[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8011 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8011
To increase global health security, create more stable societies, and
save lives, especially children's lives, by clarifying and focusing
United States support for frontline health workers across global health
and humanitarian investments, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 19, 2026
Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia (for herself and Mr. Bera) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Intelligence
(Permanent Select), 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
To increase global health security, create more stable societies, and
save lives, especially children's lives, by clarifying and focusing
United States support for frontline health workers across global health
and humanitarian investments, 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 ``Strengthening and Expanding Capacity
for Unified Response and Excellence in Health Act'' or the ``SECURE
Health Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Strengthening the global health workforce is critical
for improving health outcomes worldwide, preventing the
international spread of infectious diseases, enhancing global
health security, reinforcing supply chains, and ultimately
protecting the health and economic well-being of the American
people.
(2) Access to healthcare and a skilled health workforce is
essential for maintaining a healthy overall global workforce
and ensuring a stable supply of goods vital to the United
States economy.
(3) Recognizing the growing demand for mental health
services, efforts to strengthen the global health workforce can
help expand access to qualified providers, evidence-based
practices, and innovation to improve the quality of mental
health care globally and in the United States.
(4) One in five active physicians and one in six nurses in
the United States are foreign-educated, and legal immigrants
comprise 18 percent of the entire healthcare workforce, with
the number of hospitals hiring foreign-educated nurses nearly
doubling between 2010 and 2022.
(5) United States leadership and investments in global
health have driven remarkable progress, including a 60 percent
reduction in child mortality and a 38 percent reduction in
maternal mortality from 1990 to 2020, a 31 percent decline in
new HIV infections from 2010 to 2020, and a 38 percent decrease
in malaria-related deaths from 2000 to 2019--contributing to
enhanced productivity and economic growth.
(6) Nations with healthier populations are more likely to
be productive, prosperous, and peaceful, whereas countries with
poorer health conditions are more prone to instability and
conflict, which compromises United States national security.
(7) A well-trained, well-equipped, and well-supported
frontline health workforce is critical to the effectiveness,
sustainability, and resilience of United States global health
programs, as well as to strengthening national security and
global economic prosperity.
(8) Despite the critical role of frontline health workers
in improving health, advancing security, and spurring economic
growth both in the United States and abroad, nearly half of the
world's population--approximately 4.5 billion people--lacks
access to critical health services.
(9) Recognizing that frontline health workers are critical
to preventing malnutrition, particularly during pregnancy and
among children, it is necessary to invest in health workers to
enable these workers to deliver nutrition interventions
integrated with other health services and, as a result, build
community resilience, reduce preventable deaths, and contribute
to long-term economic stability.
(10) Every day, more than 15,000 children die worldwide,
primarily from preventable causes, and 810 women lose their
lives due to pregnancy or childbirth-related complications.
(11) Millions of people succumb annually to HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis, malaria, and other treatable and often
preventable conditions.
(12) In 2024, an estimated 300 million people across 72
countries required humanitarian assistance and protection due
to conflicts, disease outbreaks, and other crises.
(13) Frontline health workers frequently perform life-
saving services under hazardous conditions, often at great
personal risk, with limited access to essential medicines,
medical equipment, and safe water and sanitation.
(14) Since 2020, more than 14,000 attacks on healthcare
facilities, transport, and personnel have been reported,
resulting in almost 2,800 health workers killed in conflict
zones and significantly hindering access to critical health
services for millions.
(15) Frontline health workers serve as the first--and often
the only--link to healthcare for millions of people in low- and
middle-income countries.
(16) When enabled with modern training, supervision, and
digital tools, community health workers can efficiently extend
the reach of the healthcare system and help ensure medical
innovations.
(17) By 2030, the world is projected to face a shortfall of
at least 11 million health workers without immediate and
concerted action, particularly in low- and middle-income
countries.
(18) The Commission on Health Employment and Economic
Growth demonstrated that investments in health yield a ninefold
economic return, identifying health employment as a force
multiplier for economic growth.
(19) Frontline health workers play a vital role in
strengthening national resilience, saving lives, fostering
economic growth, developing robust primary healthcare systems,
and preventing and responding to humanitarian crises and global
health security threats from infectious diseases.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States--
(1) to pursue the expansion, training, payment, support,
equipping, and protection of the frontline global health
workforce;
(2) to support integrated investments in health workers
that resemble their true responsibilities and move away from
siloed, single-disease investments in health workers;
(3) to use global health investments to catalyze the
expansion and most efficient utilization of frontline health
workers and address severe global health workforce shortages;
and
(4) to require host organization contributions as part of
any investments of the United States in salary support and
plans for transitioning those salaries to domestic financing to
better ensure the sustainability of remuneration for health
workers.
SEC. 4. GLOBAL HEALTH WORKFORCE STRATEGY.
(a) Establishment; Updating.--
(1) In general.--The President shall establish and
regularly update a 5-year strategy to be known as the ``Global
Health Workforce Strategy''.
(2) Contents.--The strategy shall--
(A) identify spending by the United States
Government to support the global health workforce from
global health and humanitarian assistance funds; and
(B) include measurable goals and implementation
plans for global health workforce investments by the
United States.
(b) Strategies of Federal Departments and Agencies.--The head of
each Federal department and agency that uses resources for
international health and humanitarian assistance shall--
(1) establish policies for the use of such resources that
align with the strategy established under subsection (a); and
(2) regularly update such policies.
SEC. 5. GLOBAL HEALTH WORKFORCE COORDINATOR.
(a) Appointment.--The President shall appoint an individual to
serve, within the Department of State, with the concurrent title and
responsibility as the Global Health Workforce Coordinator.
(b) Duties.--The Global Health Workforce Coordinator shall--
(1) coordinate and oversee the implementation of this Act;
and
(2) approve strategy and resource allocations across
foreign assistance programs supporting the global health
workforce.
SEC. 6. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE.
(a) Establishment.--The President shall establish, within the
National Security Council, an interagency task force to be co-chaired
by--
(1) the Global Health Workforce Coordinator appointed under
section 5(a); and
(2) an appropriate senior director of the National Security
Council selected by the President.
(b) Duties.--The interagency task force shall--
(1) coordinate and oversee the implementation of this Act;
and
(2) ensure the alignment of global health investments
across Federal departments and agencies.
SEC. 7. ANNUAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
(a) In General.--The President, acting in coordination with the
heads of relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall publish an
annual report detailing efforts of Federal departments and agencies to
train and support frontline health workers across all funding streams.
(b) Contents.--The report shall include, at a minimum, the
following:
(1) Funding for health workers.--A breakdown of funding
across all cadres of health workers that is--
(A) categorized as direct or indirect support; and
(B) differentiated between--
(i) single United States Government source
funding for a specific disease or condition;
and
(ii) integrated funding approaches that use
more than one United States Government source
of funding to cover multiple diseases or
conditions.
(2) Support for training.--A breakdown of funding that
supports the training of health workers, including--
(A) pre-service training to address workforce
shortages;
(B) in-service training for skill development;
(C) institutional capacity building and retention
measures; and
(D) digital capacity and access for health workers.
(3) Support for salaries and sustained employment.--A
breakdown of funding that supports the salaries and employment
of health workers, including--
(A) funds allocated to workforce expansion;
(B) salary support with details on plans to
transition to domestic funding sources; and
(C) protection measures for health workers,
including safe work conditions, labor standards, and
protections during conflicts, pandemics, or crises.
SEC. 8. GLOBAL REPORTING.
(a) In General.--The United States shall seek to establish and
support a biennial, independent global report on the status of the
global health workforce, produced outside the donor and United Nations
system.
(b) Contents.--The report shall assess the status of the global
health workforce, including international and domestic funding, the
policy environment, and other avenues for global health workforce
support, for the purpose of tracking and encouraging greater progress,
increased international and domestic funding, and the success of global
engagement in support of the global health workforce.
<all>