[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 953 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 953
To provide for the establishment of a COVID-19 containment and
mitigation for essential workers program for assisting small businesses
and employee representatives of essential workers to reopen or operate
consistent with guidance and practices intended to prevent the spread
of COVID-19, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 8, 2021
Ms. Spanberger (for herself and Mrs. Kim of California) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the establishment of a COVID-19 containment and
mitigation for essential workers program for assisting small businesses
and employee representatives of essential workers to reopen or operate
consistent with guidance and practices intended to prevent the spread
of COVID-19, 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 ``Getting Americans Safely Back to
Work Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. GRANTS TO STATE, LOCAL, TRIBAL, OR TERRITORIAL HEALTH
DEPARTMENTS FOR COVID-19 CONTAINMENT AND MITIGATION FOR
ESSENTIAL WORKERS.
(a) Program.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in consultation with the
Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
and Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, shall
establish a COVID-19 containment and mitigation for essential workers
program consisting of awarding grants under subsection (b).
(b) Grants.--For the purpose of improving essential worker safety,
the Secretary--
(1) shall award a grant to each State health department;
and
(2) may award grants on a competitive basis to State,
local, Tribal, or territorial health departments.
(c) Use of Funds.--A State, local, Tribal, or territorial health
department receiving a grant under subsection (b) shall use the grant
funds--
(1) to purchase or procure personal protective equipment
and rapid testing equipment and supplies for distribution to
employers of essential workers, including public employers; or
(2) to support the implementation of other workplace safety
measures for use in containment and mitigation of COVID-19
transmission among essential workers in their workplaces,
including workplaces of public employers.
(d) Formula Grants to State Health Departments.--In making grants
under subsection (b)(1), the Secretary shall award funds to each State
health department in accordance with a formula based on overall
population size, essential workers population size, and burden of
COVID-19.
(e) Competitive Grants to State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial
Health Departments.--In making grants under subsection (b)(2), the
Secretary shall give priority to applicants demonstrating a commitment
to containing and mitigating COVID-19 among racial and ethnic minority
groups who are disproportionately represented in essential worker
settings.
(f) No Duplicative Assistance.--The Secretary may not provide, and
a State, local, Tribal, or territorial health department or employer of
essential workers may not accept, assistance under this section for
containment and mitigation of COVID-19 transmission among essential
workers in their workplaces with respect to which--
(1) the State, local, Tribal, or territorial health
department or employer of essential workers receives assistance
from other sources for such purposes; or
(2) other sources are obligated to provide assistance to
such health department or employer for such purposes.
(g) Technical Assistance.--In carrying out the program under this
section, the Secretary shall provide technical assistance to State,
local, Tribal, or territorial health departments.
(h) Report.--No later than 90 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, and every 90 days thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to
the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Education and
Labor of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report on the activities
funded through this section, including--
(1) the amount expended and the awardees under subsection
(b)(1);
(2) the amount expended and the awardees under subsection
(b)(2);
(3) the total amount remaining of the amounts appropriated
or otherwise made available to carry out this section; and
(4) evaluating the progress of State, local, Tribal, and
territorial health departments in reducing COVID-19 burden
among essential workers.
SEC. 3. CONSULTATION WITH ESSENTIAL WORKER EMPLOYERS AND ESSENTIAL
WORKERS.
(a) In General.--In developing the COVID-19 containment and
mitigation for essential workers program under section 2 and in
determining criteria for distribution of competitive grants under
section 2(b)(2), the Secretary, acting through the Director of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in consultation with the
Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
shall consult in advance with--
(1) employers of essential workers; and
(2) representatives of essential workers.
(b) Optional Advance Consultation.--A State health department may,
before receiving funds through a grant under section 2, consult with
employers of essential workers and representatives of essential workers
in determining--
(1) priorities for the use of such funds; and
(2) the distribution of COVID-19 containment and mitigation
equipment and supplies.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Containment and mitigation.--The term ``containment and
mitigation'' includes--
(A) the use of--
(i) personal protective equipment; and
(ii) other protections, including expanding
or improving workplace infrastructure through
engineering and work practice controls, such as
ventilation systems, plexiglass partitions, air
filters, and the use of hand sanitizer or
sanitation supplies;
(B) access to medical evaluations, testing
(including rapid testing), and contact tracing; and
(C) other related activities or equipment
recommended or required by the Director of Centers of
Disease Control and Prevention or required pursuant to
the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29
U.S.C. 651 et seq.) or a State plan approved pursuant
to section 18 of that Act (29 U.S.C. 667).
(2) Essential worker.--The term ``essential worker'' refers
to--
(A) the ``essential critical infrastructure
workers'' identified in the Department of Homeland
Security's ``Advisory Memorandum on Ensuring Essential
Critical Infrastructure Workers Ability to Work During
the COVID-19 Response'' released on August 18, 2020 (or
any successor document); and
(B) workers included as essential workers in
executive orders issued by the Governor of a State.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Health and Human Services.
(4) Small business.--The term ``small business'' means--
(A) a small business concern described in section
31(b)(2)(C) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C.
657a(b)(2)(C)); or
(B) an individual who operates--
(i) under a sole proprietorship;
(ii) as an independent contractor; or
(iii) as an eligible self-employed
individual.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--To carry out this Act, there is authorized to be
appropriated $1,000,000,000, to remain available until expended.
(b) Small Businesses.--Of the amounts made available to grantees
pursuant to section 2, at least $250,000,000 shall be reserved for
small businesses.
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