II 

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. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Health Force, Resil5 ience Force, and Jobs To Fight COVID–19 Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. HEALTH FORCE. 

7 (a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of the Health Force 

8 established under this section to recruit, train, and employ 


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1 a standing workforce of Americans to respond to the 

2 COVID–19 pandemic in their communities, provide capac3 ity for ongoing and future public health care needs, and 

4 build skills for new workers to enter the public health and 

5 health care workforce. 

6 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Centers for Disease Con7 trol and Prevention, through its State, local, territorial, 

8 and Tribal partners, shall establish a standing Health 

9 Force (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Force’’) com10 posed of community members dedicated to preventing and 

11 responding to public health crises and emergencies, includ12 ing those declared by the Secretary of Health and Human 

13 Services under section 319 of the Public Health Service 

14 Act, including the COVID–19 emergency, and providing 

15 increased capacity to address ongoing and future public 

16 and community health needs. 

17 (c) ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION.—The 

18 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall— 

19 (1) award grants, contracts, or enter into coop20 erative agreements for the recruitment, hiring, train21 ing, managing, administration, and organization of 

22 the Force to States, localities, territories, Indian 

23 Tribes, Tribal organizations, urban Indian health or24 ganizations, health service providers to Tribes, Na25 tive Hawaiian health organizations, community 


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1 health centers, or federally qualified health centers 

2 (referred to in this section as ‘‘Funded Entities’’); 

3 (2) ensure that State, county, local health de4 partments, agencies, and community-based organiza5 tions, including community health centers and clin6 ics, receive funding from Funded Entities or directly 

7 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

8 for the recruitment, hiring, training, managing, ad9 ministration, and organization of the Force, as ap10 propriate; 

11 (3) provide assistance for expenses incurred by 

12 Funded Entities prior to the awarding of a grant, 

13 contract, or cooperative agreement under subpara14 graph (A) to facilitate the implementation of the 

15 Force, including assistance for planning and recruit16 ment activities, as provided for in section 424 Rob17 ert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As18 sistance Act (42 U.S.C.5189b); and 

19 (4) award and obligate funds as soon as is 

20 practicable, and where possible, not later than 30 

21 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 

22 (d) FUNDING ALLOCATIONS.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Of the total amount of funds 

24 appropriated under this section for a fiscal year— 


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1 (A) not less than 5 percent shall be award2 ed to Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, urban 

3 Indian health organizations, health service pro4 viders to Tribes, or Native Hawaiian health or5 ganizations under subsection (c)(1), of which 80 

6 percent shall be awarded in proportion to popu7 lation size and 20 percent shall be awarded 

8 based on the burden of disease and disability; 

9 (B) not less than 80 percent shall be 

10 awarded to States and territories under sub11 section (c)(1), of which— 

12 (i) 60 percent shall be awarded in 

13 proportion to population size, 20 percent 

14 shall be awarded based on the number of 

15 jobs lost over the preceding 12 months in 

16 each State or territory as a proportion of 

17 all jobs lost nationally during that time18 frame, and 20 percent shall be awarded 

19 based on the burden of disease and dis20 ability; 

21 (ii) not less than 40 percent shall be 

22 allocated for State health departments; and 

23 (iii) not less than 40 percent shall be 

24 allocated for county and other local health 

25 departments within the State. 


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1 (2) SUPPLEMENT AND NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds 

2 appropriated under this section shall be used to sup3 plement, not supplant any existing funding for In4 dian Tribes, Tribal organizations, urban Indian 

5 health organizations, health service providers to 

6 Tribes, Native Hawaiian health organizations, 

7 States, territories, State health departments, county 

8 and other local health departments. 

9 (e) SERVICE.— 

10 (1) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—The Force 

11 shall be composed of eligible members selected by 

12 Funded Entities. At a minimum, Funded Entities 

13 shall ensure that membership in the Force is not re14 stricted based on education or citizenship status. El15 igible individuals shall include those who are— 

16 (A) at least 18 years of age; and 

17 (B) authorized to work in the United 

18 States, including an individual with Deferred 

19 Action for Childhood Arrivals status (DACA) or 

20 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under sec21 tion 244 of the Immigration and Nationality 

22 Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a). 

23 (2) RECRUITMENT.—With respect to the em24 ployment of Force members, Funded Entities shall 

25 support recruitment efforts for Force personnel who 


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1 are from or reside in the locality in which they will 

2 serve, including efforts to recruit Force members 

3 among focal communities as described in subsection 

4 (h), as well as dislocated workers, individuals with 

5 barriers to employment, veterans, new entrants in 

6 the workforce, underemployed or furloughed work7 ers, graduates and students from Historically Black 

8 Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Uni9 versities, Hispanic Serving Institutions and histori10 cally marginalized populations. As practicable, State 

11 labor offices shall share information about Force op12 portunities with those individuals applying for or re13 ceiving unemployment benefits. 

14 (3) PREFERENCE.—Notwithstanding any other 

15 provision of law, preference in the hiring of Force 

16 members shall be given to individuals who are dis17 located workers, individuals with barriers to employ18 ment, veterans, new entrants in the workforce, un19 deremployed or furloughed workers, or community20 based nonprofit or public health or health care pro21 fessionals, from focal communities as described in 

22 subsection (h), or unemployed or underemployed in23 dividuals. First priority in such hiring shall be given 

24 to individuals who are previous employees of Funded 

25 Entities (or subawardees under paragraph (9)) who 


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1 were, within the 2020 or 2021 calendar year, fur2 loughed, laid off, subject to a reduction in force, 

3 placed or went on leave, or have recall rights subject 

4 to collective bargaining agreement or applicable per5 sonnel policies. 

6 (4) PLACEMENT.—To the extent feasible, as de7 termined by Funded Entities, members of the Force 

8 shall be recruited from and serve in their home com9 munities. Force members shall be physically co-lo10 cated within State, local, territorial, Tribal health 

11 departments, or within other eligible organizations 

12 as defined by subsection (c)(1). According to local 

13 needs, Force members may be physically co-located 

14 with other local public health, health care, and com15 munity-based organizations, including community 

16 health centers and free and charitable clinics, as de17 termined appropriate by Funded Entities. 

18 (5) TRAINING.— 

19 (A) CONTACT TRACING TRAINING.— 

20 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the 

21 Centers for Disease Control and Preven22 tion (referred to in this section as ‘‘Direc23 tor’’) shall continue to provide contact 

24 tracing guidance and resources on their 

25 public internet website, including contact 


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1 tracing training plans, for Force members 

2 to successfully conduct contact tracing ac3 tivities under subsection (f)(1). Funded 

4 Entities shall determine which Force mem5 bers will be provided with contact tracing 

6 training to meet State, locality, territory, 

7 and Tribal public health needs. 

8 (ii) TRAINING BY FUNDED ENTI9 TIES.—Funded Entities may provide con10 tact tracing training using the guidance 

11 and resources described in clause (i) or 

12 other evidence-informed programs, includ13 ing training programs carried out by the 

14 Association of State and Territorial Health 

15 Officials and by academic institutions. 

16 (B) ADDITIONAL TRAINING.—Not later 

17 than 90 days after the date of enactment of 

18 this Act, the Director shall identify and, as nec19 essary, develop additional evidence-informed 

20 training resource packages to provide Force 

21 members the knowledge and skills necessary to 

22 conduct the full complement of activities de23 scribe in subsections (f) and (g). Funded Enti24 ties shall determine which Force members will 

25 be provided with additional training to meet 


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1 State, locality, territory, and Tribal public 

2 health needs. 

3 (C) SPECIALIZED TRAINING.—In orga4 nizing the Force under this section, the Direc5 tor may elect to establish divisions of Force 

6 members who receive specialized comprehensive 

7 training, including divisions of Force members 

8 who have met State licensure requirements, 

9 have prior relevant experience, have supervisory 

10 skills, or demonstrated aptitude. 

11 (D) TRAINING REQUIREMENTS.—The 

12 training programs under this paragraph shall— 

13 (i) be adaptable by Funded Entities to 

14 meet local needs; 

15 (ii) be implemented as quickly as pos16 sible by either or both of the Centers for 

17 Disease Control and Prevention and Fund18 ed Entities, based on local needs and abili19 ties; 

20 (iii) be distance-based eLearning that 

21 can be accessed electronically, including by 

22 using a smartphone, with the goal of lim23 iting opportunities for disease transmission 

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1 quisition and retention among Force train2 ees; 

3 (iv) include refresher training at reg4 ular and frequent intervals as determined 

5 appropriate by the Director or Funded En6 tities; 

7 (v) incorporate training components 

8 on personal safety, including staying safe 

9 around animals in the context of home vis10 its, use of personal protective equipment, 

11 and health privacy and ethics; and 

12 (vi) leverage existing training and cer13 tification programs approved by States, 

14 territories, Tribal Nations, and community 

15 health worker certifying bodies. 

16 (E) MISCELLANEOUS.—Where determined 

17 necessary, the Director may— 

18 (i) recommend training under this 

19 paragraph that includes face-to-face inter20 action; 

21 (ii) collaborate with, including 

22 through grants or cooperative agreements, 

23 public universities, including nursing, med24 ical, and veterinary schools, community 

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1 cation institutes, community health cen2 ters, federally qualified health centers, 

3 community health worker and community 

4 health representative training and certifi5 cation programs, and other community6 based organizations, federally recognized 

7 Minority Serving Institutions, as well as 

8 public health associations and State and 

9 local health departments, to develop and 

10 implement training under this subpara11 graph, particularly for skills that typically 

12 have licensure requirements; and 

13 (iii) develop training and communica14 tions materials in multiple languages. 

15 (F) PAYMENT DURING TRAINING.—Force 

16 members shall be paid for each hour spent in 

17 training, including refresher training. 

18 (G) SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH CAREER

19 GROWTH.—Funded Entities shall support public 

20 health career development and growth of Force 

21 members, including by— 

22 (i) providing additional disaster relief 

23 employment and training activities de24 scribed in subparagraphs (A) and (C) of 

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1 tion and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 

2 3225(d)(1) (A) and (C)) and services de3 scribed in section 7(a)(1) of the Wagner4 Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. 49f(a)(1)), as ap5 propriate; 

6 (ii) providing opportunities for Force 

7 members to maintain employment, con8 tinuing education, and career advancement 

9 in health services or health promotion and 

10 advocacy roles, including community health 

11 worker roles, after the COVID–19 public 

12 health emergency has concluded, including 

13 by serving in roles described in subsection 

14 (g); and 

15 (iii) assisting Force members in ob16 taining other public health employment di17 rectly with the Funded Entity or with a 

18 unit of State, territorial, Tribal, or local 

19 government after the COVID–19 public 

20 health emergency has concluded, including 

21 by paying the costs of not more than 10 

22 percent of the total compensation provided 

23 by the eligible entity or unit of local gov24 ernment to such eligible individual for a 

25 period of not more than the first year in 


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1 which the individual is so employed, if such 

2 employment is not otherwise subsidized 

3 under this or any other Act. 

4 (6) FORCE MEMBER COMPENSATION.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—Members of the Force 

6 shall be full-time employees paid directly by 

7 Funded Entities (and subawardees under para8 graph (9)) using funds provided by the Centers 

9 for Disease Control and Prevention under 

10 grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements 

11 under this section. 

12 (B) COMPENSATION.—Notwithstanding 

13 any other provision of law, for fiscal year 2021 

14 and each fiscal year thereafter, all Force mem15 bers, including supervisors, shall be paid a wage 

16 and fringe benefits not less than the minimum 

17 wage and fringe benefits established in accord18 ance with chapter 67 of title 41, United States 

19 Code (commonly known as the ‘‘Service Con20 tract Act’’). 

21 (C) AUTHORITY.—With respect to sub22 paragraph (B), the Secretary of Labor, or the 

23 Secretary’s authorized representative, shall have 

24 the authority and functions set forth in chapter 

25 67 of title 41, United States Code. 


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1 (D) METHODOLOGY.—With respect to sub2 paragraph (B), the Secretary of Labor, or the 

3 Secretary’s authorized representative, shall 

4 issue a nonstandard wage determination, sub5 ject to periodic revision, establishing minimum 

6 wages and fringe benefits for each class of 

7 Force members in accordance with the pre8 vailing rates for those positions or, where a col9 lective-bargaining agreement is in effect, in ac10 cordance with the rates provided for in the 

11 agreement, including prospective wage and 

12 fringe benefit increases provided under the 

13 agreement. 

14 (E) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense 

15 of Congress that Force member compensation 

16 shall include health, retirement, and paid family 

17 and medical leave benefits. 

18 (7) SUPERVISORY STRUCTURES.—Members of 

19 the Force shall receive ongoing supportive super20 vision from staff members of Funded Entities (or 

21 subawardees under paragraph (9)), in accordance 

22 with evidence-informed practices. Entities funded 

23 under this section may choose the most appropriate 

24 supervisory structure to use based on local needs, 

25 and may promote Force members into supervisory 


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1 roles. Such supervision may also be provided by Dis2 ease Intervention Specialists. Funded Entities may 

3 use funds awarded under grants, contacts, or coop4 erative agreements under this section to pay for 

5 such supervisory staff and structures in accordance 

6 with paragraph (6). 

7 (8) SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT.—Members of 

8 the Force and their supervisors shall receive all nec9 essary supplies and equipment, including personal 

10 protective equipment, through Funded Entities, 

11 which may use funds awarded under grants, con12 tracts, or cooperative agreements under this section 

13 to pay for such supplies and equipment. 

14 (9) SUBAWARDS.—As authorized by the Centers 

15 for Disease Control and Prevention, Funded Entities 

16 shall make subawards to local partners, including 

17 community health centers, labor organizations, 

18 labor-management partnerships, and other commu19 nity-based and nonprofit organizations, in order to 

20 facilitate Force member recruitment, training, man21 agement, supervision, and retention as well as to fa22 cilitate Force integration into existing public health, 

23 health care, and community-based services in accord24 ance with paragraph (6). 


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1 (10) SERVICE IN PUBLIC HEALTH EMER2 GENCY.—A Funded Entity shall assign one or more 

3 Force members to respond to a public health emer4 gency in the area served by such entity. Such Force 

5 members shall be under the supervision and manage6 ment of the involved State, locality, territory, Indian 

7 Tribe, Tribal organization, urban Indian health or8 ganization, health service providers to Tribes, Native 

9 Hawaiian health organization, community health 

10 center, federally qualified health center, or other 

11 local partner. 

12 (11) SERVICE POST EMERGENCY.—A Funded 

13 Entity may retain Force members in accordance 

14 with paragraph (6) to continue to work in the area 

15 served by the entity after a public health emergency 

16 has ended in order to— 

17 (A) prevent and respond to future public 

18 health crises and emergencies; and 

19 (B) respond to ongoing and future public 

20 health, community health, and health care 

21 needs. 

22 (12) LIMITATION.—A Force member may not 

23 be assigned for international deployment on behalf 

24 of the Health Force. 


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1 (13) FUNDING.—All costs associated with the 

2 service and functions of Force members under this 

3 section, including salary and employment benefits 

4 described under paragraph (6), as well as associated 

5 direct and indirect costs, shall be paid by the Fed6 eral Government through grants, contracts, or coop7 erative agreements to Funded Entities. 

8 (14) NONDISPLACEMENT.—Funded Entities 

9 (and subawardees under paragraph (9)) shall not 

10 displace an employee, including partial displacement 

11 such as a reduction in hours, wages, or employment 

12 benefits, as a result of the use by such Funded Enti13 ties (and subawardees). 

14 (f) ACTIVITIES TO RESPOND TO THE COVID–19 

15 PANDEMIC.—For the duration of the public health emer16 gency declared by the Secretary of Health and Human 

17 Services under section 319 of the Public Health Service 

18 Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) on January 31, 2020, with respect 

19 to COVID–19, Force personnel shall be trained and em20 ployed to support a testing, contact tracing, containment, 

21 and mitigation strategy to combat the COVID–19 pan22 demic. Such activities shall align with State licensure, 

23 local regulations, scope of practice, and certification re24 quirements and evidence-informed practices and include— 


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1 (1) conducting contact tracing, including the 

2 identification of cases of COVID–19 and their con3 tacts in a culturally competent, multilingual manner; 

4 (2) when available, supporting the administra5 tion of diagnostic, serologic, or other COVID–19 

6 tests and vaccinations; 

7 (3) providing support that addresses social, eco8 nomic, behavioral, and preventive health needs, such 

9 as supportive roles for care coordination, primary 

10 care, and palliative care, as appropriate, for individ11 uals affected by COVID–19, including those individ12 uals who are asked to voluntarily isolate or quar13 antine; and 

14 (4) other activities as determined appropriate 

15 by Funded Entities and in accordance with grant 

16 and cooperative agreement scope and stipulations. 

17 (g) ACTIVITIES POST-EMERGENCY.—After the con18 clusion of the public health emergency declared by the Sec19 retary of Health and Human Services under section 319 

20 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) on Jan21 uary 31, 2020, with respect to COVID–19, Force per22 sonnel shall be trained and employed to perform public 

23 health recovery efforts, prevent and respond to future pub24 lic health emergencies, and respond to ongoing and future 

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1 section, Force members shall carry out or assist with ac2 tivities described in subsection (f), as well as any of the 

3 following activities, where aligned with State licensure re4 quirements and evidence-informed practices: 

5 (1) Providing support services, including— 

6 (A) expanding public health information 

7 sharing, including by sharing public health mes8 sages with community members and organiza9 tions; 

10 (B) helping community members address 

11 social, economic, behavioral health, and preven12 tive health needs using evidence-informed mod13 els and in accordance with existing standards; 

14 (C) sharing community-based information 

15 with State, local, and Tribal health departments 

16 to inform and improve health programming, es17 pecially for hard-to-reach communities; and 

18 (D) promoting linkages to other Federal, 

19 State, and local health and social programs. 

20 (2) Other activities determined appropriate by 

21 the Director. 

22 (3) Other activities, including response to local23 ized public health emergencies, as determined appro24 priate by Funded Entities and in accordance with 


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1 grant and cooperative agreement scope and stipula2 tions. 

3 (h) FOCAL COMMUNITIES.—Funded Entities shall 

4 dedicate a majority of Force members to addressing the 

5 needs of focal communities. To be designated as a focal 

6 community, a community shall at a minimum— 

7 (1) bear a disproportionate burden of disease; 

8 (2) be identified as a ‘‘most vulnerable’’ com9 munity according to the Centers for Disease Control 

10 and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index; 

11 (3) be identified as a ‘‘high poverty’’ area, 

12 which includes census tracts with poverty rates of 25 

13 percent or higher, as defined by the Workforce Inno14 vation and Opportunity Act; 

15 (4) be identified as a ‘‘high unemployment’’ 

16 area, which includes census tracts with unemploy17 ment 150 percent or higher than the national unem18 ployment rate, as determined by the Bureau of 

19 Labor Statistics based on the most recent data on 

20 the total unemployed, the U–6 unemployment meas21 ure or similar measure, available on the date of en22 actment of this Act; or 

23 (5) be designated as a Health Professional 

24 Shortage Area, Medically Underserved Area, or 

25 Medically Underserved Population. 


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1 (i) COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION.— 

2 (1) FACILITATION.— 

3 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall fa4 cilitate coordination and collaboration between 

5 the Force and other national public health serv6 ice programs within and external to the Depart7 ment of Health and Human Services, including 

8 the Public Health Service and Medical Reserve 

9 Corps, as well as the Federal Emergency Man10 agement Agency’s Resilience Force. 

11 (B) ADVISORY GROUP.—Not later than 6 

12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 

13 the Director shall convene a stakeholder advi14 sory group comprised of— 

15 (i) the leadership of national health 

16 service programs, including the Public 

17 Health Service Corps, Medical Response 

18 Corps, and FEMA CORE; 

19 (ii) other relevant Federal offices and 

20 agencies, including the Department of 

21 Labor, Employment and Training Admin22 istration, Health Resources and Services 

23 Administration, Health and Human Serv24 ices Office of the Assistant Secretary for 

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1 tional Health and Safety Administration; 

2 and 

3 (iii) leaders representing Funded En4 tities. 

5 Such advisory group shall meet on a yearly 

6 basis to provide guidance for the programmatic 

7 success and longevity of the Force. Such guid8 ance shall be codified in an annual report of 

9 recommendations and evidence-informed prac10 tices to be shared publicly. 

11 (2) STATES, LOCALITIES, TERRITORIES, INDIAN

12 TRIBES, TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS, URBAN INDIAN

13 HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS, HEALTH SERVICE PRO14 VIDERS TO TRIBES, OR NATIVE HAWAIIAN HEALTH

15 ORGANIZATIONS COLLABORATION.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—Funded Entities shall 

17 ensure coordination and, as appropriate, col18 laboration between the Force and local public 

19 health, and health care, and community-based 

20 organizations, to ensure complementarity and 

21 further strengthen the local public health re22 sponse. 

23 (B) LOCAL ADVISORY GROUP.—Not later 

24 than 3 months after the date of enactment of 

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1 tract, or cooperative agreement under this sec2 tion shall convene a stakeholder advisory group 

3 comprised of community leaders, health offi4 cials, labor organizations, local advocates, indi5 viduals directly impacted by COVID–19, and 

6 other key stakeholders to meet on a regular, re7 curring basis to provide formal guidance, in8 cluding priority setting and funding guidance, 

9 for the programmatic success and longevity of 

10 the Force. 

11 (C) STATE COMPACTS.—In accordance 

12 with section 115 of the Housing and Commu13 nity Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 

14 5315), two or more States to enter into agree15 ments or compacts, for cooperative effort and 

16 mutual assistance in support of community de17 velopment planning and programs carried out 

18 under this section as such programs pertain to 

19 interstate areas and to localities within such 

20 States, and to establish such agencies, joint or 

21 otherwise, as such States determine appropriate 

22 for making such agreements and compacts ef23 fective. 

24 (j) MONITORING.—The Director shall develop a per25 formance monitoring template for adaptation and use by 


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1 Funded Entities under this section. Such template shall 

2 at a minimum require the reporting of the number of 

3 Force members hired, the role hired into, and the demo4 graphic characteristics of Force members. Such data shall 

5 be shared by entities receiving grants, contracts, or coop6 erative agreements under this section to the Centers for 

7 Disease Control and Prevention on a regular, recurring 

8 basis. Such data shall be made publicly available. 

9 (k) LEARNING AND ADAPTATION.—The Director, in 

10 consultation with the Advisory Group and local advisory 

11 groups described in subsection (i), shall develop a learning 

12 and evaluation component of the Force to identify success13 ful components of local activities conducted under this sec14 tion that may be replicated, to identify opportunities for 

15 continuing education and career advancement for Force 

16 members, to evaluate the degree to which the Force cre17 ated a pathway to longer-term public health and health 

18 care careers among Force members, and to identify how 

19 the Force impacted the health knowledge, behaviors, and 

20 outcomes of the community members served. Results of 

21 this learning shall be made publicly available. 

22 (l) REPORTING.—Not later than 180 days after the 

23 end of each fiscal year, the Director shall submit to the 

24 Congress a report which shall contain— 


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1 (1) a description of the progress made in ac2 complishing the objectives of Force under this sec3 tion; 

4 (2) a summary of the amount and expenditure 

5 of funds under this section during the preceding fis6 cal year, including the amount described by Funded 

7 Entity; 

8 (3) a description of the application of the fund9 ing formula specified in subsection (d); 

10 (4) the number of individuals recruited, hired, 

11 and trained for Force member positions under this 

12 section; 

13 (5) the number of Force members who transi14 tion to other public health roles either within or ex15 ternal to the Funded Entity using funds under this 

16 Act; 

17 (6) the number of Force members who were un18 employed prior to being hired; 

19 (7) the number of Force members who continue 

20 to be employed— 

21 (A) within 6 months and 1 year, respec22 tively, of hire; and 

23 (B) within 6 months and 1 year, respec24 tively, of the conclusion of the COVID–19 pub25 lic health crisis; and 


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1 (8) any information on the outcomes and im2 pact of Health Force on health and employment. 

3 (m) FINANCIAL REPORTING.—Not later than 45 

4 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 

5 60 days thereafter for the first 12 months after such date 

6 of enactment, the Director shall submit to Congress a re7 port describing awards made, funding obligated, and ex8 penditures to date. Such report shall also provide details 

9 on the application of the funding formula specified in sub10 section (d), including the amount awarded to each Funded 

11 Entity. 

12 (n) LABOR AND WORKPLACE-RELATED GUID13 ANCE.—Not later than 14 days after the date of enact14 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor, acting through 

15 the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety 

16 and Health, shall provide guidance and technical assist17 ance regarding how to provide individuals in contact trac18 ing and pandemic response positions with healthy and safe 

19 working conditions. 

20 (o) TRIBAL DATA SOVEREIGNTY.—The Director 

21 shall consult with Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations 

22 and coordinate with Tribal health organizations to ensure 

23 that any reporting process under this section honors and 

24 preserves the data sovereignty of individuals who are 

25 members of Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations (as such 


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1 terms are defined in section 166 of the Workforce Innova2 tion and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3221)), including in3 dividuals who are members of Native Hawaiian organiza4 tions (as defined in such section 166), and urban Indian 

5 organizations. 

6 (p) REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSITION BACK TO UN7 EMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION.—As a condition of a State 

8 receiving funds under this section, the law of the State 

9 (as defined in section 205 of the Federal-State Extended 

10 Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (26 U.S.C. 

11 3304 note) shall, in the case of an individual who is receiv12 ing unemployment compensation at the time the individual 

13 is hired as a Force member, provide for the following: 

14 (1) Such individual shall be eligible to resume 

15 receiving unemployment compensation after leaving 

16 the Force if the individual returns to unemployment. 

17 (2) The amount of the weekly benefit for such 

18 individual shall be the greater of— 

19 (A) the weekly benefit amount such indi20 vidual was receiving when such individual en21 tered the program; or 

22 (B) a weekly benefit amount that is deter23 mined based on such individual’s earnings from 

24 employment under the Health Force program. 

25 (q) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

2 appropriated, and there is appropriated, to carry out 

3 this section, $40,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

4 2021 and 2022, such amounts to remain available 

5 until expended. Additional funding beyond fiscal 

6 year 2022 for the continuation of the Health Force 

7 shall be determined in such fiscal year based on 

8 identified staffing needs. It is the intent of Congress 

9 that the Health Force should be continuously imple10 mented for a duration of not less than 10 years (fis11 cal years 2021 through 2030) and continued there12 after to address health disparities and defend 

13 against future public health crises. 

14 (2) EMERGENCY.—The amounts appropriated 

15 under paragraph (1) are designated as an emergency 

16 requirement pursuant to section 4(g) of the Statu17 tory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 933(g)). 

18 (3) DESIGNATION IN SENATE.—In the Senate, 

19 this section is designated as an emergency require20 ment pursuant to section 4112(a) of H. Con. Res. 

21 71 (115th Congress), the concurrent resolution on 

22 the budget for fiscal year 2018. 

23 SEC. 3. RESILIENCE FORCE. 

24 (a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of the Resilience 

25 Force established under this section to recruit, train, and 


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1 augment the existing cadre of first responders at the Fed2 eral Emergency Management Agency to assist in the im3 mediate COVID–19 pandemic response, to provide a surge 

4 capacity to address other national emergencies, and to 

5 strengthen America’s public health infrastructure. 

6 (b) IN GENERAL.—For the period of fiscal years 

7 2021 through 2023, the Administrator of the Federal 

8 Emergency Management Agency shall appoint, admin9 ister, and expedite the training of a 62,000 Cadre of On10 Call Response/Recovery Employees, under the Response 

11 and Recover Directorate (referred to in this section as a 

12 ‘‘CORE employee’’) under the Office of Response and Re13 covery, above the level of such employees in fiscal year 

14 2020, to address the coronavirus public health emergency 

15 and other disasters and public emergencies, subject to ap16 propriations. 

17 (c) DETAIL OF CORE EMPLOYEES.—A CORE em18 ployee may be detailed, through mutual agreement, to any 

19 Federal agency or to a State, local, or Tribal Government 

20 to fulfill an assignment, consistent with the Stafford Act 

21 or ‘‘emergency work’’ as defined under section 206.225 

22 of title 44, Code of Federal Regulations, including— 

23 (1) providing logistical support for the supply 

24 chain of medical equipment and other goods involved 

25 in COVID–19 response efforts; 


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1 (2) supporting COVID–19 testing, tracing, vac2 cination, vaccination education, and related surveil3 lance activities; 

4 (3) providing nutritional assistance to vulner5 able populations; and 

6 (4) carrying out other disaster preparedness 

7 and response functions for other emergencies and 

8 natural disasters, including work to design, con9 struct, repair, upgrade, and fortify critical public 

10 health and health care infrastructure. 

11 (d) FEMA RESPONSIBILITY.—The costs associated 

12 with detailing employees under subsection (c) shall be 

13 borne by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

14 (e) REQUIREMENT.—As soon as practicable, the Ad15 ministrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agen16 cy shall make public job announcements to fill the CORE 

17 employee positions authorized under subsection (b), which 

18 shall prioritize hiring from among the following groups of 

19 individuals in no particular rank order: 

20 (1) Unemployed veterans of the Armed Forces. 

21 (2) Individuals who live in a ‘‘high unemploy22 ment’’ area, which includes census tracts with unem23 ployment 150 percent or higher than the national 

24 unemployment rate, as determined by the Bureau of 

25 Labor Statistics based on the most recent data on 


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1 the total unemployed, the U–3 unemployment meas2 ure or similar measure, available on the date of en3 actment of this Act. 

4 (3) Unemployed individuals who served in the 

5 AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or as United States Ful6 bright Scholars, particularly those whose service 

7 terms ended as a result of the coronavirus public 

8 health emergency. 

9 (4) Recent graduates of public health, medical, 

10 nursing, social work or related health-services pro11 grams. 

12 (5) Members of communities who have experi13 enced a disproportionately high number of COVID– 

14 19 cases. 

15 (f) HIRING.—The Federal Emergency Management 

16 Agency shall hire employees under this section, pursuant 

17 to section 306(b)(1) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

18 Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

19 5149(b)(1)), and make use of existing statutory authori20 ties that permit regional offices and site managers to ad21 vertise for and hire such employees. 

22 (g) TRAINING.—The Administrator of the Federal 

23 Emergency Management Agency may make appropriate 

24 adjustments to the standard training course curriculum 

25 for employees under this section to include on-site 


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1 trainings at Federal Emergency Management Agency re2 gional offices, virtual trainings, or trainings conducted by 

3 other Federal, State, local or Tribal agencies, or eligible 

4 institutions defined in subsection (i), including training 

5 described in section 2(e)(5). 

6 (h) CLARIFICATION.—For the purposes of employing 

7 individuals under this section— 

8 (1) no individual who is authorized to work in 

9 the United States, including individuals with De10 ferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or 

11 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under section 

12 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

13 U.S.C. 1254a), shall be disqualified for appointment 

14 under this section because of citizenship or immigra15 tion status; and 

16 (2) no individual shall be disqualified for ap17 pointment under this section because of bankruptcy 

18 or a poor credit rating, determined by the Adminis19 trator of the Federal Emergency Management Agen20 cy, to be the result of the Coronavirus public health 

21 emergency. 

22 (i) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION DEFINED.—In this Act 

23 ‘‘eligible institution’’ means a public 2-year institution of 

24 higher education, as defined under section 101 of the 

25 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 


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1 (j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of 

3 the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 

4 $6,500,000,000, for each of fiscal years 2021 through 

5 2023, not less than $1,500,000,000 of which shall be 

6 made available each such fiscal year for the administrative 

7 costs associated with carrying out this section. 

Æ 


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