Washington, D.C.  – Bi-partisan Legislation introduced last November by Congressmen Don Bacon (NE-02), Paul Tonko (NY-20) and Jim Langevin (RI-02) has been included in the Senate’s third emergency stimulus coronavirus bill introduced last week by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Senator Deb Fischer (NE) introduced similar legislation to Rep. Bacon’s bill last month.

The entire language from H.R. 4982, the Health Care Workforce Protection Act of 2019, is included in the ‘Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act’’ or the ‘‘CARES Act,”  and will cover all NIOSH-certified masks under the PREP Act. Currently, only FDA-approved items are eligible for PREP Act coverage, NIOSH-certified respirators are not. Yet, in nearly every public health emergency with an airborne hazard, the CDC urges the use of these respirators in order to keep workers safe.

 “Our healthcare professionals need to be armed with the best medical equipment and certified respirators as they work on the front lines of the attack against the coronavirus," said Rep. Bacon. “I’m thankful Sen. McConnell has chosen to include this legislation and I hope that it remains intact as it goes through the legislative process to the President’s desk. I also thank Reps. Tonko and Langevin for partnering with me on this important legislation.”

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