[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8192 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8192
Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2020, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 8, 2020
Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Ms. Bass, Ms. Kelly of Illinois,
Mr. Castro of Texas, Ms. Judy Chu of California, Ms. Haaland, Ms.
Davids of Kansas, Ms. Sewell of Alabama, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Carson of
Indiana, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Brown of Maryland, Mr. Hastings, Mr.
Ruppersberger, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, and
Mr. Grijalva) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committee on the
Budget, 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
Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2020, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
That the following sums are hereby appropriated, out of any money
in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2020, and for other purposes, namely:
TITLE I--DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Office of the Secretary
public health and social services emergency fund
(including transfer of funds)
For an additional amount for ``Public Health and Social Services
Emergency Fund'', $8,000,000,000, to remain available until September
30, 2022, for the implementation of the comprehensive program to
prevent and respond to COVID-19 in medically underserved communities,
as authorized by section 101: Provided, That of such amounts,
$60,000,000 shall be transferred to ``General Departmental Management''
and made available to the ``Office of Minority Health'' for the
implementation of such program: Provided further, That the amounts made
available (including amounts transferred) under this heading shall be
in addition to amounts otherwise available for such purposes: Provided
further, That such amounts are designated by the Congress as being for
an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
Indian Health Service
indian health services
For an additional amount for ``Indian Health Services'',
$400,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2022, for the
implementation of a comprehensive program to prevent and respond to
COVID-19 through programs and services administered by the Indian
Health Service and Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Urban
Indian organizations pursuant to a contract or compact under the Indian
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et
seq.) or the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1601 et
seq.), as authorized by section 102 of this Act: Provided, That such
amounts shall be in addition to amounts otherwise available for such
purposes: Provided further, That such funds shall be allocated at the
discretion of the Director of the Indian Health Service: Provided
further, That the amount provided under this heading in this Act shall
be distributed through Indian Health Service directly operated programs
and to Tribes and Tribal organizations under the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) and
through contracts or grants with Urban Indian Organizations under title
V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1651 et seq.):
Provided further, That any amounts made available under this heading
and transferred to Tribes or Tribal organizations shall be transferred
on a one-time basis, and that these non-recurring funds are not part of
the amount required by section 106 of the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5325), and that such amounts may
only be used for the purposes authorized by section 102 of this Act,
notwithstanding any other provision of law: Provided further, That such
amount is designated by the Congress as being for an emergency
requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
GENERAL PROVISIONS -- THIS ACT
Sec. 101. (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human
Services, in consultation with the Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Minority Health, shall implement a comprehensive program to--
(1) prevent and respond to COVID-19 in medically
underserved communities; and
(2) ensure that such program is designed to complement the
efforts of State and local public health agencies.
(b) Components.--The comprehensive program under subsection (a)
shall include the following:
(1) The provision of diagnostic tests for the virus that
causes COVID-19, including rapid response tests and testing
through the use of mobile health units.
(2) The provision of serological tests for the virus that
causes COVID-19.
(3) Contact tracing to monitor the contacts of individuals
who are or were infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.
(4) The provision of personal protective equipment to
essential workers.
(5) The facilitation of--
(A) voluntary isolation and quarantine of
individuals presumed or confirmed to be infected with,
or exposed to individuals presumed or confirmed to be
infected with, the virus that causes COVID-19; and
(B) the provision of social services and support
for such individuals.
(6) A culturally diverse and multilingual social marketing
campaign carried out by trusted members of the community
involved to increase public awareness of--
(A) health precautions to prevent exposure to the
virus that causes COVID-19;
(B) the benefits of monitoring and testing for
COVID-19;
(C) health care assistance programs and entities
that provide treatment for such virus; and
(D) public assistance and unemployment programs for
individuals affected by the spread of COVID-19.
(c) Grants to Partners.--To carry out the components of the
comprehensive program under subsection (b), the Secretary shall provide
grants to--
(1) faith-based, community, and nonprofit organizations;
and
(2) eligible institutions of higher education described in
section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1067q(a)) that have partnerships with one or more faith-based,
community, or nonprofit organizations.
(d) Contact Tracing.--
(1) Location of personnel.--The individuals hired and
trained to perform contact tracing pursuant to the
comprehensive program under subsection (a) shall have--
(A) experience in medically underserved
communities; and
(B) relationships with individuals who reside in
medically underserved communities.
(2) Protection of personal information.--The Secretary
shall ensure that the individually identifiable information
collected to perform contact tracing pursuant to the
comprehensive program under subsection (a) is secure from
unauthorized access and disclosure.
(e) Strategy.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 14 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop and
publish a comprehensive strategy with respect to the
comprehensive program under subsection (a) for the purpose of
addressing health and health disparities, taking into
consideration the following:
(A) Race and ethnicity.
(B) Sex.
(C) Age.
(D) Limited English proficiency.
(E) Socioeconomic status.
(F) Disability.
(G) Census tract.
(H) Status as a member of the lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender community.
(I) Occupation.
(J) Other demographic data.
(2) Consultation.--In developing the strategy under
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult with health
officials who represent the following:
(A) State and territorial governments.
(B) Local governments.
(C) Tribal governments.
Sec. 102. (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human
Services, acting through the Director of the Indian Health Service,
shall implement a comprehensive program to prevent and respond to
COVID-19 through programs and services administered by--
(1) the Indian Health Service; and
(2) Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Urban Indian
organizations pursuant to a contract or compact under--
(A) the Indian Self-Determination and Education
Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.); or
(B) the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25
U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).
(b) Components.--The comprehensive program under subsection (a)
shall include the following:
(1) The provision of diagnostic tests for the virus that
causes COVID-19, including rapid response tests and testing
through the use of mobile health units.
(2) The provision of serological tests for the virus that
causes COVID-19.
(3) Contact tracing to monitor the contacts of individuals
who are or were infected with the virus that causes COVID-19,
including hiring and training culturally and linguistically
competent contact tracers.
(4) The provision of personal protective equipment to
essential workers, including--
(A) community health representatives employed under
section 516 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act
(25 U.S.C. 1616f); and
(B) community health aides employed under section
119 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25
U.S.C. 1616l).
(5) The facilitation of--
(A) voluntary isolation and quarantine of
individuals presumed or confirmed to be infected with,
or exposed to individuals presumed or confirmed to be
infected with, the virus that causes COVID-19; and
(B) the provision of social services and support
for such individuals.
(6) A culturally and linguistically appropriate social
marketing campaign carried out by trusted members of the
community involved to increase public awareness of--
(A) health precautions to prevent exposure to, and
the spread of, the virus that causes COVID-19;
(B) the benefits of monitoring and testing for such
virus; and
(C) other public awareness priorities.
(7) Awarding grants or cooperative agreements to
epidemiology centers established under section 214 of the
Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1621m).
(c) Consultation.--Before implementing the program under subsection
(a), the Secretary shall--
(1) consult with Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations;
and
(2) confer with Urban Indian organizations.
Sec. 103. In this Act:
(1) The term ``essential worker'' means--
(A) a health sector employee;
(B) an emergency response worker;
(C) a sanitation worker;
(D) a worker at a business which a State or local
government official has determined must remain open to
serve the public during a public health emergency (as
declared pursuant to section 319 of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d)) with respect to COVID-19;
and
(E) any other worker who cannot telework, and whom
the State deems to be essential during a public health
emergency with respect to COVID-19.
(2) The term ``Indian Tribe'' means an ``Indian tribe'' as
defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
(3) The term ``medically underserved communities'' means
communities that each--
(A) have a rate of infection, hospitalization, or
death with respect to COVID-19 that is higher than the
national average;
(B) have a high percentage of racial and ethnic
minorities; or
(C) are above the 90th percentile according to the
area deprivation index developed by the Administrator
of the Health Resources and Services Administration.
(4) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health
and Human Services.
(5) The term ``Tribal organization'' means a ``tribal
organization'' as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
(6) The term ``Urban Indian organization'' has the meaning
given such term in section 4 of the Indian Health Care
Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603).
Sec. 104. Unless otherwise provided for by this Act, the
additional amounts appropriated by this Act to appropriations accounts
shall be available under the authorities and conditions applicable to
such appropriations accounts for fiscal year 2020.
Sec. 105. Each amount designated in this Act by the Congress as
being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i)
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 shall
be available (or transferred, as applicable) only if the President
subsequently so designates all such amounts and transmits such
designations to the Congress.
This Act may be cited as the ``COVID Community Care Act''.
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