[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 32 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 32
To provide for the establishment of a standing Health Force and a
Resilience Force to respond to public health emergencies and meet
public health needs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 22, 2021
Mrs. Gillibrand (for herself, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Markey, Mr.
Van Hollen, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr. Casey, Ms.
Duckworth, Mrs. Feinstein, and Mr. Reed) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the establishment of a standing Health Force and a
Resilience Force to respond to public health emergencies and meet
public health needs.
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 ``Health Force, Resilience Force, and
Jobs To Fight COVID-19 Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. HEALTH FORCE.
(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of the Health Force established
under this section to recruit, train, and employ a standing workforce
of Americans to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in their communities,
provide capacity for ongoing and future public health care needs, and
build skills for new workers to enter the public health and health care
workforce.
(b) Establishment.--The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
through its State, local, territorial, and Tribal partners, shall
establish a standing Health Force (referred to in this section as the
``Force'') composed of community members dedicated to preventing and
responding to public health crises and emergencies, including those
declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under section
319 of the Public Health Service Act, including the COVID-19 emergency,
and providing increased capacity to address ongoing and future public
and community health needs.
(c) Organization and Administration.--The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention shall--
(1) award grants, contracts, or enter into cooperative
agreements for the recruitment, hiring, training, managing,
administration, and organization of the Force to States,
localities, territories, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations,
urban Indian health organizations, health service providers to
Tribes, Native Hawaiian health organizations, community health
centers, or federally qualified health centers (referred to in
this section as ``Funded Entities'');
(2) ensure that State, county, local health departments,
agencies, and community-based organizations, including
community health centers and clinics, receive funding from
Funded Entities or directly from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention for the recruitment, hiring, training,
managing, administration, and organization of the Force, as
appropriate;
(3) provide assistance for expenses incurred by Funded
Entities prior to the awarding of a grant, contract, or
cooperative agreement under subparagraph (A) to facilitate the
implementation of the Force, including assistance for planning
and recruitment activities, as provided for in section 424
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
(42 U.S.C.5189b); and
(4) award and obligate funds as soon as is practicable, and
where possible, not later than 30 days after the date of
enactment of this Act.
(d) Funding Allocations.--
(1) In general.--Of the total amount of funds appropriated
under this section for a fiscal year--
(A) not less than 5 percent shall be awarded to
Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, urban Indian
health organizations, health service providers to
Tribes, or Native Hawaiian health organizations under
subsection (c)(1), of which 80 percent shall be awarded
in proportion to population size and 20 percent shall
be awarded based on the burden of disease and
disability;
(B) not less than 80 percent shall be awarded to
States and territories under subsection (c)(1), of
which--
(i) 60 percent shall be awarded in
proportion to population size, 20 percent shall
be awarded based on the number of jobs lost
over the preceding 12 months in each State or
territory as a proportion of all jobs lost
nationally during that timeframe, and 20
percent shall be awarded based on the burden of
disease and disability;
(ii) not less than 40 percent shall be
allocated for State health departments; and
(iii) not less than 40 percent shall be
allocated for county and other local health
departments within the State.
(2) Supplement and not supplant.--Funds appropriated under
this section shall be used to supplement, not supplant any
existing funding for Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, urban
Indian health organizations, health service providers to
Tribes, Native Hawaiian health organizations, States,
territories, State health departments, county and other local
health departments.
(e) Service.--
(1) Minimum requirements.--The Force shall be composed of
eligible members selected by Funded Entities. At a minimum,
Funded Entities shall ensure that membership in the Force is
not restricted based on education or citizenship status.
Eligible individuals shall include those who are--
(A) at least 18 years of age; and
(B) authorized to work in the United States,
including an individual with Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals status (DACA) or Temporary Protected
Status (TPS) under section 244 of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a).
(2) Recruitment.--With respect to the employment of Force
members, Funded Entities shall support recruitment efforts for
Force personnel who are from or reside in the locality in which
they will serve, including efforts to recruit Force members
among focal communities as described in subsection (h), as well
as dislocated workers, individuals with barriers to employment,
veterans, new entrants in the workforce, underemployed or
furloughed workers, graduates and students from Historically
Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and
Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions and historically
marginalized populations. As practicable, State labor offices
shall share information about Force opportunities with those
individuals applying for or receiving unemployment benefits.
(3) Preference.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, preference in the hiring of Force members shall be given
to individuals who are dislocated workers, individuals with
barriers to employment, veterans, new entrants in the
workforce, underemployed or furloughed workers, or community-
based nonprofit or public health or health care professionals,
from focal communities as described in subsection (h), or
unemployed or underemployed individuals. First priority in such
hiring shall be given to individuals who are previous employees
of Funded Entities (or subawardees under paragraph (9)) who
were, within the 2020 or 2021 calendar year, furloughed, laid
off, subject to a reduction in force, placed or went on leave,
or have recall rights subject to collective bargaining
agreement or applicable personnel policies.
(4) Placement.--To the extent feasible, as determined by
Funded Entities, members of the Force shall be recruited from
and serve in their home communities. Force members shall be
physically co-located within State, local, territorial, Tribal
health departments, or within other eligible organizations as
defined by subsection (c)(1). According to local needs, Force
members may be physically co-located with other local public
health, health care, and community-based organizations,
including community health centers and free and charitable
clinics, as determined appropriate by Funded Entities.
(5) Training.--
(A) Contact tracing training.--
(i) In general.--The Director of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(referred to in this section as ``Director'')
shall continue to provide contact tracing
guidance and resources on their public internet
website, including contact tracing training
plans, for Force members to successfully
conduct contact tracing activities under
subsection (f)(1). Funded Entities shall
determine which Force members will be provided
with contact tracing training to meet State,
locality, territory, and Tribal public health
needs.
(ii) Training by funded entities.--Funded
Entities may provide contact tracing training
using the guidance and resources described in
clause (i) or other evidence-informed programs,
including training programs carried out by the
Association of State and Territorial Health
Officials and by academic institutions.
(B) Additional training.--Not later than 90 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director
shall identify and, as necessary, develop additional
evidence-informed training resource packages to provide
Force members the knowledge and skills necessary to
conduct the full complement of activities describe in
subsections (f) and (g). Funded Entities shall
determine which Force members will be provided with
additional training to meet State, locality, territory,
and Tribal public health needs.
(C) Specialized training.--In organizing the Force
under this section, the Director may elect to establish
divisions of Force members who receive specialized
comprehensive training, including divisions of Force
members who have met State licensure requirements, have
prior relevant experience, have supervisory skills, or
demonstrated aptitude.
(D) Training requirements.--The training programs
under this paragraph shall--
(i) be adaptable by Funded Entities to meet
local needs;
(ii) be implemented as quickly as possible
by either or both of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and Funded Entities,
based on local needs and abilities;
(iii) be distance-based eLearning that can
be accessed electronically, including by using
a smartphone, with the goal of limiting
opportunities for disease transmission while
maximizing knowledge and skills acquisition and
retention among Force trainees;
(iv) include refresher training at regular
and frequent intervals as determined
appropriate by the Director or Funded Entities;
(v) incorporate training components on
personal safety, including staying safe around
animals in the context of home visits, use of
personal protective equipment, and health
privacy and ethics; and
(vi) leverage existing training and
certification programs approved by States,
territories, Tribal Nations, and community
health worker certifying bodies.
(E) Miscellaneous.--Where determined necessary, the
Director may--
(i) recommend training under this paragraph
that includes face-to-face interaction;
(ii) collaborate with, including through
grants or cooperative agreements, public
universities, including nursing, medical, and
veterinary schools, community colleges, or
other career and technical education
institutes, community health centers, federally
qualified health centers, community health
worker and community health representative
training and certification programs, and other
community-based organizations, federally
recognized Minority Serving Institutions, as
well as public health associations and State
and local health departments, to develop and
implement training under this subparagraph,
particularly for skills that typically have
licensure requirements; and
(iii) develop training and communications
materials in multiple languages.
(F) Payment during training.--Force members shall
be paid for each hour spent in training, including
refresher training.
(G) Supporting public health career growth.--Funded
Entities shall support public health career development
and growth of Force members, including by--
(i) providing additional disaster relief
employment and training activities described in
subparagraphs (A) and (C) of section 170(d)(1)
of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
(29 U.S.C. 3225(d)(1) (A) and (C)) and services
described in section 7(a)(1) of the Wagner-
Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. 49f(a)(1)), as
appropriate;
(ii) providing opportunities for Force
members to maintain employment, continuing
education, and career advancement in health
services or health promotion and advocacy
roles, including community health worker roles,
after the COVID-19 public health emergency has
concluded, including by serving in roles
described in subsection (g); and
(iii) assisting Force members in obtaining
other public health employment directly with
the Funded Entity or with a unit of State,
territorial, Tribal, or local government after
the COVID-19 public health emergency has
concluded, including by paying the costs of not
more than 10 percent of the total compensation
provided by the eligible entity or unit of
local government to such eligible individual
for a period of not more than the first year in
which the individual is so employed, if such
employment is not otherwise subsidized under
this or any other Act.
(6) Force member compensation.--
(A) In general.--Members of the Force shall be
full-time employees paid directly by Funded Entities
(and subawardees under paragraph (9)) using funds
provided by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention under grants, contracts, or cooperative
agreements under this section.
(B) Compensation.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, for fiscal year 2021 and each fiscal
year thereafter, all Force members, including
supervisors, shall be paid a wage and fringe benefits
not less than the minimum wage and fringe benefits
established in accordance with chapter 67 of title 41,
United States Code (commonly known as the ``Service
Contract Act'').
(C) Authority.--With respect to subparagraph (B),
the Secretary of Labor, or the Secretary's authorized
representative, shall have the authority and functions
set forth in chapter 67 of title 41, United States
Code.
(D) Methodology.--With respect to subparagraph (B),
the Secretary of Labor, or the Secretary's authorized
representative, shall issue a nonstandard wage
determination, subject to periodic revision,
establishing minimum wages and fringe benefits for each
class of Force members in accordance with the
prevailing rates for those positions or, where a
collective-bargaining agreement is in effect, in
accordance with the rates provided for in the
agreement, including prospective wage and fringe
benefit increases provided under the agreement.
(E) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress
that Force member compensation shall include health,
retirement, and paid family and medical leave benefits.
(7) Supervisory structures.--Members of the Force shall
receive ongoing supportive supervision from staff members of
Funded Entities (or subawardees under paragraph (9)), in
accordance with evidence-informed practices. Entities funded
under this section may choose the most appropriate supervisory
structure to use based on local needs, and may promote Force
members into supervisory roles. Such supervision may also be
provided by Disease Intervention Specialists. Funded Entities
may use funds awarded under grants, contacts, or cooperative
agreements under this section to pay for such supervisory staff
and structures in accordance with paragraph (6).
(8) Supplies and equipment.--Members of the Force and their
supervisors shall receive all necessary supplies and equipment,
including personal protective equipment, through Funded
Entities, which may use funds awarded under grants, contracts,
or cooperative agreements under this section to pay for such
supplies and equipment.
(9) Subawards.--As authorized by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, Funded Entities shall make subawards to
local partners, including community health centers, labor
organizations, labor-management partnerships, and other
community-based and nonprofit organizations, in order to
facilitate Force member recruitment, training, management,
supervision, and retention as well as to facilitate Force
integration into existing public health, health care, and
community-based services in accordance with paragraph (6).
(10) Service in public health emergency.--A Funded Entity
shall assign one or more Force members to respond to a public
health emergency in the area served by such entity. Such Force
members shall be under the supervision and management of the
involved State, locality, territory, Indian Tribe, Tribal
organization, urban Indian health organization, health service
providers to Tribes, Native Hawaiian health organization,
community health center, federally qualified health center, or
other local partner.
(11) Service post emergency.--A Funded Entity may retain
Force members in accordance with paragraph (6) to continue to
work in the area served by the entity after a public health
emergency has ended in order to--
(A) prevent and respond to future public health
crises and emergencies; and
(B) respond to ongoing and future public health,
community health, and health care needs.
(12) Limitation.--A Force member may not be assigned for
international deployment on behalf of the Health Force.
(13) Funding.--All costs associated with the service and
functions of Force members under this section, including salary
and employment benefits described under paragraph (6), as well
as associated direct and indirect costs, shall be paid by the
Federal Government through grants, contracts, or cooperative
agreements to Funded Entities.
(14) Nondisplacement.--Funded Entities (and subawardees
under paragraph (9)) shall not displace an employee, including
partial displacement such as a reduction in hours, wages, or
employment benefits, as a result of the use by such Funded
Entities (and subawardees).
(f) Activities To Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic.--For the
duration of the public health emergency declared by the Secretary of
Health and Human Services under section 319 of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) on January 31, 2020, with respect to
COVID-19, Force personnel shall be trained and employed to support a
testing, contact tracing, containment, and mitigation strategy to
combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Such activities shall align with State
licensure, local regulations, scope of practice, and certification
requirements and evidence-informed practices and include--
(1) conducting contact tracing, including the
identification of cases of COVID-19 and their contacts in a
culturally competent, multilingual manner;
(2) when available, supporting the administration of
diagnostic, serologic, or other COVID-19 tests and
vaccinations;
(3) providing support that addresses social, economic,
behavioral, and preventive health needs, such as supportive
roles for care coordination, primary care, and palliative care,
as appropriate, for individuals affected by COVID-19, including
those individuals who are asked to voluntarily isolate or
quarantine; and
(4) other activities as determined appropriate by Funded
Entities and in accordance with grant and cooperative agreement
scope and stipulations.
(g) Activities Post-Emergency.--After the conclusion of the public
health emergency declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services
under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) on
January 31, 2020, with respect to COVID-19, Force personnel shall be
trained and employed to perform public health recovery efforts, prevent
and respond to future public health emergencies, and respond to ongoing
and future public health and health care needs. Under this subsection,
Force members shall carry out or assist with activities described in
subsection (f), as well as any of the following activities, where
aligned with State licensure requirements and evidence-informed
practices:
(1) Providing support services, including--
(A) expanding public health information sharing,
including by sharing public health messages with
community members and organizations;
(B) helping community members address social,
economic, behavioral health, and preventive health
needs using evidence-informed models and in accordance
with existing standards;
(C) sharing community-based information with State,
local, and Tribal health departments to inform and
improve health programming, especially for hard-to-
reach communities; and
(D) promoting linkages to other Federal, State, and
local health and social programs.
(2) Other activities determined appropriate by the
Director.
(3) Other activities, including response to localized
public health emergencies, as determined appropriate by Funded
Entities and in accordance with grant and cooperative agreement
scope and stipulations.
(h) Focal Communities.--Funded Entities shall dedicate a majority
of Force members to addressing the needs of focal communities. To be
designated as a focal community, a community shall at a minimum--
(1) bear a disproportionate burden of disease;
(2) be identified as a ``most vulnerable'' community
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's
Social Vulnerability Index;
(3) be identified as a ``high poverty'' area, which
includes census tracts with poverty rates of 25 percent or
higher, as defined by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act;
(4) be identified as a ``high unemployment'' area, which
includes census tracts with unemployment 150 percent or higher
than the national unemployment rate, as determined by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics based on the most recent data on the
total unemployed, the U-6 unemployment measure or similar
measure, available on the date of enactment of this Act; or
(5) be designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area,
Medically Underserved Area, or Medically Underserved
Population.
(i) Coordination and Collaboration.--
(1) Facilitation.--
(A) In general.--The Director shall facilitate
coordination and collaboration between the Force and
other national public health service programs within
and external to the Department of Health and Human
Services, including the Public Health Service and
Medical Reserve Corps, as well as the Federal Emergency
Management Agency's Resilience Force.
(B) Advisory group.--Not later than 6 months after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall
convene a stakeholder advisory group comprised of--
(i) the leadership of national health
service programs, including the Public Health
Service Corps, Medical Response Corps, and FEMA
CORE;
(ii) other relevant Federal offices and
agencies, including the Department of Labor,
Employment and Training Administration, Health
Resources and Services Administration, Health
and Human Services Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and
Occupational Health and Safety Administration;
and
(iii) leaders representing Funded Entities.
Such advisory group shall meet on a yearly basis to
provide guidance for the programmatic success and
longevity of the Force. Such guidance shall be codified
in an annual report of recommendations and evidence-
informed practices to be shared publicly.
(2) States, localities, territories, indian tribes, tribal
organizations, urban indian health organizations, health
service providers to tribes, or native hawaiian health
organizations collaboration.--
(A) In general.--Funded Entities shall ensure
coordination and, as appropriate, collaboration between
the Force and local public health, and health care, and
community-based organizations, to ensure
complementarity and further strengthen the local public
health response.
(B) Local advisory group.--Not later than 3 months
after the date of enactment of this Act, an entity that
receives a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement
under this section shall convene a stakeholder advisory
group comprised of community leaders, health officials,
labor organizations, local advocates, individuals
directly impacted by COVID-19, and other key
stakeholders to meet on a regular, recurring basis to
provide formal guidance, including priority setting and
funding guidance, for the programmatic success and
longevity of the Force.
(C) State compacts.--In accordance with section 115
of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974
(42 U.S.C. 5315), two or more States to enter into
agreements or compacts, for cooperative effort and
mutual assistance in support of community development
planning and programs carried out under this section as
such programs pertain to interstate areas and to
localities within such States, and to establish such
agencies, joint or otherwise, as such States determine
appropriate for making such agreements and compacts
effective.
(j) Monitoring.--The Director shall develop a performance
monitoring template for adaptation and use by Funded Entities under
this section. Such template shall at a minimum require the reporting of
the number of Force members hired, the role hired into, and the
demographic characteristics of Force members. Such data shall be shared
by entities receiving grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements
under this section to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on
a regular, recurring basis. Such data shall be made publicly available.
(k) Learning and Adaptation.--The Director, in consultation with
the Advisory Group and local advisory groups described in subsection
(i), shall develop a learning and evaluation component of the Force to
identify successful components of local activities conducted under this
section that may be replicated, to identify opportunities for
continuing education and career advancement for Force members, to
evaluate the degree to which the Force created a pathway to longer-term
public health and health care careers among Force members, and to
identify how the Force impacted the health knowledge, behaviors, and
outcomes of the community members served. Results of this learning
shall be made publicly available.
(l) Reporting.--Not later than 180 days after the end of each
fiscal year, the Director shall submit to the Congress a report which
shall contain--
(1) a description of the progress made in accomplishing the
objectives of Force under this section;
(2) a summary of the amount and expenditure of funds under
this section during the preceding fiscal year, including the
amount described by Funded Entity;
(3) a description of the application of the funding formula
specified in subsection (d);
(4) the number of individuals recruited, hired, and trained
for Force member positions under this section;
(5) the number of Force members who transition to other
public health roles either within or external to the Funded
Entity using funds under this Act;
(6) the number of Force members who were unemployed prior
to being hired;
(7) the number of Force members who continue to be
employed--
(A) within 6 months and 1 year, respectively, of
hire; and
(B) within 6 months and 1 year, respectively, of
the conclusion of the COVID-19 public health crisis;
and
(8) any information on the outcomes and impact of Health
Force on health and employment.
(m) Financial Reporting.--Not later than 45 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, and every 60 days thereafter for the first 12
months after such date of enactment, the Director shall submit to
Congress a report describing awards made, funding obligated, and
expenditures to date. Such report shall also provide details on the
application of the funding formula specified in subsection (d),
including the amount awarded to each Funded Entity.
(n) Labor and Workplace-Related Guidance.--Not later than 14 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor, acting
through the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and
Health, shall provide guidance and technical assistance regarding how
to provide individuals in contact tracing and pandemic response
positions with healthy and safe working conditions.
(o) Tribal Data Sovereignty.--The Director shall consult with
Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations and coordinate with Tribal
health organizations to ensure that any reporting process under this
section honors and preserves the data sovereignty of individuals who
are members of Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations (as such terms are
defined in section 166 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
(29 U.S.C. 3221)), including individuals who are members of Native
Hawaiian organizations (as defined in such section 166), and urban
Indian organizations.
(p) Requirements for Transition Back to Unemployment
Compensation.--As a condition of a State receiving funds under this
section, the law of the State (as defined in section 205 of the
Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (26 U.S.C.
3304 note) shall, in the case of an individual who is receiving
unemployment compensation at the time the individual is hired as a
Force member, provide for the following:
(1) Such individual shall be eligible to resume receiving
unemployment compensation after leaving the Force if the
individual returns to unemployment.
(2) The amount of the weekly benefit for such individual
shall be the greater of--
(A) the weekly benefit amount such individual was
receiving when such individual entered the program; or
(B) a weekly benefit amount that is determined
based on such individual's earnings from employment
under the Health Force program.
(q) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated,
and there is appropriated, to carry out this section,
$40,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 and 2022, such
amounts to remain available until expended. Additional funding
beyond fiscal year 2022 for the continuation of the Health
Force shall be determined in such fiscal year based on
identified staffing needs. It is the intent of Congress that
the Health Force should be continuously implemented for a
duration of not less than 10 years (fiscal years 2021 through
2030) and continued thereafter to address health disparities
and defend against future public health crises.
(2) Emergency.--The amounts appropriated under paragraph
(1) are designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to
section 4(g) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2
U.S.C. 933(g)).
(3) Designation in senate.--In the Senate, this section is
designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to section
4112(a) of H. Con. Res. 71 (115th Congress), the concurrent
resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018.
SEC. 3. RESILIENCE FORCE.
(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of the Resilience Force established
under this section to recruit, train, and augment the existing cadre of
first responders at the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist
in the immediate COVID-19 pandemic response, to provide a surge
capacity to address other national emergencies, and to strengthen
America's public health infrastructure.
(b) In General.--For the period of fiscal years 2021 through 2023,
the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall
appoint, administer, and expedite the training of a 62,000 Cadre of On-
Call Response/Recovery Employees, under the Response and Recover
Directorate (referred to in this section as a ``CORE employee'') under
the Office of Response and Recovery, above the level of such employees
in fiscal year 2020, to address the coronavirus public health emergency
and other disasters and public emergencies, subject to appropriations.
(c) Detail of Core Employees.--A CORE employee may be detailed,
through mutual agreement, to any Federal agency or to a State, local,
or Tribal Government to fulfill an assignment, consistent with the
Stafford Act or ``emergency work'' as defined under section 206.225 of
title 44, Code of Federal Regulations, including--
(1) providing logistical support for the supply chain of
medical equipment and other goods involved in COVID-19 response
efforts;
(2) supporting COVID-19 testing, tracing, vaccination,
vaccination education, and related surveillance activities;
(3) providing nutritional assistance to vulnerable
populations; and
(4) carrying out other disaster preparedness and response
functions for other emergencies and natural disasters,
including work to design, construct, repair, upgrade, and
fortify critical public health and health care infrastructure.
(d) FEMA Responsibility.--The costs associated with detailing
employees under subsection (c) shall be borne by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency.
(e) Requirement.--As soon as practicable, the Administrator of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency shall make public job announcements
to fill the CORE employee positions authorized under subsection (b),
which shall prioritize hiring from among the following groups of
individuals in no particular rank order:
(1) Unemployed veterans of the Armed Forces.
(2) Individuals who live in a ``high unemployment'' area,
which includes census tracts with unemployment 150 percent or
higher than the national unemployment rate, as determined by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics based on the most recent data on
the total unemployed, the U-3 unemployment measure or similar
measure, available on the date of enactment of this Act.
(3) Unemployed individuals who served in the AmeriCorps,
Peace Corps, or as United States Fulbright Scholars,
particularly those whose service terms ended as a result of the
coronavirus public health emergency.
(4) Recent graduates of public health, medical, nursing,
social work or related health-services programs.
(5) Members of communities who have experienced a
disproportionately high number of COVID-19 cases.
(f) Hiring.--The Federal Emergency Management Agency shall hire
employees under this section, pursuant to section 306(b)(1) of the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 5149(b)(1)), and make use of existing statutory authorities that
permit regional offices and site managers to advertise for and hire
such employees.
(g) Training.--The Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency may make appropriate adjustments to the standard
training course curriculum for employees under this section to include
on-site trainings at Federal Emergency Management Agency regional
offices, virtual trainings, or trainings conducted by other Federal,
State, local or Tribal agencies, or eligible institutions defined in
subsection (i), including training described in section 2(e)(5).
(h) Clarification.--For the purposes of employing individuals under
this section--
(1) no individual who is authorized to work in the United
States, including individuals with Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1254a), shall be disqualified for appointment under this
section because of citizenship or immigration status; and
(2) no individual shall be disqualified for appointment
under this section because of bankruptcy or a poor credit
rating, determined by the Administrator of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, to be the result of the
Coronavirus public health emergency.
(i) Eligible Institution Defined.--In this Act ``eligible
institution'' means a public 2-year institution of higher education, as
defined under section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001).
(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, $6,500,000,000, for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2023, not
less than $1,500,000,000 of which shall be made available each such
fiscal year for the administrative costs associated with carrying out
this section.
<all>