[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3645 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3645

To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish emergency grants to 
    safeguard essential health care workers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 24, 2023

   Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania (for herself, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. 
   Khanna, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. Bowman, Ms. Brown, Mr. Boyle of 
Pennsylvania, Ms. Bush, Mr. Carson, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mr. Casar, 
 Ms. Crockett, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Deluzio, Mrs. Foushee, Mr. Frost, Mr. 
Robert Garcia of California, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Jackson Lee, 
    Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mrs. McClellan, Mr. Mfume, Ms. Moore of 
Wisconsin, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Omar, Ms. Pressley, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. 
    Sewell, Ms. Strickland, Ms. Tlaib, Mrs. Watson Coleman, and Ms. 
Williams of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish emergency grants to 
    safeguard essential health care workers, 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. SAFEGUARDING ESSENTIAL HEALTH CARE WORKERS.

    Title III of the Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting 
after section 319D-1 (42 U.S.C. 247d-4b) the following:

``SEC. 319D-2. EMERGENCY GRANTS TO SAFEGUARD ESSENTIAL HEALTH CARE 
              WORKERS.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Emergency or disaster.--The term `emergency or 
        disaster' means--
                    ``(A) a major disaster declared by the President 
                under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
                Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170);
                    ``(B) an emergency declared by the President under 
                section 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
                and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5191);
                    ``(C) a national emergency declared by the 
                President under the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 
                1601 et seq.);
                    ``(D) a public health emergency declared under 
                section 319; and
                    ``(E) a State or local emergency or disaster, as 
                declared by the applicable State or local government.
            ``(2) Eligible health care worker.--The term `eligible 
        health care worker' means an essential health care worker whose 
        work cannot be conducted remotely.
            ``(3) Essential health care worker.--The term `essential 
        health care worker' means--
                    ``(A) a health care provider, including a direct 
                care worker (as defined in section 799B);
                    ``(B) a medical technologist;
                    ``(C) a public health worker;
                    ``(D) an orderly (as defined in the 2010 Standard 
                Occupational Classifications of the Department of Labor 
                under the code for Orderlies (31-1015));
                    ``(E) an environmental service, janitorial, or 
                custodial worker in a health care setting; and
                    ``(F) any other professional role that the 
                Secretary determines is essential to the care of 
                patients or the maintenance of public health.
    ``(b) Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may make grants to public 
        or private nonprofit health care facilities and home health 
        agencies for use in accordance with paragraph (2).
            ``(2) Use of funds.--
                    ``(A) Hazardous duty compensation.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The recipient of a grant 
                        under paragraph (1) shall use the grant funds 
                        to provide hazardous duty compensation to 
                        eligible health care workers for work performed 
                        during the period of an emergency or disaster 
                        in cases in which the Secretary determines 
                        that--
                                    ``(I) the performance of the work 
                                by the eligible health care worker for 
                                the applicable health care facility or 
                                home health agency is hazardous; or
                                    ``(II) the commute of the eligible 
                                health care worker is hazardous.
                            ``(ii) Requirement.--
                                    ``(I) In general.--Subject to 
                                subclause (II), the amount of hazardous 
                                duty compensation under clause (i) 
                                shall be not more than $13 per hour, 
                                which shall be in addition to the wages 
                                or remuneration the eligible health 
                                care worker otherwise receives for the 
                                work.
                                    ``(II) Maximum amount.--The total 
                                amount of hazardous duty compensation 
                                received by any 1 eligible health care 
                                worker under this subparagraph may not 
                                exceed $25,000 per year.
                    ``(B) Additional uses.--The recipient of a grant 
                under paragraph (1) may use the grant funds to provide 
                safety measures to safeguard and protect eligible 
                health care workers from hazards due to the applicable 
                emergency or disaster, including alternative transit 
                options, personal protective equipment, and other 
                safety measures.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be 
necessary.''.
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