[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6822 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6822

To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish a 
  national public health service program to respond to public health 
 emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 12, 2020

    Ms. Houlahan (for herself, Mr. Bera, Mr. Foster, Mr. Waltz, Ms. 
Schrier, Ms. Sewell of Alabama, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Moulton, 
  Mr. Cisneros, Ms. Spanberger, Mr. Soto, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. 
 Kilmer, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. Norton, Mr. Crow, Mr. Cox of California, 
    Mr. Suozzi, Ms. Wild, Ms. Slotkin, Mr. Panetta, Ms. Adams, Mrs. 
 Kirkpatrick, and Mr. Deutch) introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish a 
  national public health service program to respond to public health 
 emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic, 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 ``National Public Health Corps Act of 
2020''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE PROGRAM.

    (a) National Public Health Service Program.--Subtitle E of the 
National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12611 et seq.) is 
amended--
            (1) in section 151 (42 U.S.C. 12611)--
                    (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (5), by striking the period and 
                inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(6) public health.'';
            (2) in section 152 (42 U.S.C. 12612)--
                    (A) in paragraph (b)--
                            (i) by striking ``two''; and
                            (ii) by adding at the end the following 
                        paragraph:
            ``(3) A national public health service program.''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (c), by striking ``Both'' and 
                inserting ``The'';
            (3) by adding after section 154 (42 U.S.C. 12614) the 
        following new section:

``SEC. 154A. NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--Not later than 30 days after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act, the Director, in consultation 
        with the Secretary, shall establish the national public health 
        service program as a component of the National Civilian 
        Community Corps Program as authorized by section 152(a).
            ``(2) Purpose.--Under the national public health service 
        program established under paragraph (1), the Director shall, in 
        accordance with section 155(c), ensure the preparation and 
        assignment of participants under such program to units which 
        shall serve service sites in response to public health 
        emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
            ``(3) Notification.--Not later than 30 days after the 
        establishment of the national public health service program, 
        the Director shall notify the following about applying to 
        participate in the national public health service program:
                    ``(A) Volunteers under the Peace Corps Act (22 
                U.S.C. 2501 et seq.)--
                            ``(i) as of the date of the enactment of 
                        the National Public Health Service Program Act 
                        of 2020; and
                            ``(ii) that successfully completed the 
                        requirements of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 
                        2501 et seq.).
                    ``(B) Volunteers under title I serving during the 
                emergency period (as defined in paragraph (1)(B) of 
                section 1135(g) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
                1320b-5(g))) who were unsuccessful in completing the 
                requirements of such programs due to COVID-19.
                    ``(C) Volunteers under title I of the Domestic 
                Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4951 et seq.) 
                serving during the emergency period (as defined in 
                paragraph (1)(B) of section 1135(g) of the Social 
                Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5(g))) who were 
                unsuccessful in completing the requirements of such 
                programs due to COVID-19.
                    ``(D) Any individuals from organizations the 
                Director determines appropriate.
    ``(b) Eligible Participants.--The Director shall establish criteria 
to determine eligibility for the national public health service program 
established under subsection (a).
    ``(c) Submissions by Service Sites.--Each service site shall submit 
to the Director a request that includes--
            ``(1) the preference of such service site with respect to--
                    ``(A) the number of participants under the national 
                public health service program assigned to serve such 
                service site;
                    ``(B) the method of service for such participants; 
                and
                    ``(C) the duration of service for such 
                participants;
            ``(2) information pertaining to the work such participants 
        would be engaging in at such service site;
            ``(3) an agreement that such service site--
                    ``(A) may receive training from the Secretary with 
                respect to the appropriate use of contact tracing 
                tools, including the Text Illness Monitoring system; 
                and
                    ``(B) shall provide personal protective equipment 
                to such participants if the work such participants are 
                assigned to do at such service site requires the use of 
                such personal protective equipment; and
            ``(4) any other information that the Director, in 
        coordination with the Secretary, determines necessary.
    ``(d) Assignment of National Public Health Service Program 
Participants.--
            ``(1) Public health emergencies.--If a public health 
        emergency is declared by the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
        U.S.C. 247d), the campus director may task participants under 
        the national public health service program to assist in 
        response.
            ``(2) Assignment.--Under paragraph (1), the Director, in 
        coordination with the campus director, may--
                    ``(A) assign interested participants under the 
                national public health service program to service sites 
                to assist with contact tracing, testing, and providing 
                support for the administration of vaccinations for 
                COVID-19;
                    ``(B) make travel arrangements for the assigned 
                national public health service program participants to 
                service sites; and
                    ``(C) provide funds to the service sites to which 
                national public health service program participants are 
                assigned, to enable such sites to coordinate and 
                provide housing, living stipends, and insurance for 
                those assigned members.
    ``(e) COVID-19 Projects.--With respect to participants under the 
national public health service program who serve during the emergency 
period (as defined in paragraph (1)(B) of section 1135(g) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5(g))), the campus director shall 
encourage such participants to perform tasks, in-person or virtually, 
to address issues arising during such emergency period which include--
            ``(1) contact tracing;
            ``(2) supporting the administration of testing for COVID-
        19;
            ``(3) supporting the administration of vaccinations; and
            ``(4) any other activities recommended by the Secretary to 
        address issues arising relating to COVID-19.
    ``(f) Secretary Defined.--In this section, the term `Secretary' 
means the Secretary of Health and Human Services acting through--
            ``(1) the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention; and
            ``(2) the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and 
        Response.'';
            (4) in section 155 (42 U.S.C. 12615)--
                    (A) in subsection (b)--
                            (i) in paragraph (1), by striking ``in the 
                        national service'' and all that follows through 
                        ``Program'' and inserting ``in a program under 
                        section 152(b)'';
                            (ii) in paragraph (2)--
                                    (I) by striking ``The Director'' 
                                and inserting ``(A) In general.--The 
                                Director''; and
                                    (II) by adding at the end the 
                                following new subparagraph:
                    ``(B) Preferred participants for national public 
                health service program.--In selecting individuals for 
                the national public health service program, the 
                Director shall prioritize applicants that, due to the 
                emergency period (as defined in paragraph (1)(B) of 
                section 1135(g) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
                1320b-5(g)))--
                            ``(i) were selected to participate in a 
                        program under title I and title I of the 
                        Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 
                        U.S.C. 4951 et seq.) but were unsuccessful in 
                        completing the requirements of such programs; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) experienced unemployment.''; and
                            (iii) in paragraph (3)--
                                    (I) by striking ``To be selected'' 
                                and inserting ``(A) In general.--To be 
                                selected''; and
                                    (II) by adding at the end the 
                                following new subparagraph:
                    ``(B) National public health service program 
                specific requirements.--With respect to an individual 
                applying for participation in the national public 
                health service program--
                            ``(i) each individual shall include in the 
                        application under subparagraph (A)--
                                    ``(I) information about the work 
                                experience of the applicant and 
                                sufficient information to enable the 
                                Director to determine whether selection 
                                of the applicant for such program is 
                                appropriate; and
                                    ``(II) the preference of the 
                                applicant with respect to--
                                            ``(aa) length of service; 
                                        and
                                            ``(bb) method of service 
                                        (in-person, virtually, or a 
                                        combination of virtual and in-
                                        person); and
                            ``(ii) the Director may waive the 
                        application under subparagraph (A) and select, 
                        in accordance with paragraph (2), an individual 
                        under section 154A(a)(3).''; and
                    (B) in subsection (e)--
                            (i) by striking ``The Director shall 
                        ensure'' and inserting ``(1) In general.--The 
                        Director shall ensure''; and
                            (ii) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Units for national public health service program.--
        With respect to a unit of participants under the national 
        public health service program, the Director, in consultation 
        with the campus director, may assign such unit to assist more 
        than one service site depending on the number of participants 
        requested by such service site under section 154A(c).'';
            (5) in section 156 (42 U.S.C. 12616)--
                    (A) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) by striking ``Each member'' and 
                        inserting ``(1) In general.--Each member''; and
                            (ii) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Waiver for national public health service program 
        participants.--With respect to a participant under the national 
        public health service program, the Director may waive or modify 
        the requirements of paragraph (1) for such participant during 
        an emergency period declared by the Secretary of Health and 
        Human Services under section 319 of the Public Health Service 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 247d).''; and
                    (B) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 
                following new paragraph:
            ``(3) National public health service program.--Members of 
        the Corps participating in the national public health service 
        program--
                    ``(A) shall receive the training required by State 
                or Federal Government to perform tasks assigned to such 
                member; and
                    ``(B) may receive training from or approved by the 
                Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to 
                the appropriate use of contact tracing tools, including 
                the Text Illness Monitoring system.'';
            (6) in section 157 (42 U.S.C. 12617)--
                    (A) in subsection (a)(1), by adding ``public 
                health,'' after ``conservation,'';
                    (B) in subsection (b)(1)--
                            (i) in paragraph (A), by adding ``the 
                        Secretary of Health and Human Services, the 
                        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
                        Prevention, the Assistant Secretary for 
                        Preparedness and Response,'' after 
                        ``Transportation,''; and
                            (ii) in paragraph (B), by adding ``service 
                        sites'' after ``entities''; and
                    (C) in subsection (c), by adding the following new 
                paragraph:
            ``(3) Supporting covid-19 response.--The campus director of 
        participants under the national public health service program 
        shall be encouraged to select projects that support the 
        response to COVID-19 which may include contact tracing.''; and
            (7) in section 165 (42 U.S.C. 12626) by adding at the end 
        the following:
            ``(11) Contact tracing.--The term `contact tracing' means 
        the technological and interpersonal process of identifying 
        persons who may have come into contact with an infected person 
        and subsequently collecting further information about these 
        contacts to implement mitigation measures and reduce infections 
        in the population.
            ``(12) COVID-19.--The term `COVID-19' means the 2019 novel 
        coronavirus or the SARS-CoV-2.
            ``(13) Indian tribe.--The term `Indian Tribe' means any 
        Indian Tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or 
        community (including any Native village, Regional Corporation, 
        or Village Corporation (as those terms are defined in section 3 
        of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602))) 
        that is recognized as eligible for the special programs and 
        services provided by the United States to Indians because of 
        their status as Indians.
            ``(14) Medical reserve corps.--The term `Medical Reserve 
        Corps' means the program established under section 2813 of the 
        Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-15).
            ``(15) Service site.--The term `service site' means any of 
        the following:
                    ``(A) An agency with the primary responsibility for 
                public health within the State government, local 
                government, Indian Tribe, territory, or possession of 
                the United States; and
                    ``(B) A Medicare Reserve Corps unit.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for the National and 
Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12501 et seq.) is amended by 
adding after the item relating to section 154 the following:

``Sec. 154A. National public health service program.''.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITIES RELATING TO COVID-19.

    Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and 
Community Service shall submit a report to the Committee on Education 
and Labor of the House of Representatives, the Committee on 
Appropriations of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and the Committee on 
Appropriations of the Senate containing recommendations on any 
additional authorities the Chief Executive Officer believes are 
necessary to respond to issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
                                 <all>