STORM Act
Sponsored By: Representative Rouzer
In Committee
Summary
Creates a federal framework to certify private health care workforce platforms that the President could use to quickly add licensed independent contractors to emergency responses. It would set rules for platform certification, coordinated state licensure waivers, limited liability protections, and required reporting.
Show full summary
- Families and patients in disaster zones would gain faster access to more licensed clinicians through platform-enabled surge deployments.
- Independent contractor health care workers could deploy through certified platforms and may receive general immunity from liability for authorized emergency activities, except for willful misconduct or gross negligence.
- States would receive model waiver procedures to adopt and could coordinate temporary licensure waivers for out-of-state workers who hold a license in at least one state. The President could certify platforms and enter voluntary agreements that must run at least one year and must report annually to Congress on waiver use, deployment duration, and challenges encountered.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
More emergency health workers via platforms
If enacted, the bill would create a federal pathway to use private health-care workforce platforms during declared emergencies. The President would be able to certify platforms and enter voluntary agreements that last at least one year. The bill would define who counts as a platform and an independent contractor health-care worker (must hold a valid license in at least one State and be credentialed by the platform). During emergencies the President would coordinate with States to facilitate licensure waivers for out-of-state contracted workers, provide model vetting and background-check procedures, and prioritize speedy deployment. The President would report to Congress within one year and then annually on how many workers were waived, how long deployments lasted, and any problems.
Legal protection for emergency responders
If enacted, the bill would limit lawsuits against health-care contractors and platforms when they act under a federal contract or at a federal agency's direction during covered emergencies. It would treat those private entities as federal employees for Federal Tort Claims Act purposes, but only for acts within the scope of the contract and only when the President says the United States has primary responsibility. The immunity would not apply to willful misconduct, gross negligence, or bad faith. The President would issue rules to explain how these legal protections work.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Rouzer
NC • R
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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