A resolution expressing appreciation and support for essential employees with disabilities or who are blind during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 679 Expressing appreciation and support for essential employees with disabilities or who are blind during the COVID–19 pandemic and beyond. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES AUGUST 10, 2020 Mr. BRAUN (for himself, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. PERDUE, and Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions RESOLUTION Expressing appreciation and support for essential employees with disabilities or who are blind during the COVID– 19 pandemic and beyond. Whereas, during the COVID–19 pandemic, it has been nec- essary for essential services to continue in areas where most businesses and government buildings are closed; Whereas the contracts for essential services arise under Fed- eral, State, and local government programs that are in- tended, in part, to provide employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities or who are blind; Whereas many essential employees with disabilities or who are blind work through disability service providers that provide training, job coaches, transportation, and any VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:55 Aug 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR679.IS SR679 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 679 IS other needed support to help those employees perform es- sential work; Whereas the essential work performed during the COVID–19 pandemic includes— (1) provisioning the United States Navy hospital ships, Comfort and Mercy; (2) manufacturing and delivering thousands of crit- ical products that strengthen the COVID–19 response of the United States and support hospitals, health care pro- fessionals, first responders, the United States military, and governments at all levels, including personal protec- tive equipment, hand sanitizer, cleaning products and dis- infectants, first aid kits, exam gloves, and toilet paper; (3) supporting Federal and State efforts to establish pop-up hospitals; (4) assembling kits for the Army that are used to build COVID–19 treatment centers across the United States; (5) providing the United States military with critical products, including the helmets and uniforms soldiers wear every day as National Guard units are deployed around the United States; (6) performing custodial and commissary work, food services, and total facility management services on mili- tary bases across the United States and the territories of the United States; (7) maintaining offices and providing other services in Federal, State, and local government buildings where vital work is being performed, including— (A) Federal buildings in and around the Dis- trict of Columbia, such as the Library of Congress, the congressional office buildings, the Mark Center, and the buildings that house the Federal Bureau of VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:55 Aug 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR679.IS SR679 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 679 IS Investigation, the Department of Justice, the Inter- nal Revenue Service, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Veterans Af- fairs, and the Department of State; (B) State buildings, such as State police bar- racks, State department of transportation operation centers, and State courthouses; and (C) numerous other locations across the United States and the territories of the United States; (8) with respect to services performed for the med- ical centers in the Department of Veterans Affairs— (A) providing deep-cleaning and sanitizing serv- ices; (B) operating switchboards; and (C) manufacturing prescription bottles, exam gloves, and other products; (9) providing call center and technical support to State and Federal entities; (10) operating crisis hotlines and call centers to process the surge in State unemployment claims; (11) sourcing and providing urgently needed per- sonal protective equipment; (12) providing personal protective equipment for em- ployees of the Bureau of the Census; (13) delivering 250 Federal medical stations under contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention; (14) leveraging sewing expertise to produce hun- dreds of thousands of cloth face masks for Federal cus- tomers, including the military and medical centers in the Department of Veterans Affairs, medical clinics, local businesses, and the general public; VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:55 Aug 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR679.IS SR679 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 679 IS (15) increasing the availability of supplies and adapting Base Supply Centers to sell personal protective equipment and cleaning products to customers on mili- tary bases; (16) stepping up custodial efforts to— (A) address known COVID–19 incident loca- tions; and (B) establish preventative measures to enable other essential employees, such as medical profes- sionals and military personnel, to continue their service throughout the COVID–19 pandemic; (17) responding to dynamic changes in acquisition methods to meet the needs of Federal, State, and local government customers; (18) packaging food items and necessary supplies for ongoing work performed by Federal, State, and local gov- ernment employees; and (19) hosting virtual support groups, donating items, and providing essential services in communities across the United States; Whereas the essential employees who perform these jobs, many of whom have disabilities or are blind, play a cen- tral and invaluable role in protecting the United States and the territories of the United States and fighting the COVID–19 pandemic; Whereas Congress and the Federal Government have recog- nized the importance of these jobs by passing laws that support hiring individuals with disabilities or who are blind; Whereas essential employees with disabilities or who are blind— VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:55 Aug 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR679.IS SR679 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •SRES 679 IS (1) have continued to perform their regular duties and more throughout the COVID–19 pandemic; (2) are vital to the economy of the United States and the territories of the United States; and (3) were essential before the COVID–19 pandemic and will continue to be essential after the COVID–pan- demic has passed into history; Whereas these jobs are vital to the personal finances and well-being of the individuals who perform them; and Whereas work opportunities to perform essential jobs during the COVID–19 pandemic arise under programs author- ized by Congress or State and local legislatures: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) recognizes the essential work performed by 2 individuals with disabilities or who are blind during 3 the COVID–19 pandemic; and 4 (2) recognizes and thanks essential employees 5 with disabilities or who are blind for— 6 (A) their efforts throughout the COVID– 7 19 pandemic; and 8 (B) the vital contributions to the United 9 States they have made in the past and will 10 make in the future. 11 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:55 Aug 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR679.IS SR679 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS