Hazard Pay for Health Care Heroes Act

Key Points

• This bill creates a new federal grant program to provide hazard pay to health care workers during officially declared emergencies or disasters, including national emergencies, public health emergencies, and state or local disasters.
• Eligible workers could receive up to $13 per hour in extra hazard pay on top of their regular wages, with a maximum of $25,000 per worker per year. The pay applies to workers whose jobs cannot be done remotely.
• The bill covers a broad range of health care staff beyond just doctors and nurses, including medical technologists, public health workers, orderlies, and janitorial or custodial workers in health care settings.
• Grant money can also be used for safety measures like personal protective equipment and alternative transportation when commuting becomes dangerous during an emergency.
• The program does not specify a set dollar amount for funding. Instead, it authorizes "such sums as may be necessary," meaning Congress would need to approve actual spending in future appropriations bills.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.