[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5815 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5815
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a comprehensive
national system for skilled construction workers to assist first
responders in disasters.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 16, 2008
Mr. King of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a comprehensive
national system for skilled construction workers to assist first
responders in disasters.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Skilled Trades Second Responders Act
of 2008''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Skilled construction workers are essential to
effectively providing rescue and recovery following manmade and
natural disasters, and are vital to the cleanup, demolition,
rehabilitation, and reconstruction of disaster sites after
recovery operations.
(2) Construction craft workers bring essential skills in
support of first responders, including demolition (such as
welding, cutting, burning, and rigging), electrical and
pipeline maintenance, hazardous waste cleanup, equipment
operations, and traffic control.
(3) Construction contractors and employers also provide
essential equipment to disaster response efforts, such as
welding machines, backhoes, cranes, dozers, skilled workers,
and essential supplies for site-specific needs.
(4) Historically, construction craft workers have provided
support skills to first response operations after natural
disasters, such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; terrorist
attacks, such as Oklahoma City, the World Trade Center, and the
Pentagon; and manmade disasters, such as the Minneapolis bridge
collapse. However, there are no systems in place to mobilize
this workforce or ensure the effective integration of
construction craft workers with first responder operations.
(5) The experience of earlier disasters reveals the need
for a cohesive national, State, and local system of
construction craft workers ready to serve their country and
assist first responders in response to a disaster. The system
should be designed to identify, train, certify, register, and
integrate skilled craft workers into disaster preparedness and
response activities, as well as provide training of
construction craft workers in health and safety procedures to
assist rescue, recovery, and cleanup activities.
SEC. 3. SECOND RESPONDER PROGRAM IN THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES.
Subpart 12 of part C of title IV of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 285l et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 463C. SECOND RESPONDER TRAINING AND INTEGRATION PROGRAM.
``(a) In General.--The Director of the Institute shall establish,
as part of the Worker Education and Training Program of the Institute,
a national program for the training, certification, registration,
tracking, and integration of skilled construction workers to assist
first responders in responding to disasters, including natural and
manmade disasters and terrorist attacks.
``(b) Content of Program.--As part of the national program
established under subsection (a), the Director shall--
``(1) develop a national plan for integrating construction
activities into State and local disaster-response plans;
``(2) provide training for construction trainers and
workers, foremen, supervisors, and other industry personnel on
how to assist first responders and integrate their efforts with
first responders during emergency response, rescue, recovery,
and cleanup activities;
``(3) provide specialized safety, health, and skills
training to construction workers on how to protect themselves,
coworkers, and the public from safety and health hazards
inherent in disaster response activities;
``(4)(A) establish community-based registries of certified
skilled workers who are considered on call and who can be
identified and mobilized when needed; and
``(B) pilot integration of such community-based registries
into a national registry system;
``(5) establish a national, State, and local system to
maintain the readiness of construction personnel and equipment
through regular training, recertification, and exercises with
first responders; and
``(6) develop agreements with construction industry
contractors and joint labor-management organizations that have
disaster response capabilities and with designated first
response coordinating agencies for on-call responses in the
event of a disaster.
``(c) Coordination.--In developing the national program under
subsection (a), the Director shall coordinate and consult with the
Department of Homeland Security, including the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, other relevant agencies, and private organizations,
including construction industry contractors, joint labor-management
training funds, and building trade unions, that are experienced in
providing rescue and recovery assistance to first responders, and in
the cleanup, demolition, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of disaster
sites after recovery operations.
``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2009
and each subsequent fiscal year. Such authorization is in addition to
any other authorization of appropriations that is available for such
purpose.''.
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