I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3645 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish emergency grants to 
safeguard essential health care workers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 24, 2023 
Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania (for herself, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. KHANNA, 
Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. BOWMAN, Ms. BROWN, Mr. BOYLE of 
Pennsylvania, Ms. BUSH, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Mr. 
CASAR, Ms. CROCKETT, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. DELUZIO, Mrs. FOUSHEE, 
Mr. FROST, Mr. ROBERT GARCIA of California, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, 
Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mrs. MCCLELLAN, Mr. 
MFUME, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. OMAR, Ms. 
PRESSLEY, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Ms. SEWELL, Ms. STRICKLAND, Ms. TLAIB, 
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, and Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish emer-
gency grants to safeguard essential health care workers, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:03 Jun 15, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3645.IH
H3645
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
SECTION 1. SAFEGUARDING ESSENTIAL HEALTH CARE 
WORKERS. 
Title III of the Public Health Service Act is amended 
by inserting after section 319D–1 (42 U.S.C. 247d–4b) 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 319D–2. EMERGENCY GRANTS TO SAFEGUARD ESSEN-
TIAL HEALTH CARE WORKERS. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) EMERGENCY
OR
DISASTER.—The term 
‘emergency or disaster’ means— 
‘‘(A) a major disaster declared by the 
President under section 401 of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist-
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170); 
‘‘(B) an emergency declared by the Presi-
dent under section 501 of the Robert T. Staf-
ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5191); 
‘‘(C) a national emergency declared by the 
President under the National Emergencies Act 
(50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.); 
‘‘(D) a public health emergency declared 
under section 319; and 
‘‘(E) a State or local emergency or dis-
aster, as declared by the applicable State or 
local government. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:03 Jun 15, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3645.IH
H3645
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE HEALTH CARE WORKER.—The 
term ‘eligible health care worker’ means an essential 
health care worker whose work cannot be conducted 
remotely. 
‘‘(3) ESSENTIAL HEALTH CARE WORKER.—The 
term ‘essential health care worker’ means— 
‘‘(A) a health care provider, including a di-
rect care worker (as defined in section 799B); 
‘‘(B) a medical technologist; 
‘‘(C) a public health worker; 
‘‘(D) an orderly (as defined in the 2010 
Standard Occupational Classifications of the 
Department of Labor under the code for Order-
lies (31–1015)); 
‘‘(E) an environmental service, janitorial, 
or custodial worker in a health care setting; and 
‘‘(F) any other professional role that the 
Secretary determines is essential to the care of 
patients or the maintenance of public health. 
‘‘(b) GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make 
grants to public or private nonprofit health care fa-
cilities and home health agencies for use in accord-
ance with paragraph (2). 
‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:03 Jun 15, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3645.IH
H3645
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
‘‘(A) HAZARDOUS DUTY COMPENSATION.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The recipient of a 
grant under paragraph (1) shall use the 
grant funds to provide hazardous duty 
compensation to eligible health care work-
ers for work performed during the period 
of an emergency or disaster in cases in 
which the Secretary determines that— 
‘‘(I) the performance of the work 
by the eligible health care worker for 
the applicable health care facility or 
home health agency is hazardous; or 
‘‘(II) the commute of the eligible 
health care worker is hazardous. 
‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENT.— 
‘‘(I) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to 
subclause (II), the amount of haz-
ardous 
duty 
compensation 
under 
clause (i) shall be not more than $13 
per hour, which shall be in addition to 
the wages or remuneration the eligible 
health care worker otherwise receives 
for the work. 
‘‘(II) MAXIMUM
AMOUNT.—The 
total amount of hazardous duty com-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:03 Jun 15, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3645.IH
H3645
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS