I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7801 

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants 

to State, local, and Tribal public health departments to train and equip 

Federal public health reserve corps personnel to assist with testing, 

contact tracing, and treatment of COVID–19, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 27, 2020 

Ms. FUDGE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Armed Services, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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 direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 

award grants to State, local, and Tribal public health 

departments to train and equip Federal public health 

reserve corps personnel to assist with testing, contact 

tracing, and treatment of COVID–19, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pandemic Community 

3 Reserve and Public Health Response Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. GRANTS TO INCREASE FEDERAL PUBLIC HEALTH 

5 RESERVE CORPS PERSONNEL. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 

7 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health 

8 and Human Services shall— 

9 (1) award grants to State, local, and Tribal 

10 public health departments to train and equip public 

11 health and medical personnel to serve as Federal 

12 public health reserve corps personnel to assist with 

13 testing, contact tracing, and treatment of COVID– 

14 19; 

15 (2) reactivate retired personnel of any such 

16 corps to assist with such testing, contact tracing, 

17 and treatment of COVID–19; and 

18 (3) in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, 

19 award grants to local workforce development boards 

20 established under section 107 of the Workforce In21 novation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3122) to 

22 develop transition plans (including career exposure, 

23 career planning, and career pathways) and transfer24 able credits and certifications for Federal public 

25 health reserve corps personnel to pursue further 

26 service in a health-related career. 


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1 (b) FUNDS.—A State, local, or Tribal health depart2 ment that receives a grant under this section may use 

3 funds received through the grant awarded under sub4 section (a)(1) to establish partnerships with medical train5 ing and public health programs, such as medical schools, 

6 nursing schools, respiratory therapy programs, and com7 munity-based organizations, to recruit individuals to serve 

8 as Federal public health reserve corps personnel. 

9 (c) PRIORITY.—In establishing partnerships under 

10 subsection (b), a State, local, or Tribal health department 

11 that receives a grant under this section shall give priority 

12 to institutions eligible to receive funding under section 371 

13 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q). 

14 (d) TRAINING.—The Secretary of Health and Human 

15 Services shall establish, in consultation with the Secretary 

16 of Defense, a national training program (in digital and 

17 in-person formats) for individuals serving as Federal pub18 lic health reserve corps personnel with respect to respond19 ing to COVID–19, including necessary surge capacity and 

20 activation on short notice in local communities, including 

21 hot spot areas with 100 or more COVID–19 hospital ad22 missions. Any certification received for completion of any 

23 such training shall not supersede any training required 

24 under State law for public health personnel. 


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1 (e) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

2 on which the emergency period (as defined in section 

3 1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

4 1320b–5(g)(1)(B))) ends, and annually thereafter, the 

5 Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to 

6 the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House 

7 of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Edu8 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report on the 

9 state of the Federal public health reserve corps, includ10 ing— 

11 (1) the rate of participation by members of ra12 cial and ethnic minority groups in such corps; 

13 (2) specific occupations of corps personnel; 

14 (3) careers attained after service in the corps; 

15 and 

16 (4) specific recommendations on the amount of 

17 funding necessary for successful deployment of Fed18 eral heath reserve corps personnel during public 

19 health emergencies. 

20 (f) FEDERAL PUBLIC HEALTH RESERVE CORP.—In 

21 this section, the term ‘‘Federal public health reserve 

22 corps’’ includes— 

23 (1) Federal public health and medical personnel 

24 under the authority of the Secretary, including the 

25 Ready Reserve Corps, the Regular Corps, the NaVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:54 Aug 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7801.IH H7801

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1 tional Disaster Medical System, the Medical Reserve 

2 Corps, and the Emergency System for Advance Reg3 istration of Volunteer Health Professionals; 

4 (2) personnel of the Federal Emergency Man5 agement Agency appointed under section 306(c) of 

6 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer7 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5149); 

8 (3) personnel of the Pandemic Community Re9 serve Corps; and 

10 (4) members of the National Guard. 

11 (g) STATE DEFINED.—In this section, the term 

12 ‘‘State’’ has the meaning given that term in section 101 

13 of title 38, United States Code. 

14 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

15 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

16 $25,000,000,000 to remain available until expended. 

17 SEC. 3. GRANTS TO ESTABLISH PANDEMIC COMMUNITY RE18 SERVE CORPS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 

20 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health 

21 and Human Services, in consultation with the Office of 

22 Minority Health and Health Equity of the Centers for Dis23 ease Control and Prevention, shall award grants to State, 

24 local, and Tribal public health departments to establish 

25 and operate a Pandemic Community Reserve Corps within 


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1 the jurisdiction of such State, local, or Tribal public health 

2 department for the purposes of— 

3 (1) increasing diversity in recruitment of re4 serve corps personnel; 

5 (2) ensuring a locally-sourced public health 

6 workforce to supplement the existing State and Fed7 eral public health infrastructure; and 

8 (3) assisting with testing, contact tracing, and 

9 treatment of COVID–19. 

10 (b) CONDITIONS.—The Secretary of Health and 

11 Human Services shall, as a condition on the receipt of a 

12 grant under this section, require that a State, local, or 

13 Tribal public health department that receives a grant 

14 under this section— 

15 (1) requires that personnel of the Pandemic 

16 Community Reserve Corps complete training under 

17 the national program established under section 1(d); 

18 and 

19 (2) in establishing and operating a Pandemic 

20 Community Reserve Corps, gives priority to dis21 located workers, the underemployed, youth, veterans, 

22 and individuals with barriers to employment. 

23 (c) REPORTS.— 

24 (1) REPORTS TO SECRETARY.—Not later than 

25 1 year after the date on which the first grant is 


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1 awarded under this section, and annually thereafter, 

2 each State, local, and Tribal public health depart3 ment receiving such a grant shall submit to the Sec4 retary of Health and Human Services a report on 

5 the state of the Pandemic Community Reserve Corps 

6 within the jurisdiction of such State, local, or Tribal 

7 public health department, including— 

8 (A) the rate of participation by members of 

9 racial and ethnic minority groups in such corps; 

10 (B) specific occupations of corps personnel; 

11 (C) careers attained after service in the 

12 corps; and 

13 (D) specific recommendations on the 

14 amount of funding necessary for successful de15 ployment of Pandemic Community Reserve 

16 Corps personnel during public health emer17 gencies. 

18 (2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 

19 year after the date on which the emergency period 

20 (as defined in section 1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social 

21 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b–5(g)(1)(B))) ends, 

22 and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Health and 

23 Human Services shall submit to the Committee on 

24 Energy and Commerce of the House of Representa25 tives and the Committee on Health, Education, 


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1 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report on the 

2 state of the Pandemic Community Reserve Corps re3 ceiving funding pursuant to this section, including 

4 the information specified in each of subparagraphs 

5 (A) through (D) of paragraph (1). 

6 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 (1) LOCALLY-SOURCED.—The term ‘‘locally8 sourced’’ means, with respect to personnel of a Pan9 demic Community Reserve Corps established pursu10 ant to subsection (a), individuals residing within the 

11 community or communities served by that Pandemic 

12 Community Reserve Corps that reflect the diversity 

13 of such community or communities. 

14 (2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean15 ing given that term in section 101 of title 38, United 

16 States Code. 

17 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

18 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

19 $50,000,000,000 to remain available until expended. 

Æ 


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