I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6822 
To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish 
a national public health service program to respond to public health 
emergencies, including the COVID–19 pandemic, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 12, 2020 
Ms. HOULAHAN (for herself, Mr. BERA, Mr. FOSTER, Mr. WALTZ, Ms. 
SCHRIER, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. 
MOULTON, Mr. CISNEROS, Ms. SPANBERGER, Mr. SOTO, Mr. CARSON of 
Indiana, Mr. KILMER, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Ms. NORTON, Mr. CROW, Mr. 
COX of California, Mr. SUOZZI, Ms. WILD, Ms. SLOTKIN, Mr. PANETTA, 
Ms. ADAMS, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, and Mr. DEUTCH) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 
to establish a national public health service program 
to respond to public health emergencies, including the 
COVID–19 pandemic, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Public Health 
Corps Act of 2020’’. 
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SEC. 2. NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE PROGRAM. 
(a) NATIONAL
PUBLIC
HEALTH
SERVICE
PRO-
GRAM.—Subtitle E of the National and Community Serv-
ice Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12611 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 151 (42 U.S.C. 12611)— 
(A) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(B) in paragraph (5), by striking the pe-
riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) public health.’’; 
(2) in section 152 (42 U.S.C. 12612)— 
(A) in paragraph (b)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘two’’; and 
(ii) by adding at the end the following 
paragraph: 
‘‘(3) A national public health service program.’’; 
and 
(B) in paragraph (c), by striking ‘‘Both’’ 
and inserting ‘‘The’’; 
(3) by adding after section 154 (42 U.S.C. 
12614) the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 154A. NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE PRO-
GRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 
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‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 30 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Di-
rector, in consultation with the Secretary, shall es-
tablish the national public health service program as 
a component of the National Civilian Community 
Corps Program as authorized by section 152(a). 
‘‘(2) PURPOSE.—Under the national public 
health service program established under paragraph 
(1), the Director shall, in accordance with section 
155(c), ensure the preparation and assignment of 
participants under such program to units which 
shall serve service sites in response to public health 
emergencies, including the COVID–19 pandemic. 
‘‘(3) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 30 days 
after the establishment of the national public health 
service program, the Director shall notify the fol-
lowing about applying to participate in the national 
public health service program: 
‘‘(A) Volunteers under the Peace Corps 
Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.)— 
‘‘(i) as of the date of the enactment of 
the National Public Health Service Pro-
gram Act of 2020; and 
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‘‘(ii) that successfully completed the 
requirements of the Peace Corps Act (22 
U.S.C. 2501 et seq.). 
‘‘(B) Volunteers under title I serving dur-
ing the emergency period (as defined in para-
graph (1)(B) of section 1135(g) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b–5(g))) who were 
unsuccessful in completing the requirements of 
such programs due to COVID–19. 
‘‘(C) Volunteers under title I of the Do-
mestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 
U.S.C. 4951 et seq.) serving during the emer-
gency period (as defined in paragraph (1)(B) of 
section 1135(g) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1320b–5(g))) who were unsuccessful in 
completing the requirements of such programs 
due to COVID–19. 
‘‘(D) Any individuals from organizations 
the Director determines appropriate. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS.—The Director shall 
establish criteria to determine eligibility for the national 
public health service program established under subsection 
(a). 
‘‘(c) SUBMISSIONS BY SERVICE SITES.—Each service 
site shall submit to the Director a request that includes— 
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pends, and insurance for those assigned mem-
bers. 
‘‘(e) COVID–19 PROJECTS.—With respect to partici-
pants under the national public health service program 
who serve during the emergency period (as defined in 
paragraph (1)(B) of section 1135(g) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b–5(g))), the campus director shall 
encourage such participants to perform tasks, in-person 
or virtually, to address issues arising during such emer-
gency period which include— 
‘‘(1) contact tracing; 
‘‘(2) supporting the administration of testing 
for COVID–19; 
‘‘(3) supporting the administration of vaccina-
tions; and 
‘‘(4) any other activities recommended by the 
Secretary to address issues arising relating to 
COVID–19. 
‘‘(f) SECRETARY DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘Secretary’ means the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services acting through— 
‘‘(1) the Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention; and 
‘‘(2) the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness 
and Response.’’; 
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(4) in section 155 (42 U.S.C. 12615)— 
(A) in subsection (b)— 
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘in 
the national service’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘Program’’ and inserting ‘‘in a 
program under section 152(b)’’; 
(ii) in paragraph (2)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘The Director’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.— 
The Director’’; and 
(II) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subparagraph: 
‘‘(B) PREFERRED PARTICIPANTS FOR NA-
TIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE PROGRAM.— 
In selecting individuals for the national public 
health service program, the Director shall 
prioritize applicants that, due to the emergency 
period (as defined in paragraph (1)(B) of sec-
tion 1135(g) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1320b–5(g)))— 
‘‘(i) were selected to participate in a 
program under title I and title I of the Do-
mestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 
U.S.C. 4951 et seq.) but were unsuccessful 
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in completing the requirements of such 
programs; and 
‘‘(ii) 
experienced 
unemployment.’’; 
and 
(iii) in paragraph (3)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘To be selected’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To 
be selected’’; and 
(II) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subparagraph: 
‘‘(B) NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE 
PROGRAM SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS.—With re-
spect to an individual applying for participation 
in the national public health service program— 
‘‘(i) each individual shall include in 
the application under subparagraph (A)— 
‘‘(I) information about the work 
experience of the applicant and suffi-
cient information to enable the Direc-
tor to determine whether selection of 
the applicant for such program is ap-
propriate; and 
‘‘(II) the preference of the appli-
cant with respect to— 
‘‘(aa) length of service; and 
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‘‘(bb) method of service (in- 
person, virtually, or a combina-
tion of virtual and in-person); 
and 
‘‘(ii) the Director may waive the appli-
cation under subparagraph (A) and select, 
in accordance with paragraph (2), an indi-
vidual under section 154A(a)(3).’’; and 
(B) in subsection (e)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘The Director shall en-
sure’’ and inserting ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 
The Director shall ensure’’; and 
(ii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(2) UNITS
FOR
NATIONAL
PUBLIC
HEALTH 
SERVICE PROGRAM.—With respect to a unit of par-
ticipants under the national public health service 
program, the Director, in consultation with the cam-
pus director, may assign such unit to assist more 
than one service site depending on the number of 
participants requested by such service site under sec-
tion 154A(c).’’; 
(5) in section 156 (42 U.S.C. 12616)— 
(A) in subsection (a)— 
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(i) by striking ‘‘Each member’’ and 
inserting ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each mem-
ber’’; and 
(ii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(2) WAIVER FOR NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH 
SERVICE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS.—With respect to 
a participant under the national public health service 
program, the Director may waive or modify the re-
quirements of paragraph (1) for such participant 
during an emergency period declared by the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services under section 
319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
247d).’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b), by adding at the end 
the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(3) NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE PRO-
GRAM.—Members of the Corps participating in the 
national public health service program— 
‘‘(A) shall receive the training required by 
State or Federal Government to perform tasks 
assigned to such member; and 
‘‘(B) may receive training from or ap-
proved by the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services with respect to the appropriate use of 
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contact tracing tools, including the Text Illness 
Monitoring system.’’; 
(6) in section 157 (42 U.S.C. 12617)— 
(A) in subsection (a)(1), by adding ‘‘public 
health,’’ after ‘‘conservation,’’; 
(B) in subsection (b)(1)— 
(i) in paragraph (A), by adding ‘‘the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
the Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, the Assistant Sec-
retary for Preparedness and Response,’’ 
after ‘‘Transportation,’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (B), by adding 
‘‘service sites’’ after ‘‘entities’’; and 
(C) in subsection (c), by adding the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(3) SUPPORTING
COVID–19
RESPONSE.—The 
campus director of participants under the national 
public health service program shall be encouraged to 
select projects that support the response to COVID– 
19 which may include contact tracing.’’; and 
(7) in section 165 (42 U.S.C. 12626) by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(11) CONTACT TRACING.—The term ‘contact 
tracing’ means the technological and interpersonal 
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process of identifying persons who may have come 
into contact with an infected person and subse-
quently collecting further information about these 
contacts to implement mitigation measures and re-
duce infections in the population. 
‘‘(12) COVID–19.—The term ‘COVID–19’ 
means the 2019 novel coronavirus or the SARS– 
CoV–2. 
‘‘(13) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian Tribe’ 
means any Indian Tribe, band, nation, or other or-
ganized group or community (including any Native 
village, Regional Corporation, or Village Corporation 
(as those terms are defined in section 3 of the Alas-
ka Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602))) 
that is recognized as eligible for the special pro-
grams and services provided by the United States to 
Indians because of their status as Indians. 
‘‘(14) MEDICAL
RESERVE
CORPS.—The term 
‘Medical Reserve Corps’ means the program estab-
lished under section 2813 of the Public Health Serv-
ice Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh–15). 
‘‘(15) SERVICE SITE.—The term ‘service site’ 
means any of the following: 
‘‘(A) An agency with the primary responsi-
bility for public health within the State govern-
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ment, local government, Indian Tribe, territory, 
or possession of the United States; and 
‘‘(B) A Medicare Reserve Corps unit.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
for the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 
U.S.C. 12501 et seq.) is amended by adding after the item 
relating to section 154 the following: 
‘‘Sec. 154A. National public health service program.’’. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORITIES RELATING TO COVID–19. 
Not later than 30 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Chief Executive Officer of the Cor-
poration for National and Community Service shall submit 
a report to the Committee on Education and Labor of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee on Appropria-
tions of the House of Representatives, the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
sions of the Senate, and the Committee on Appropriations 
of the Senate containing recommendations on any addi-
tional authorities the Chief Executive Officer believes are 
necessary to respond to issues related to the COVID–19 
pandemic. 
Æ 
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