Sec. 6. Supplemental grants for COVID–19 testing
763 words·~3 min read·
/bill/116/s/5082/is/section-6A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
No later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall— issue competitive grants to State, local, and territorial governments for the purpose of increasing access to COVID–19 diagnostic testing; and issue noncompetitive and formula-based awards to Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations. In issuing grants under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— prioritize areas and populations that have been disproportionately affected by COVID–19, and areas where operationalizing testing programs is not possible with existing resources; and consider the capacity that States, localities, territories, and Tribes already have at the time of application to conduct widespread COVID–19 diagnostic testing.
Grants awarded under subsection
(a)may be used to— establish new COVID–19 diagnostic testing sites at community centers, such as State, local, territorial, and Tribal government buildings, churches, health centers, clinics, and public parks, subject to Federal quality control standards for laboratory testing; hire State, local, territorial, and Tribal government employees, or contract with outside entities, to assist in the development, distribution, and provision of COVID–19 diagnostic tests within the State, locality, territory, or Tribe; purchase COVID–19 diagnostic tests and the medical supplies necessary to conduct such tests; increase the number of COVID–19 diagnostic tests provided at congregate settings, such as— skilled nursing facilities; assisted living facilities; childcare facilities; elementary and secondary schools that have resumed, or plan to resume within 30 days, in-person instruction; colleges and universities that have resumed, or plan to resume within 30 days, in-person instruction or on-campus housing; prisons, jails, and youth detention facilities; residential behavioral health care and psychiatric facilities; institutions providing services for aging adults and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, rehabilitation facilities, and group homes; and homeless shelters; educate the public about the availability of COVID–19 diagnostic tests in their communities and what to do if a positive result is received; issue subgrants, cooperative agreements, or contracts to labs, hospitals, and other test providers to reduce test processing time; submit the results to State, local, territorial, and Tribal public health officials; and prevent delays in the distribution of testing results, such as through transferring research lab capacity to COVID–19 testing capacity and building new labs to reduce test processing turnaround time; enable the State, locality, territory, or Tribe to detect and identify trends in COVID–19 and develop guidance for communities on how to develop testing programs and expand test capacity; reduce disparities in access to COVID–19 diagnostic testing among the communities hardest hit by COVID–19; and additional uses, as determined by the Secretary, in accordance with subsection (e). Any COVID–19 diagnostic test conducted with the support of a grant awarded under this section shall be provided to patients free of charge and without regard for immigration status. The results shall be submitted to relevant State, local, territorial, and Tribal public health officials. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for any individual employed by a contractor or subcontractor, and who performs work assisted in whole or in part by funding under this section, with respect to such employment, such individual shall— be paid a wage of not less than $15 per hour; and if such individual is paid at a rate that is the full-time equivalent of less than $51,000 per year, receive overtime pay of one-and-one-half times the individual's regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per workweek. In determining appropriate uses of funds under subsection (c)(9), the Secretary shall consider the incidence of COVID–19 in States, localities, territories, and Tribes, the availability and uptake of vaccines for COVID–19 in States, localities, territories, and Tribes, and advancements in COVID–19 diagnostic test technologies. There is authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2021 for purposes of awarding grants under this section. Not less than 10 percent of the total amount appropriated under paragraph
(1)for a fiscal year shall be reserved for noncompetitive awards to— Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations carrying out a contract or compact under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.); Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations receiving a grant under the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 ( 25 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.); and Indian Tribes or tribal organizations (as defined in section 5212 of the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988 ( 25 U.S.C. 2511 )) receiving grants under that Act ( 25 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.). Not less than 30 percent of the total amount appropriated under paragraph
(1)for a fiscal year shall be reserved for grants awarded directly to local governments.
Connectionstraces to 3
Traces to 3 documents
Citation graph
cites case law
Cites 3Cited by 0 across 0 sources