Pandemic Community Reserve and Public Health Response Act

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. Short title This Act may be cited as the Pandemic Community Reserve and Public Health Response Act 2. Grants to increase Federal public health reserve corps personnel (a) In general Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall— (1) award grants to State, local, and Tribal public health departments to train and equip public health and medical personnel to serve as Federal public health reserve corps personnel to assist with testing, contact tracing, and treatment of COVID–19; (2) reactivate retired personnel of any such corps to assist with such testing, contact tracing, and treatment of COVID–19; and (3) in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, award grants to local workforce development boards established under section 107 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act ( 29 U.S.C. 3122 (b) Funds A State, local, or Tribal health department that receives a grant under this section may use funds received through the grant awarded under subsection (a)(1) to establish partnerships with medical training and public health programs, such as medical schools, nursing schools, respiratory therapy programs, and community-based organizations, to recruit individuals to serve as Federal public health reserve corps personnel. (c) Priority In establishing partnerships under subsection (b), a State, local, or Tribal health department that receives a grant under this section shall give priority to institutions eligible to receive funding under section 371 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1067q (d) Training The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, a national training program (in digital and in-person formats) for individuals serving as Federal public health reserve corps personnel with respect to responding to COVID–19, including necessary surge capacity and activation on short notice in local communities, including hot spot areas with 100 or more COVID–19 hospital admissions. Any certification received for completion of any such training shall not supersede any training required under State law for public health personnel. (e) Reports Not later than 1 year after the date on which the emergency period (as defined in section 1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1320b–5(g)(1)(B) (1) the rate of participation by members of racial and ethnic minority groups in such corps; (2) specific occupations of corps personnel; (3) careers attained after service in the corps; and (4) specific recommendations on the amount of funding necessary for successful deployment of Federal heath reserve corps personnel during public health emergencies. (f) Federal public health reserve corp In this section, the term Federal public health reserve corps (1) Federal public health and medical personnel under the authority of the Secretary, including the Ready Reserve Corps, the Regular Corps, the National Disaster Medical System, the Medical Reserve Corps, and the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals; (2) personnel of the Federal Emergency Management Agency appointed under section 306(c) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5149 (3) personnel of the Pandemic Community Reserve Corps; and (4) members of the National Guard. (g) State defined State (h) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000,000 to remain available until expended. 3. Grants to establish Pandemic Community Reserve Corps (a) In general Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall award grants to State, local, and Tribal public health departments to establish and operate a Pandemic Community Reserve Corps within the jurisdiction of such State, local, or Tribal public health department for the purposes of— (1) increasing diversity in recruitment of reserve corps personnel; (2) ensuring a locally-sourced public health workforce to supplement the existing State and Federal public health infrastructure; and (3) assisting with testing, contact tracing, and treatment of COVID–19. (b) Conditions The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall, as a condition on the receipt of a grant under this section, require that a State, local, or Tribal public health department that receives a grant under this section— (1) requires that personnel of the Pandemic Community Reserve Corps complete training under the national program established under section 1(d); and (2) in establishing and operating a Pandemic Community Reserve Corps, gives priority to dislocated workers, the underemployed, youth, veterans, and individuals with barriers to employment. (c) Reports (1) Reports to Secretary Not later than 1 year after the date on which the first grant is awarded under this section, and annually thereafter, each State, local, and Tribal public health department receiving such a grant shall submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services a report on the state of the Pandemic Community Reserve Corps within the jurisdiction of such State, local, or Tribal public health department, including— (A) the rate of participation by members of racial and ethnic minority groups in such corps; (B) specific occupations of corps personnel; (C) careers attained after service in the corps; and (D) specific recommendations on the amount of funding necessary for successful deployment of Pandemic Community Reserve Corps personnel during public health emergencies. (2) Report to Congress Not later than 1 year after the date on which the emergency period (as defined in section 1135(g)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1320b–5(g)(1)(B) (d) Definitions In this section: (1) Locally-sourced The term locally-sourced (2) State The term State (e) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000,000 to remain available until expended.

Summary: Pandemic Community Reserve and Public Health Response Act This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants and otherwise expand the federal public health reserve corps, including by reactivating retired personnel, to assist with COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) response efforts. This corps includes, among others, the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, the Medical Reserve Corps, and certain personnel of the Federal Emergency Management Agency appointed to respond to disasters and emergencies. Specifically, HHS must award grants to governmental health departments to recruit and train personnel to serve in the federal public health reserve corps and assist with COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and treatment. To carry out these grants, health departments may establish partnerships with institutions that offer medical training and public health programs, giving priority to partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions. HHS must also develop a training program, in consultation with the Department of Defense, that addresses activation and surge capacity of the reserve corps to respond to COVID-19. In addition, HHS must award grants, in consultation with the Department of Labor, to local workforce development boards to develop career plans and other activities to facilitate the transition of reserve corps personnel to other health-related occupations.