[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 142 (Monday, August 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5379-S5380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

    SENATE RESOLUTION 679--EXPRESSING APPRECIATION AND SUPPORT FOR 
   ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES OR WHO ARE BLIND DURING THE 
                      COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND BEYOND

  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:

                              S. Res. 679

       Whereas, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been 
     necessary for essential services to continue in areas where 
     most businesses and government buildings are closed;
       Whereas the contracts for essential services arise under 
     Federal, State, and local government programs that are 
     intended, 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 other 
     needed support to help those employees perform essential 
     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 critical 
     products that strengthen the COVID-19 response of the United 
     States and support hospitals, health care professionals, 
     first responders, the United States military, and governments 
     at all levels, including personal protective equipment, hand 
     sanitizer, cleaning products and disinfectants, first aid 
     kits, exam gloves, and toilet paper;
       (3) supporting Federal and State efforts to establish pop-
     up hospitals;

[[Page S5380]]

       (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 military 
     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 District of 
     Columbia, such as the Library of Congress, the congressional 
     office buildings, the Mark Center, and the buildings that 
     house the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of 
     Justice, the Internal Revenue Service, the Centers for 
     Medicare & Medicaid Services of the Department of Health and 
     Human Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the 
     Department of State;
          (B) State buildings, such as State police barracks, 
     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 medical 
     centers in the Department of Veterans Affairs--
          (A) providing deep-cleaning and sanitizing services;
          (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 personal 
     protective equipment;
       (12) providing personal protective equipment for employees 
     of the Bureau of the Census;
       (13) delivering 250 Federal medical stations under contract 
     with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
       (14) leveraging sewing expertise to produce hundreds of 
     thousands of cloth face masks for Federal customers, 
     including the military and medical centers in the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs, medical clinics, local businesses, and 
     the general public;
       (15) increasing the availability of supplies and adapting 
     Base Supply Centers to sell personal protective equipment and 
     cleaning products to customers on military bases;
       (16) stepping up custodial efforts to--
          (A) address known COVID-19 incident locations; and
          (B) establish preventative measures to enable other 
     essential employees, such as medical professionals 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 
     government 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 central 
     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 recognized 
     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--
       (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;
       (3) were essential before the COVID-19 pandemic and will 
     continue to be essential after the COVID-pandemic 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 authorized by 
     Congress or State and local legislatures: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the essential work performed by individuals 
     with disabilities or who are blind during the COVID-19 
     pandemic; and
       (2) recognizes and thanks essential employees with 
     disabilities or who are blind for--
       (A) their efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic; and
       (B) the vital contributions to the United States they have 
     made in the past and will make in the future.

                          ____________________