,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #fiee  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,may #ai1 #bjbj,ms4  
,speier 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,neguse1 ,mr4
 ,rose of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,blumenauer1 
,mr4 ,carson of ,indiana1 ,mr4 ,cohen1  
,mr4 ,cuellar1 ,mr4 ,engel1 ,mr4 ,garca 
of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,green of ,texas1    
,mr4 ,grijalva1 ,mrs4 ,hayes1 ,ms4      
,jackson ,lee1 ,mr4 ,johnson of         
,georgia1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 ,mr4
 ,lynch1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,ms4             
,ocasio-,cortez1 ,ms4 ,pressley1 ,mr4   
,ruppersberger1 ,mr4 ,san ,nicolas1 ,ms4
 ,scanlon1 ,mr4 ,soto1 ,mr4 ,thompson of
 ,california1 ,ms4 ,tlaib1 ,mr4 ,vela1  
and ,ms4 ,judy ,chu of ,california7     
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on ,energy  
and ,commerce1 and in addition to the   
,committee on ,ways and ,means1 for a   
period to be subsequently determined by 
the ,speaker1 in each case for          
consideration of such provisions as fall
 within the jurisdiction of the         

committee concerned  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
amend the ,public ,health ,service ,act 
to authorize a program of death and     
hospitalization benefits for essential  
workers who die as a result of          
,,covid-#ai or related complications1   
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,essential ,worker ,pandemic            
,compensation ,act of #bjbj4  #b4       
,pandemic ,compensation ,program ,title 
,,ii of the ,public ,health ,service    
,act 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #bjb et seq47 is    
amended by adding at the end the        
following new part3  ,e ,pandemic       
,compensation ,program  #bge4 ,death and
 hospitalization benefits for essential 
workers  7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary
 shall carry out a compensation program 
under which the ,secretary pays-- 7#a7  
death benefits in accordance with       
subsection 7b7 to the survivor or       
survivors in the same manner as death   
benefits are paid pursuant to the       
,public ,safety ,officers' ,benefits    

,program under subpart #a of part ,l of 
title ,i of the ,omnibus ,crime ,control
 and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh of    
each essential worker who dies as a     
result of ,,covid-#ai or related        
complications2 and  7#b7 a              
hospitalization benefit in accordance   
with subsection 7c7 to each essential   
worker who is hospitalized1 and does not
 die1 as a result of ,,covid-#ai or     
related complications4  7b7 ,death      
benefits  7#a7 ,base amount ,the base   
amount of the death benefits paid with  
respect to an essential worker under    
subsection 7a77#a7 in a fiscal year     
shall be equal to the amount of the     
comparable benefit calculated under the 
,public ,safety ,officers' ,benefits    
,program under subpart #a of part ,l of 
title ,i of the ,omnibus ,crime ,control
 and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh in    
such fiscal year1 without regard to any 
reduction attributable to a limitation  
on appropriations4  7#b7 ,educational   
assistance to worker's children and     

spouse  7,a7 ,in general ,in addition to
 the base amount under paragraph 7#a71  
subject to subparagraphs 7,c7 and 7,d71 
the death benefits paid with respect to 
an essential worker under subsection    
7a77#a7 shall include payment of        
educational assistance-- 7i7 to each    
child of the worker who1 on or after the
 date of the worker's death1 is enrolled
 full-time or part-time at an           
institution of higher education2 and    
7ii7 to the spouse of the worker who1 on
 or after the date of the worker's      
death1 is so enrolled4  7,b7 ,applicable
 provisions ,the provisions of subpart  
#b of part ,l of title ,i of the        
,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe      
,streets ,act of #aifh shall apply with 
respect to educational assistance       
provided by the ,secretary to the child1
 children1 or spouse of an essential    
worker under this paragraph to the same 
extent and in the same manner as such   
provisions apply with respect to        
educational assistance provided by the  

,attorney ,general to the child1        
children1 or spouse of an eligible      
public safety worker4  7c7              
,hospitalization benefit ,the amount of 
the hospitalization benefit program paid
 with respect to an essential worker    
under subsection 7a77#b7 shall be half  
the base amount of the death benefit    
payable as described in subsection      
7b77#a74  7d7 ,treatment of benefits    
7#a7 ,exclusion from gross income ,for  
purposes of the ,internal ,revenue ,code
 of #aihf1 gross income shall not       
include a payment under subsection 7a74 
7#b7 ,no reduction because of payment   
from other source ,the ,secretary may   
not reduce a payment under subsection   
7a7 on the basis of any amount paid1 or 
obligated to be paid1 pursuant to law or
 contract1 from another source4  7e7    
,administration  7#a7 ,in general ,the  
,secretary1 acting through a ,special   
,master appointed by the ,secretary1    
shall-- 7,a7 administer the compensation
 program under this section2  7,b7      

promulgate all procedural and           
substantive rules 7which may be issued  
by regulation7 for the administration of
 this section2 and  7,c7 employ and     
supervise hearing officers and other    
administrative personnel to perform the 
duties of the ,special ,master under    
this section4  7#b7 ,determination of   
eligibility for compensation  7,a7      
,filing of claim ,a claimant may file a 
claim for compensation under this       
section with the ,special ,master4 ,the 
claim-- 7i7 shall be on the form        
developed under subparagraph 7,b72 and  
7ii7 shall state the factual basis for  
eligibility for compensation and the    
amount of compensation sought1 including
 by demonstrating-- 7,i7 employment as  
an essential worker2  7,,ii7 death or   
hospitalization as described in         
subsection 7a72 and  7,,iii7 the        
deceased or hospitalized essential      
worker became infected with             
,,sars-,co,v-#b during the period of    
employment as an essential worker4  7,b7

 ,claim form ,the ,special ,master shall
 develop a claim form that claimants    
shall use when submitting claims under  
subparagraph 7,a74 ,the ,special ,master
 shall ensure that such form can be     
filed electronically1 if determined to  
be practicable4  7,c7 ,deadline ,no     
claim for compensation under this       
section may be filed after ,july #a1    
#bjba4  7#c7 ,appointment ,the          
,secretary may appoint the ,special     
,master without regard to the provisions
 of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1    
governing appointments in the           
competitive service4 ,any such employee 
shall serve at the pleasure of the      
,secretary4 ,the ,secretary shall fix   
the annual salary of the ,special       
,master4  7f7 ,definitions ,in this     
section3 7#a7 ,the term child has the   
meaning given to the term child in      
section #abjd of the ,omnibus ,crime    
,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of     
#aifh1 except that the reference in     
section #abjd7c7 of such ,act to a      

deceased or permanently and totally     
disabled public safety officer who1 at  
the time of the public safety officer's 
fatal or catastrophic injury shall be   
treated as reference to a deceased or   
hospitalized essential worker who1 at   
the time of the worker's death or       
hospitalization4  7#b7 ,the term        
essential worker means-- 7,a7 a worker  
identified as an essential critical     
infrastructure worker in version #c4j of
 the guidance titled ,guidance on the   
,essential ,critical ,infrastructure    
,workforce3 ,ensuring ,community and    
,national ,resilience in ,,covid-#ai    
,response issued by the ,department of  
,homeland ,security on ,april #ag1      
#bjbj2 and  7,b7 any other worker       
identified by the ,special ,master as an
 essential worker for purposes of this  
section4  7#c7 ,the term hospitalized   
means furnished inpatient services 7as  
defined in section #ahfa7;b7 of the     
,social ,security ,act74  7#d7 ,the term
 institution of higher education has the

 meaning given to that term in section  
#ajb7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act 
of #aife4  7#e7 ,the term ,special      
,master means the ,special ,master      
appointed under subsection 7e77#c74     
7#f7 ,the term spouse of the worker     
means the spouse of the essential worker
 on the date of the worker's death4  7g7
 ,funding  7#a7 ,appropriations for     
benefits ,there are appropriated1 out of
 monies in the ,treasury not otherwise  
obligated1 such sums as may be necessary
 to pay all death and hospitalization   
benefits under subsection 7a7 that are  
sought by claimants who qualify for such
 benefits and apply in accordance with  
this section4  7#b7 ,authorization of   
appropriations for administrative       
expenses ,there are authorized to be    
appropriated such sums as may be        
necessary to pay the administrative     
costs of the ,secretary and the ,special
 ,master in carrying out this section4  
7h7 ,sunset date ,at the end of calendar
 year #bjba1 the ,secretary shall       

terminate the program under this section
 except to the extent necessary to carry
 out the scholarship program under      
subsection 7b77#b74  4