The bill would require each agency to establish a plan that describes public health protocols. Image: Cryptographer/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffA bill to set new requirements for agencies to better protect their employees and better keep them informed during any future public health emergency has been reintroduced in the House and Senate (HR-9813 and S-5279).
Earlier versions had been introduced in prior years in response to what House sponsor Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., called “confusion and uncertainty surrounding agency guidance” during the COVID-19 pandemic that “combined with a general lack of communication with federal workforce staff, led to tragedy” in the deaths of federal employees, including one of his constituents.
“Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal employees remained hard at work, ensuring that the American people could continue to count on their government. But unfortunately, the pandemic highlighted that our federal agencies were widely unprepared to protect these essential workers,” said Senate sponsor Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.
The bill would require each agency to establish a plan that describes public health protocols including, but not limited to, testing; identification and notification of individuals who may have been exposed; cleaning; occupancy limits; use of personal protective equipment; protections for employees whose work requires them to travel off-site; and ensuring the continuity of agency operations.
It would also require each agency’s IG to report on the extent each agency has implemented the plan and would require the GAO to report on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also reintroduced was HR-9855, to extend full bargaining rights to “Title 38” VA healthcare professionals, including registered nurses, physicians, dentists, and physician assistants. Currently, some 75,000 employees in those categories have rights more limited than those generally applying in federal workplaces to “Title 5” employees.
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