II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 783 

Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending 

September 30, 2021, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 16, 2021 

Ms. WARREN (for herself, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. MARKEY, Ms. SMITH, Mr. 

MERKLEY, and Mr. BLUMENTHAL) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal 

year ending September 30, 2021, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 That the following sums are hereby appropriated, out 

4 of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, 

5 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, and for 

6 other purposes, namely: 


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1 TITLE I—DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

2 HUMAN SERVICES 

3 OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

4 PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES EMERGENCY

5 FUND

6 (INCLUDING TRANSFER OF FUNDS)

7 For an additional amount for ‘‘Public Health and So8 cial Services Emergency Fund’’, $8,000,000,000, to re9 main available until September 30, 2024, for the imple10 mentation of the comprehensive program to prevent, pre11 pare for, and respond to COVID–19 in medically under12 served communities, as authorized by section 101: Pro13 vided, That of such amounts, $60,000,000 shall be trans14 ferred to ‘‘General Departmental Management’’ and made 

15 available to the ‘‘Office of Minority Health’’ for the imple16 mentation of such program: Provided further, That the 

17 amounts made available (including amounts transferred) 

18 under this heading shall be in addition to amounts other19 wise available for such purposes: Provided further, That 

20 such amounts are designated by the Congress as being for 

21 an emergency requirement pursuant to section 

22 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency 

23 Deficit Control Act of 1985. 


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1 INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE

2 INDIAN HEALTH SERVICES

3 For an additional amount for ‘‘Indian Health Serv4 ices’’, $400,000,000, to remain available until September 

5 30, 2024, for the implementation of a comprehensive pro6 gram to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID–19 

7 through programs and services administered by the Indian 

8 Health Service, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, 

9 Urban Indian organizations, and health service providers 

10 to Tribes pursuant to a contract or compact under the 

11 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 

12 (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) or the Indian Health Care Im13 provement Act (25 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), as authorized by 

14 section 102 of this Act: Provided, That such amounts shall 

15 be in addition to amounts otherwise available for such pur16 poses: Provided further, That such funds shall be allocated 

17 at the discretion of the Director of the Indian Health Serv18 ice: Provided further, That the amount provided under this 

19 heading in this Act shall be distributed through Indian 

20 Health Service directly operated programs and to Tribes 

21 and Tribal organizations under the Indian Self-Deter22 mination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 

23 et seq.) and through contracts or grants with Urban In24 dian Organizations under title V of the Indian Health 

25 Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1651 et seq.): Provided 


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1 further, That any amounts made available under this 

2 heading and transferred to Tribes or Tribal organizations 

3 shall be transferred on a one-time basis, and that these 

4 non-recurring funds are not part of the amount required 

5 by section 106 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu6 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5325), and that such 

7 amounts may only be used for the purposes authorized by 

8 section 102 of this Act, notwithstanding any other provi9 sion of law: Provided further, That such amount is des10 ignated by the Congress as being for an emergency re11 quirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Bal12 anced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. 

13 GENERAL PROVISIONS — THIS ACT 

14 SEC. 101. (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of 

15 Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Dep16 uty Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, the Director 

17 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 

18 the Administrator of the Administration for Community 

19 Living, shall implement a comprehensive program to— 

20 (1) prevent, prepare for, and respond to 

21 COVID–19 in medically underserved communities; 

22 and 

23 (2) ensure that such program is designed to 

24 complement the efforts of State, local, territorial, 

25 and Tribal public health agencies. 


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1 (b) COMPONENTS.—The comprehensive program 

2 under subsection (a) shall include the following: 

3 (1) The provision of diagnostic tests for SARS– 

4 CoV–2, including rapid response tests and testing 

5 through the use of mobile health units. 

6 (2) The provision of serological tests related to 

7 SARS–CoV–2. 

8 (3) Contact tracing to monitor the contacts of 

9 individuals who are or were infected with SARS– 

10 CoV–2. 

11 (4) Equitable vaccine distribution and imple12 mentation. 

13 (5) The provision of personal protective equip14 ment to essential workers. 

15 (6) The facilitation of— 

16 (A) voluntary isolation and quarantine of 

17 individuals presumed or confirmed to be in18 fected with, or exposed to individuals presumed 

19 or confirmed to be infected with, the virus that 

20 causes COVID–19; and 

21 (B) the provision of social services and 

22 support for such individuals. 

23 (7) A culturally competent and multilingual so24 cial marketing campaign carried out by trusted 


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1 members of the community involved to increase pub2 lic awareness of— 

3 (A) health precautions to prevent exposure 

4 to the virus that causes COVID–19; 

5 (B) the benefits of monitoring and testing 

6 for COVID–19; 

7 (C) education about the safety and effec8 tiveness of vaccines for COVID–19; 

9 (D) health care assistance programs and 

10 entities that provide testing, tracing, and vac11 cination services related to SARS–CoV–2; 

12 (E) public assistance and unemployment 

13 programs for individuals affected by the spread 

14 of COVID–19; 

15 (F) the purpose and protections of per16 sonal and demographic information collected by 

17 entities engaged in administering COVID–19 

18 testing, treatment, follow-up, and vaccines; and 

19 (G) other public awareness priorities. 

20 (c) GRANTS TO PARTNERS.—To carry out the compo21 nents of the comprehensive program under subsection (b), 

22 the Secretary shall— 

23 (1) provide grants to— 

24 (A) faith-based, community, and nonprofit 

25 organizations; and 


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1 (B) eligible institutions of higher education 

2 described in section 371(a) of the Higher Edu3 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)) that 

4 have partnerships with one or more faith-based, 

5 community, or nonprofit organizations; and 

6 (2) ensure that grantees represent or dem7 onstrate an intent to subcontract with entities hav8 ing relationships with medically underserved commu9 nities. 

10 (d) HIRING OF PERSONNEL.—The individuals hired 

11 and trained to perform services pursuant to the com12 prehensive program under subsection (a) shall have— 

13 (1) experience working in medically underserved 

14 communities; and 

15 (2) relationships with individuals who reside in 

16 medically underserved communities. 

17 (e) PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION.—The 

18 Secretary shall ensure that the individually identifiable in19 formation collected to perform contact tracing pursuant 

20 to the comprehensive program under subsection (a) is se21 cure from unauthorized access and disclosure. 

22 (f) LIMITATIONS ON USE OF COLLECTION, USE AND

23 DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION.—Individuals, 

24 Federal agencies, and entities carrying out actions under 

25 or administering the program under this section shall colVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:21 Mar 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S783.IS S783

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1 lect only the information strictly necessary to carry out 

2 the program, and shall not— 

3 (1) use or disclose the information generated 

4 pursuant to the program for any purpose other than 

5 carrying out the program; 

6 (2) publish or sell individually identifiable infor7 mation generated pursuant to the program nor 

8 transmit such data for purposes other than carrying 

9 out the program, including sharing personally identi10 fiable information with any local, State, or Federal 

11 law enforcement agency; or 

12 (3) permit anyone other than the officers and 

13 employees of the entities charged with administering 

14 the program, who are subject to the limitations of 

15 this section, to access or examine such individually 

16 identifiable information. 

17 (g) STRATEGY.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after 

19 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

20 shall develop and publish a comprehensive strategy 

21 with respect to the comprehensive program under 

22 subsection (a) for the purpose of addressing health 

23 and health disparities, taking into consideration the 

24 following: 

25 (A) Race and ethnicity. 


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1 (B) Sex (including sexual orientation and 

2 gender identity). 

3 (C) Age. 

4 (D) Limited English proficiency. 

5 (E) Socioeconomic status. 

6 (F) Disability. 

7 (G) Census tract. 

8 (H) Occupation. 

9 (I) Other demographic data. 

10 (2) CONSULTATION.—In developing the strat11 egy under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult 

12 with health officials who represent the following: 

13 (A) State and territorial governments. 

14 (B) Local governments. 

15 (C) Tribal governments. 

16 SEC. 102. (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of 

17 Health and Human Services, acting through the Director 

18 of the Indian Health Service, shall implement a com19 prehensive program to prevent and respond to COVID– 

20 19 through programs and services administered by— 

21 (1) the Indian Health Service; and 

22 (2) Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, Urban 

23 Indian organizations, and health service providers to 

24 Tribes pursuant to a contract or compact under— 


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1 (A) the Indian Self-Determination and 

2 Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et 

3 seq.); or 

4 (B) the Indian Health Care Improvement 

5 Act (25 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). 

6 (b) COMPONENTS.—The comprehensive program 

7 under subsection (a) shall include the following: 

8 (1) The provision of diagnostic tests for the 

9 virus that causes COVID–19, including rapid re10 sponse tests and testing through the use of mobile 

11 health units. 

12 (2) The provision of serological tests related to 

13 SARS–CoV–2. 

14 (3) Contact tracing to identify and monitor the 

15 contacts of individuals who are or were infected with 

16 the virus that causes COVID–19, including hiring 

17 and training culturally and linguistically competent 

18 contact tracers. 

19 (4) Equitable vaccine distribution and imple20 mentation. 

21 (5) The provision of personal protective equip22 ment to essential workers, including— 

23 (A) community health representatives em24 ployed under section 516 of the Indian Health 

25 Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1616f); and 


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1 (B) community health aides employed 

2 under section 119 of the Indian Health Care 

3 Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1616l). 

4 (6) The facilitation of— 

5 (A) voluntary isolation and quarantine of 

6 individuals presumed or confirmed to be in7 fected with, or exposed to individuals presumed 

8 or confirmed to be infected with, the virus that 

9 causes COVID–19; and 

10 (B) the provision of social services and 

11 support for such individuals. 

12 (7) A culturally competent and linguistically ap13 propriate social marketing campaign carried out by 

14 trusted members of the community involved to in15 crease public awareness of— 

16 (A) health precautions to prevent exposure 

17 to, and the spread of, the virus that causes 

18 COVID–19; 

19 (B) the benefits of monitoring and testing 

20 for such virus; 

21 (C) education about the safety and effec22 tiveness of vaccines for COVID–19; 

23 (D) health care assistance programs and 

24 entities that provide testing, tracing, and vac25 cination services related to SARS–CoV–2; 


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1 (E) public assistance and unemployment 

2 programs for individuals affected by the spread 

3 of COVID–19; 

4 (F) the purpose and protections of per5 sonal and demographic information collected by 

6 entities engaged in administering COVID–19 

7 testing, treatment, follow-up, and vaccines; and 

8 (G) other public awareness priorities. 

9 (8) Awarding grants or cooperative agreements 

10 to epidemiology centers established under section 

11 214 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 

12 U.S.C. 1621m). 

13 (c) CONSULTATION.—Before implementing the pro14 gram under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 

15 (1) consult with Indian Tribes and Tribal orga16 nizations; and 

17 (2) confer with Urban Indian organizations. 

18 SEC. 103. In this Act: 

19 (1) The term ‘‘essential worker’’ means— 

20 (A) a health sector employee; 

21 (B) an emergency response worker; 

22 (C) a sanitation worker; 

23 (D) a worker at a business which a State, 

24 local, territorial, or Tribal government official 

25 has determined must remain open to serve the 


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1 public during a public health emergency (as de2 clared pursuant to section 319 of the Public 

3 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d)) with re4 spect to COVID–19; and 

5 (E) any other worker who cannot telework, 

6 and whom the State deems to be essential dur7 ing a public health emergency with respect to 

8 COVID–19. 

9 (2) The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ means an ‘‘Indian 

10 tribe’’ as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-De11 termination and Education Assistance Act (25 

12 U.S.C. 5304). 

13 (3) The term ‘‘medically underserved commu14 nities’’ means communities that each— 

15 (A) have a rate of infection, hospitaliza16 tion, or death with respect to COVID–19 that 

17 is higher than the national average; 

18 (B) have a high percentage of racial and 

19 ethnic minorities; 

20 (C) have a significant number of individ21 uals who are limited English proficient; or 

22 (D) are above the 90th percentile accord23 ing to the area deprivation index developed by 

24 the Administrator of the Health Resources and 

25 Services Administration. 


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1 (4) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

2 of Health and Human Services. 

3 (5) The term ‘‘Tribal organization’’ means a 

4 ‘‘tribal organization’’ as defined in section 4 of the 

5 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

6 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

7 (6) The term ‘‘Urban Indian organization’’ has 

8 the meaning given such term in section 4 of the In9 dian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 

10 1603). 

11 SEC. 104. Unless otherwise provided for by this Act, 

12 the additional amounts appropriated by this Act to appro13 priations accounts shall be available under the authorities 

14 and conditions applicable to such appropriations accounts 

15 for fiscal year 2021. 

16 SEC. 105. Each amount designated in this Act by the 

17 Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant 

18 to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and 

19 Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 shall be available 

20 (or transferred, as applicable) only if the President subse21 quently so designates all such amounts and transmits such 

22 designations to the Congress. 

23 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘COVID Community 

24 Care Act’’. 

Æ 


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