 17 (i) recommend training under this 18 paragraph that includes face-to-face inter- 19 action; 20 (ii) collaborate with, including 21 through grants or cooperative agreements, 22 public universities, including nursing, med- 23 ical, and veterinary schools, community 24 colleges, or other career and technical edu- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:42 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S32.IS S32 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •S 32 IS cation institutes, community health cen- 1 ters, federally qualified health centers, 2 community health worker and community 3 health representative training and certifi- 4 cation programs, and other community- 5 based organizations, federally recognized 6 Minority Serving Institutions, as well as 7 public health associations and State and 8 local health departments, to develop and 9 implement training under this subpara- 10 graph, particularly for skills that typically 11 have licensure requirements; and 12 (iii) develop training and communica- 13 tions materials in multiple languages. 14 (F) PAYMENT DURING TRAINING.—Force 15 members shall be paid for each hour spent in 16 training, including refresher training. 17 (G) SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH CAREER 18 GROWTH.—Funded Entities shall support public 19 health career development and growth of Force 20 members, including by— 21 (i) providing additional disaster relief 22 employment and training activities de- 23 scribed in subparagraphs (A) and (C) of 24 section 170(d)(1) of the Workforce Innova- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:42 Feb 05, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S32.IS S32 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •S 32 IS tion and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 1 3225(d)(1) (A) and (C)) and services de- 2 scribed in section 7(a)(1) of the Wagner- 3 Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. 49f(a)(1)), as ap- 4 propriate; 5 (ii) providing opportunities for Force 6 members to maintain employment, con- 7 tinuing education, and career advancement 8 in health services or health promotion and 9 advocacy roles, including community health 10 worker roles, after the COVID–19 public 11 health emergency has concluded, including [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]