lic health emergencies, and respond to ongoing and future 
public health and health care needs. Under this sub-
section, Force members shall carry out or assist with ac-
tivities described in subsection (f), as well as any of the 
following activities, where aligned with State licensure re-
quirements and evidence-informed practices: 
(1) Providing support services, including— 
(A) expanding public health information 
sharing, including by sharing public health mes-
sages with community members and organiza-
tions; 
(B) helping community members address 
social, economic, behavioral health, and preven-
tive health needs using evidence-informed mod-
els and in accordance with existing standards; 
(C) sharing community-based information 
with State, local, and Tribal health departments 
to inform and improve health programming, es-
pecially 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 local-
ized public health emergencies, as determined appro-
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priate by Funded Entities and in accordance with 
grant and cooperative agreement scope and stipula-
tions. 
(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’’ com-
munity 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 Inno-
vation and Opportunity Act; 
(4) be identified as a ‘‘high unemployment’’ 
area, which includes census tracts with unemploy-
ment 150 percent or higher than the national unem-
ployment rate, as determined by the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics based on the most recent data on 
the total unemployed, the U–6 unemployment meas-
ure or similar measure, available on the date of en-
actment of this Act; or 
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(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 fa-
cilitate coordination and collaboration between 
the Force and other national public health serv-
ice programs within and external to the Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services, including 
the Public Health Service and Medical Reserve 
Corps, as well as the Federal Emergency Man-
agement 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 advi-
sory 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 Admin-
istration, Health Resources and Services 
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Administration, Health and Human Serv-
ices Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
Preparedness and Response, and Occupa-
tional Health and Safety Administration; 
and 
(iii) leaders representing Funded En-
tities. 
Such advisory group shall meet on a yearly 
basis to provide guidance for the programmatic 
success and longevity of the Force. Such guid-
ance shall be codified in an annual report of 
recommendations and evidence-informed prac-
tices to be shared publicly. 
(2) STATES, LOCALITIES, TERRITORIES, INDIAN 
TRIBES, TRIBAL
ORGANIZATIONS, URBAN
INDIAN 
HEALTH
ORGANIZATIONS, HEALTH
SERVICE
PRO-
VIDERS TO TRIBES, OR NATIVE HAWAIIAN HEALTH 
ORGANIZATIONS COLLABORATION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Funded Entities shall 
ensure coordination and, as appropriate, col-
laboration between the Force and local public 
health, and health care, and community-based 
organizations, to ensure complementarity and 
further strengthen the local public health re-
sponse. 
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(B) LOCAL ADVISORY GROUP.—Not later 
than 3 months after the date of enactment of 
this Act, an entity that receives a grant, con-
tract, or cooperative agreement under this sec-
tion shall convene a stakeholder advisory group 
comprised of community leaders, health offi-
cials, labor organizations, local advocates, indi-
viduals directly impacted by COVID–19, and 
other key stakeholders to meet on a regular, re-
curring basis to provide formal guidance, in-
cluding 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 Commu-
nity Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 
5315), two or more States to enter into agree-
ments or compacts, for cooperative effort and 
mutual assistance in support of community de-
velopment 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 
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for making such agreements and compacts ef-
fective. 
(j) MONITORING.—The Director shall develop a per-
formance 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 demo-
graphic characteristics of Force members. Such data shall 
be shared by entities receiving grants, contracts, or coop-
erative 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 success-
ful components of local activities conducted under this sec-
tion that may be replicated, to identify opportunities for 
continuing education and career advancement for Force 
members, to evaluate the degree to which the Force cre-
ated 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. 
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(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 ac-
complishing the objectives of Force under this sec-
tion; 
(2) a summary of the amount and expenditure 
of funds under this section during the preceding fis-
cal year, including the amount described by Funded 
Entity; 
(3) a description of the application of the fund-
ing 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 transi-
tion to other public health roles either within or ex-
ternal to the Funded Entity using funds under this 
Act; 
(6) the number of Force members who were un-
employed prior to being hired; 
(7) the number of Force members who continue 
to be employed— 
(A) within 6 months and 1 year, respec-
tively, of hire; and 
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(B) within 6 months and 1 year, respec-
tively, of the conclusion of the COVID–19 pub-
lic health crisis; and 
(8) any information on the outcomes and im-
pact 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 re-
port describing awards made, funding obligated, and ex-
penditures to date. Such report shall also provide details 
on the application of the funding formula specified in sub-
section (d), including the amount awarded to each Funded 
Entity. 
(n) LABOR
AND
WORKPLACE-RELATED
GUID-
ANCE.—Not later than 14 days after the date of enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor, acting through 
the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety 
and Health, shall provide guidance and technical assist-
ance regarding how to provide individuals in contact trac-
ing 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 
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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 Innova-
tion and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3221)), including in-
dividuals who are members of Native Hawaiian organiza-
tions (as defined in such section 166), and urban Indian 
organizations. 
(p) REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSITION BACK TO UN-
EMPLOYMENT 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 re-
ceiving unemployment compensation at the time the indi-
vidual is hired as a Force member, provide for the fol-
lowing: 
(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 indi-
vidual was receiving when such individual en-
tered the program; or 
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(B) a weekly benefit amount that is deter-
mined 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 imple-
mented for a duration of not less than 10 years (fis-
cal years 2021 through 2030) and continued there-
after 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 Statu-
tory 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 require-
ment pursuant to section 4112(a) of H. Con. Res. 
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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 Fed-
eral Emergency Management Agency to assist in the im-
mediate 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, admin-
ister, and expedite the training of 62,000 Cadre of On- 
Call Response/Recovery Employees, under the Response 
and Recover Directorate (referred to in this section as 
‘‘CORE employees’’) 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 ap-
propriations. 
(c) DETAIL OF CORE EMPLOYEES.—A CORE em-
ployee 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 
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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, vac-
cination, vaccination education, and related surveil-
lance activities; 
(3) providing nutritional assistance to vulner-
able populations; and 
(4) carrying out other disaster preparedness 
and response functions for other emergencies and 
natural disasters, including work to design, con-
struct, 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 Ad-
ministrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agen-
cy 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. 
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(2) Individuals who live in a ‘‘high unemploy-
ment’’ area, which includes census tracts with unem-
ployment 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 meas-
ure or similar measure, available on the date of en-
actment of this Act. 
(3) Unemployed individuals who served in the 
AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or as United States Ful-
bright 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 pro-
grams. 
(5) Members of communities who have experi-
enced 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 authori-
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ties that permit regional offices and site managers to ad-
vertise 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 re-
gional 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 De-
ferred 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 immigra-
tion status; and 
(2) no individual shall be disqualified for ap-
pointment under this section because of bankruptcy 
or a poor credit rating, determined by the Adminis-
trator of the Federal Emergency Management Agen-
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cy, 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. 
Æ 
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