Health Force and Resilience Force Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 6808 To provide for the establishment of a Health Force and a Resilience Force to respond to public health emergencies and meet public health needs. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 12, 2020 Mr. CROW (for himself, Mr. PANETTA, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Ms. SEWELL of Ala- bama, Mr. SUOZZI, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. COX of California, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. CISNEROS, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. PHILLIPS, Ms. HOULAHAN, and Ms. JUDY CHU of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris- diction of the committee concerned A BILL To provide for the establishment of a 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 and Re- 4 silience Force Act of 2020’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:16 Jun 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6808.IH H6808 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 6808 IH SEC. 2. HEALTH FORCE. 1 (a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of the Health Force 2 established under this section to recruit, train, and employ 3 Americans to respond to the COVID–19 pandemic in their 4 communities, provide capacity for ongoing and future pub- 5 lic health care needs, and build skills for new workers to 6 enter the public health and health care workforce. 7 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Centers for Disease Con- 8 trol and Prevention through its State, local, territorial, 9 and tribal partners, shall establish a Health Force (re- 10 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Force’’) composed of com- 11 munity members dedicated to responding to public health 12 emergencies as declared by the Secretary of Health and 13 Human Services under section 319 of the Public Health 14 Service Act, including the COVID–19 emergency, and pro- 15 viding increased capacity to address ongoing and future 16 public health needs. 17 (c) ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION.—The 18 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall— 19 (1) award grants, contracts, or enter into coop- 20 erative agreements for the recruitment, hiring, man- 21 aging, administration, and organization of the Force 22 to States, localities, territories, Indian Tribes, Tribal 23 organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or 24 health service providers to Tribes; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:16 Jun 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6808.IH H6808 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 6808 IH (2) provide assistance for expenses incurred by 1 States, localities, territories, Indian Tribes, Tribal 2 organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or 3 health service providers to Tribes prior to the award- 4 ing of a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement 5 under subparagraph (A) to facilitate the implemen- 6 tation of the Force, including assistance for planning 7 and recruitment activities, as provided for in section 8 424 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 9 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5189b). 10 (d) SERVICE.— 11 (1) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.— 12 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Force shall be 13 composed of eligible members selected pursuant 14 to guidelines developed by the Director in con- 15 sultation with States, localities, territories, In- 16 dian Tribes, Tribal organizations, urban Indian 17 health organizations, or health service providers 18 to Tribes funded entities. At a minimum such 19 guidelines shall ensure that a member of the 20 Force— 21 (i) is at least 18 years of age; and 22 (ii) has a high school diploma or 23 equivalent or has successfully completed an 24 employment literacy test. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:16 Jun 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6808.IH H6808 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 6808 IH (B) OTHER ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.— 1 (i) CITIZENSHIP OR IMMIGRATION 2 STATUS.—An individual who is authorized 3 to work in the United States, including an 4 individual with Deferred Action for Child- 5 hood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Pro- 6 tected Status (TPS) under section 244 of 7 the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 8 U.S.C. 1254a), shall not be disqualified for 9 appointment under this section as a mem- 10 ber of the Force because of citizenship or 11 immigration status. 12 (ii) BANKRUPTCY.—An individual 13 shall not be disqualified for appointment 14 under this section as a member of the 15 Force because of the bankruptcy or poor 16 credit rating of such individual determined 17 to be the result of the coronavirus public 18 health emergency. 19 (2) RECRUITMENT.— 20 (A) IN GENERAL.—The guidelines devel- 21 oped under paragraph (1) shall provide for 22 Force recruitment information to be distributed 23 at the national level through all available chan- 24 nels and partnerships as practicable. Such 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:16 Jun 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6808.IH H6808 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 6808 IH guidelines shall also, as practicable, work with 1 the Corporation for National and Community 2 Service to make graduating high school seniors 3 aware of Force employment opportunities while 4 in their senior year, and every 2 years there- 5 after, unless they opt out of receiving notifica- 6 tions or have joined the Force. As practicable, 7 Federal and State Departments of Labor shall 8 share information about Force opportunities 9 with those individuals applying for or receiving 10 unemployment benefits. 11 (B) RECRUITMENT BY STATE, LOCALITY, 12 TERRITORY, INDIAN TRIBES, TRIBAL ORGANIZA- 13 TIONS, URBAN INDIAN HEALTH ORGANIZA- 14 TIONS, OR HEALTH SERVICE PROVIDERS TO 15 TRIBES FUNDED ENTITIES.—With respect to 16 the employment of Force members in States, lo- 17 calities, territories, Indian Tribes, Tribal orga- 18 nizations, urban Indian health organizations, or 19 health service providers to Tribes funded enti- 20 ties, such areas and entities shall support ex- 21 tensive recruitment efforts for Force personnel, 22 including efforts to recruit Force members 23 among focal communities as described in sub- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:16 Jun 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6808.IH H6808 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 6808 IH section (g), as well as low-income, minority, and 1 historically marginalized populations. 2 (3) PREFERENCE.—Preference in the hiring of 3 Force members shall be given to individuals who are 4 veterans, unemployed or underemployed, recently 5 furloughed community-based nonprofit, public health 6 or health care professionals, or from focal commu- 7 nities as described in subsection (g). 8 (4) TRAINING.— 9 (A) CONTACT TRACING TRAINING.—The 10 Director shall continue to provide Contact Trac- 11 ing Guidance and Resources, including contact 12 tracing training plan(s) to address training re- 13 quirements for Force members to successfully 14 conduct contact tracing activities under sub- 15 section (e)(1). States, localities, territories, In- 16 dian Tribes, Tribal organizations, urban Indian 17 health organizations, or health service providers 18 to Tribes funded entities shall determine which 19 Force recruits will be provided with contact 20 tracing training to meet State, locality, terri- 21 tory, and Tribal public health needs. 22 (B) ADDITIONAL TRAINING.—Not later 23 than 90 days after the date of enactment of 24 this Act, the Director shall identify and, as nec- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:16 Jun 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6808.IH H6808 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 6808 IH essary, develop additional evidence-informed 1 training resource packages to provide Force 2 members the knowledge and skills necessary to 3 conduct the full complement of activities de- 4 scribed in subsections (e) and (f). States, local- 5 ities, territories, Indian Tribes, Tribal organiza- 6 tions, urban Indian health organizations, or 7 health service providers to Tribes shall deter- 8 mine which Force members will be provided 9 with additional training to meet State, locality, 10 territory, and Tribal public health needs. 11 (C) SPECIALIZED TRAINING.—In orga- 12 nizing the Force under this section, the Direc- 13 tor may elect to establish divisions of Force 14 members who receive specialized comprehensive 15 training, including divisions of Force members 16 who have met State licensure requirements, 17 have prior relevant experience, or have super- 18 visory skills or demonstrated aptitude. 19 (D) TRAINING REQUIREMENTS.—The 20 training programs under this subparagraph 21 shall— 22 (i) be adaptable by State, locality, ter- 23 ritorial, Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, 24 urban Indian health organization, or health 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:16 Jun 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6808.IH H6808 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 6808 IH service providers to Tribes funded entities 1 to meet local needs; 2 (ii) be implemented as quickly as pos- 3 sible by either or both of the Centers for 4 Disease Control and Prevention and fund- 5 ed entities, based on local needs and abili- 6 ties; 7 (iii) be distance-based eLearning that 8 can be accessed electronically, including by 9 using a smartphone, with the goal of lim- 10 iting opportunities for disease transmission 11 while maximizing knowledge and skills ac- 12 quisition and retention among Force train- 13 ees; 14 (iv) include refresher training at reg- 15 ular and frequent intervals as determined 16 appropriate by the Director and/or funded 17 entities; 18 (v) incorporate training components 19 on personal safety, including staying safe 20 around animals in the context of home vis- 21 its, use of personal protective equipment, 22 and health privacy and ethics; and 23 (vi) leverage existing training and cer- 24 tification programs approved by States, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:16 Jun 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6808.IH H6808 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 6808 IH territories, tribal nations, and community 1 health worker certifying bodies. 2 (E) MISCELLANEOUS.—Where determined 3 necessary, the Director may— 4 (i) recommend training under this 5 subparagraph that includes face-to-face 6 interaction; 7 (ii) collaborate with, including 8 through grants or cooperative agreements, 9 public universities, including nursing, med- 10 ical, and veterinary schools, community 11 colleges, or other career and technical edu- 12 cation institutes, community health cen- 13 ters, community health worker and com- 14 munity health representative training and 15 certification programs, and other commu- 16 nity-based organizations, Federally recog- 17 nized Minority Serving Institutions, as well 18 as public health associations and State and 19 local health departments, to develop and 20 implement training under this subpara- 21 graph, particularly for skills that typically 22 have licensure requirements; and 23 (iii) develop training and communica- 24 tions materials in multiple languages. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:16 Jun 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6808.IH H6808 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 6808 IH (F) TIMING.—The training provided under 1 subparagraph (A) shall be designed to be com- 2 pleted by Force members within 14 days of the 3 start of such training. The training programs 4 under subparagraph (B) shall be made available 5 where necessary to ensure that Force members 6 are fully trained as soon as possible after com- 7 mencing such training. 8 (G) PAYMENT DURING TRAINING.—Indi- 9 viduals shall be paid for each hour spent in 10 training including refresher training. 11 (5) SALARY AND BENEFITS.— 12 (A) IN GENERAL.—Members of the Force 13 shall be paid directly by State, locality, terri- 14 torial, Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, urban 15 Indian health organization, or health service 16 providers to Tribes funded entities and sub- 17 partners using funds provided by the Centers 18 for Disease Control and Prevention under 19 grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements 20 under this section. All Force positions shall be 21 salaried with health and retirement benefits, in- 22 cluding paid family leave. Payment of salaries 23 and benefits shall be in accordance with pre- 24 vailing wages. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:16 Jun 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6808.IH H6808 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 6808 IH (B) OVERTIME PAY.—The entire amount 1 of overtime costs, including payments related to 2 backfilling personnel, that are the direct result 3 of time spent on the design, development and 4 conduct of Force activities are allowable ex- 5 penses under this section. 6 (6) PLACEMENT.—To the extent feasible, as de- 7 termined by State, locality, territorial, Indian Tribe, 8 Tribal organization, urban Indian health organiza- 9 tion, or health service providers to Tribes funded en- 10 tities, members of the Force shall be recruited from 11 and serve in their home communities. Force mem- 12 bers may be physically co-located with local public 13 health, health care, and community-based organiza- 14 tions, including community health centers, as deter- 15 mined appropriate by funded entities. 16 (7) SUPERVISORY STRUCTURES.—Members of 17 the Force shall receive ongoing supportive super- 18 vision from staff members of State, locality, terri- 19 torial, Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, urban In- 20 dian health organization, or health service providers 21 to Tribes funded entities or their sub-partners, as 22 described in paragraph (9), in accordance with the 23 evidence-informed practices. Entities funded under 24 this section may choose the most appropriate super- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:16 Jun 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6808.IH H6808 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 6808 IH visory structure to use based on local needs, and 1 may promote Force members into supervisory roles. 2 Such supervision may be also be provided by Disease 3 Intervention Specialists. Funded entities may use 4 funds award under grants, contacts, or cooperative 5 agreements under this section to pay for such super- 6 visory staff and str [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]