Tonko, House Advance Families First Coronavirus Response ActBill provides paid leave, benefits to children and families, free testing & protects public health workers
Washington,
March 14, 2020
WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko voted earlier this morning to pass H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which bolsters federal response to coronavirus to protect American’s health and safety and provide additional funding to address the economic impact caused by the pandemic. The bill includes a provision authored by Tonko and Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE) that increases access to critically needed N95 respirators for our frontline healthcare workers by adding NIOSH-certified respirators as a covered countermeasure for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act for the duration of the current coronavirus outbreak. “Coronavirus continues to threaten every aspect of life, endangering American’s health and safety as well as creating widespread economic instability. Addressing this outbreak will require a whole of government response that prioritizes the well-being of our communities,” Congressman Tonko said. “Our legislation ensures testing will be available to families free of charge and gives workers the peace of mind to stay home when sick without fear of missing a paycheck. Also included in this legislation is a provision I authored to increase access to crucially needed N95 respirators for our frontline healthcare workers. I urge the swift passage of this bill to provide the health coverage, food assistance and financial support Americans need to address this public health emergency.” “I highly commend this action by Rep. Tonko as it is a vital measure to protect the American public and those in the medical field that will be asked to protect us all. N95 Respirators are essential personal protective equipment,” said Joseph Milot, President of Protective Industrial Products, Inc. (PIP). Tonko’s provision was established based off his previous legislation H.R. 4982, the Health Care Workforce Protection Act that shifts liability from manufacturers to the federal government during a declared PREP Act emergency in which respirators are an essential part of the public health response. This provision helps ensure that manufacturers have the certainty they need to serve the market with N95 respirators during the current coronavirus crisis. H.R. 6201 builds on an $8.3 billion emergency coronavirus spending package enacted into law last week that supports state and local health agencies, vaccine and treatment development, and loans for affected small businesses to lessen the economic blow of this public health emergency. Among other measures, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act:
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