Sponsors (22)
The bill provides targeted hazard pay and safety funding to support frontline health workers and care continuity during declared emergencies, but does so with modest caps, exclusions for for-profit providers, and increased federal spending that may lead to uneven coverage and fiscal concerns.
Frontline health care workers receive up to $13/hour in hazardous-duty pay (and up to $25,000 annually) during declared emergencies, providing direct additional income and short-term financial stability.
Hospitals, health systems, and home health agencies can use grant funds to purchase PPE, provide alternative transit, and implement other safety measures, improving worker safety and infection control during emergencies.
Facilities and home health agencies get federal funding support to help maintain staffing and continuity of care during emergencies, reducing service disruptions for patients.
Frontline health care workers may remain undercompensated because the $13/hour and $25,000 annual caps are modest relative to prolonged or high-risk hazards and may not be competitive for recruiting or retaining staff.
For-profit providers and their workers are excluded from grant eligibility (limited to nonprofit and public providers), leaving employees in many care settings without access to these funds.
The open-ended federal spending authority ('as necessary') raises fiscal costs to taxpayers and could prompt concerns about budgetary tradeoffs and long-term spending commitments.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes HHS grants to health care facilities and home health agencies to provide up to $13/hr hazard pay (annual cap $25,000) and fund safety measures for eligible essential health workers during emergencies.
Introduced April 23, 2026 by Summer Lee · Last progress April 23, 2026
Authorizes the HHS Secretary to award grants to public or private nonprofit health care facilities and home health agencies during declared public-health emergencies or disasters so they can pay eligible essential health care workers hazard pay and cover safety measures. Grants can fund up to $13 per hour in additional hazardous-duty compensation (on top of regular wages) with a $25,000 annual cap per worker, and may also be used for PPE, alternative transportation, and other worker protections. The statute authorizes whatever sums are necessary to carry out the program but does not itself appropriate specific dollars.