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Hazard Pay for Health Care Heroes Act
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for emergency grants to safeguard essential health care workers, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to establish a grant program providing hazardous duty pay and safety measures for essential health care workers during emergencies and disasters. Health care facilities and home health agencies can receive grants to provide eligible health care workers with additional compensation of up to $13 per hour when their work or commute is determined to be hazardous, with a maximum of $25,000 per worker per year. Grant funds may also be used to provide safety measures such as personal protective equipment and alternative transportation options. Eligible workers include health care providers, direct care workers, medical technologists, public health workers, orderlies, and custodial workers in health care settings. The program applies during federal disaster declarations, emergency declarations, or state and local emergencies.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
22 cosponsors
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC)
- Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large] (D-VT)
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN)
- Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA)
- Rep. Casar, Greg [D-TX-35] (D-TX)
- Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] (D-NY)
- Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30] (D-TX)
- Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4] (D-NC)
- Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10] (D-FL)
- Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42] (D-CA)
- Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL)
- Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7] (D-WA)
- Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37] (D-CA)
- Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17] (D-CA)
- Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4] (D-VA)
- Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7] (D-MA)
- Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7] (D-AL)
- Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12] (D-CA)
- Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10] (D-WA)
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI)
- Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI)
- Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12] (D-NJ)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Summer L. Lee’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NULL $73,753
- UPMC $30,910
- MPI $11,600
- UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH $10,554
- ADVOCATE AURORA HEALTH $10,000
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Summer L. Lee → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Apr 23, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. · house
- Apr 23, 2026 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 23, 2026
Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania (for herself, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Frost, Mr. Garcia of California, Ms. McClellan, Ms. Tokuda, Ms. Crockett, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Carson, Ms. Simon, Ms. Strickland, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Casar, Ms. Pressley, Mrs. Foushee, Ms. Sewell, and Ms. Clarke of New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for emergency grants to safeguard essential health care workers, and for other purposes.
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 “Hazard Pay for Health Care Heroes Act”.
SEC. 2. SAFEGUARDING ESSENTIAL HEALTH CARE WORKERS.
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 ESSENTIAL 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 Assistance Act;
“(B) an emergency declared by the President under section 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act;
“(C) a national emergency declared by the President under the National Emergencies Act;
“(D) a public health emergency declared under section 319; and
“(E) a State, local, territorial, or Tribal emergency or disaster, as declared by the applicable State, local, territorial, or Tribal government.
“(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 direct 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 Orderlies (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 facilities and home health agencies for use in accordance with paragraph (2).
“(2) Use of funds.—
“(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 workers 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 hazardous 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 compensation received by any 1 eligible health care worker under this subparagraph may not exceed $25,000 per year.
“(B) Additional uses.—The recipient of a grant under paragraph (1) may use the grant funds to provide safety measures to safeguard and protect eligible health care workers from hazards due to the applicable emergency or disaster, including alternative transit options, personal protective equipment, and other safety measures.
“(c) Authorization of Appropriations.—There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary.”. <all>
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