Congress funds emergency hazard pay for frontline health care workers

What it does

This bill creates a federal grant program allowing the Department of Health and Human Services to fund emergency hazard pay for essential health care workers during declared emergencies or disasters. Eligible workers—including nurses, doctors, orderlies, janitorial staff, and public health workers whose jobs cannot be done remotely—can receive up to $13/hour in additional compensation (capped at $25,000/year) plus funding for safety equipment and alternative transit. Grants go to hospitals, clinics, and home health agencies to distribute these payments.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative mechanism is a federal grant program funding temporary wage supplements and safety measures for essential health care workers during declared emergencies. It is a targeted public-health workforce protection measure with no riders, carve-outs, or private beneficiaries.

What the text implies

• Hazard pay is capped at $13/hour and $25k/year per worker, which may be insufficient in high-cost-of-living areas or for workers facing prolonged emergencies.
• Grants are discretionary ('may make grants'), not mandatory, so HHS Secretary has sole authority to decide whether to fund the program during any given emergency.
• The definition of 'essential health care worker' includes a catch-all category ('any other professional role the Secretary determines is essential'), giving HHS broad definitional power.
• No explicit requirement that facilities pass through 100% of grant funds to workers; the bill does not prohibit administrative overhead or facility retention of portions of the grant.
• Program depends entirely on Congressional appropriations; without funding, the authorization is inert.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Essential health care workers—many of whom are low-wage earners in high-risk roles—receive direct wage supplements and safety protections during emergencies when they face documented hazards. The program is narrowly targeted to workers whose jobs cannot be done remotely and whose commutes or work environments are hazardous, with transparent caps ($13/hour, $25k/year maximum) and a clear public-health rationale.

Who stands to gain

• essential health care workers (direct wage supplement recipients)
• public and nonprofit health care facilities and home health agencies (grant recipients)

Named in the bill

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Public Health Service Act, Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, National Emergencies Act, health care facilities, home health agencies, essential health care workers

Where it stands

22 cosponsors: 22 Democrats.

• Apr 23, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Apr 23, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $410,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 166 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.

Summer Lee, the sponsor, reported $231,154 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Federation of Teachers — $410,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.