Title: SOS Act of 2021
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Sending Outside Support Act of 2021 or the SOS Act of 2021
This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to distribute funds to allow states to establish strike teams that may be deployed to skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities with cases of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) to help with clinical care, infection control, or staffing.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 771 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 771

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide funding 
  for State strike teams for resident and employee safety in skilled 
               nursing facilities and nursing facilities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 3, 2021

  Mr. Panetta (for himself, Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. Suozzi, Mr. Crow, and 
   Mrs. Murphy of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide funding 
  for State strike teams for resident and employee safety in skilled 
               nursing facilities and nursing facilities.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Sending Outside Support Act of 
2021'' or the ``SOS Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. FUNDING FOR STATE STRIKE TEAMS FOR RESIDENT AND EMPLOYEE SAFETY 
              IN SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES AND NURSING FACILITIES.

    (a) In General.--Of the amounts made available under subsection 
(c), the Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this 
section as the ``Secretary'') shall allocate such amounts among the 
States, in a manner that takes into account the percentage of skilled 
nursing facilities and nursing facilities in each State that have 
residents or employees who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, for 
purposes of establishing and implementing strike teams in accordance 
with subsection (b).
    (b) Use of Funds.--A State that receives funds under this section 
shall use such funds to establish and implement a strike team that will 
be deployed to a skilled nursing facility or nursing facility in the 
State with diagnosed or suspected cases of COVID-19 among residents or 
staff for the purposes of assisting with clinical care, infection 
control, or staffing.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--For purposes of carrying out 
this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $500,000,000.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Nursing facility.--The term ``nursing facility'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 1919(a) of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396r(a)).
            (2) Skilled nursing facility.--The term ``skilled nursing 
        facility'' has the meaning given such term in section 1819(a) 
        of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i-3(a)).
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