Frontline workers face uphill battle amid pandemic. Here’s how lawmakers hope to help
From health care workers to grocery store baggers, the COVID-19 crisis continues to take a toll on the nation’s essential workers. Lawmakers have since put forth proposal after proposal aimed at easing the financial burden faced by those still fighting on the front lines of the virus.
As of May 8, the U.S. has more than 1.2 million coronavirus cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. An estimated 90,000 of those cases are health care workers, the International Council of Nurses reported this week.
Here are details about the proposed legislation aimed at helping frontline workers:
Student loan forgiveness
“Our essential workers put their lives at risk every day to make sure the rest of us are safe and healthy,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Pennsylvania, who, alongside Democratic Rep. Ann Kuster of New Hampshire on Tuesday, introduced a bill that would provide up to $25,000 in student debt relief to frontline workers, Yahoo Finance reported.
“They deserve all of the help we can provide them,” Fitzpatrick said in a news release. “By providing the option to help pay their student loans or continue their education, we can give them one less thing to worry about.”
The proposed “Opportunities for Heroes Act” stands to benefit doctors, nurses, postal workers, supermarket clerks and others, allowing them to pay down their student loan debt or cover their college tuition. Those who’ve worked “at least 480 hours in a 120-day” span during the coronavirus crisis would be eligible for the funds, according to Yahoo Finance.
Essential workers unable to reach that many hours “would still be eligible,” and workers would be able to “transfer the money” to family members if they want, Yahoo reports.
Kuster, who said she hopes to see the bill included in the next stimulus package, told Yahoo Finance the legislation is meant to help many essential workers as possible.
“It’s hard to envision literally every type of essential worker,” she said, according to Yahoo. “We want it to be inclusive. We want to make sure that people are recognized even if the role they played is more obscure.”
The bill comes on the heels of a similar proposal by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., that would forgive student loan debt for medical workers including doctors, researchers, medical residents and students providing health care services related to the coronavirus, among others, according to McClatchy News.
In a statement, Maloney said health careworkers are already concerned for their own health and “should not have to worry about their financial security after the crisis has passed.”
Pay raise
Other lawmakers have recognized the health risks frontline workers face on the job each day. In April, congressional Democrats proposed a “Heroes Fund” that would make essential workers eligible for a pay raise of up to $25,000, which translates to about $13 per hour for medium wage workers.
Utah Sen. Mitt Romney also recently put forth a bill to provide up to $1,920 a month in hazard pay compensation to essential employees through July, McClatchy News previously reported. The proposed “Patriot Pay” would be eligible for workers who earn $90,000 or less annually, providing a pay raise of up to $12 per hour before maxing out at $5,760 after three months.
“Patriot Pay is a way for us to reward our essential workers as they continue to keep Americans safe, healthy, and fed,” Romney said in a May 1 press release announcing the bill.
Survivor benefits
For the families of public safety officers who lost their lives to COVID-19, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer want to ensure they have access to survivor benefits through the Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act.
“Our public safety officers are risking their health to keep us safe,” Gillibrand said in a news release. “They are serving on the frontlines of this crisis, they are getting sick, and some are unfortunately dying. While nothing will make these officers’ families whole again, the Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act will establish a clear framework for benefits claims and ensure their families get the resources they need.”
The bipartisan bill, introduced Wednesday, is also backed by Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Chuck Grassley, R-IA, and several others, according to the release.
“These front line heroes have stepped up for our country when we needed them,” Gillibrand continued. “Now our country needs to step up for them.”