Bill Summary
The "Educators are Heroes Act" is a bill that aims to provide additional pay to educators at public schools for every hour of in-person work during the public health emergency caused by COVID-19. This legislation establishes the "Educator Fund" and grants each local educational agency the opportunity to apply for funds to provide premium pay to their educators. The premium pay will equal 25% of the educator's wage per hour. This bill also defines key terms such as "educator", "emergency period", "public school", and "other staff". The purpose of this legislation is to recognize the hard work and dedication of educators during the pandemic and provide them with financial support for their important role in the education system.
Possible Impacts
1. Positive Impact: Educators at public schools would receive premium pay for their in-person work during the COVID-19 pandemic, which could help alleviate financial stress and provide recognition for their hard work during this challenging time.
2. Negative Impact: Local educational agencies may struggle to find the funds to provide the required premium pay to educators, potentially leading to budget cuts or other financial difficulties.
3. Impact on Specific Groups: This legislation specifically targets educators, providing them with a form of financial compensation for their work during the pandemic. This could affect other groups, such as parents, who may have to find alternative arrangements for their children's education if schools are unable to afford the premium pay for educators.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8334 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8334
To provide premium pay to educators at public schools for each hour of
in-person work.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 22, 2020
Ms. Kendra S. Horn of Oklahoma (for herself, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Carson
of Indiana, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, and Mr. San Nicolas)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide premium pay to educators at public schools for each hour of
in-person work.
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 ``Educators are Heroes Act''.
SEC. 2. EDUCATOR PREMIUM PAY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 15 days after a local educational
agency receives a grant under subsection (b), the local educational
agency, for the duration of the emergency period, shall provide to each
educator for each hour that the educator works, in-person at a public
school served by the agency with premium pay equal to 25 percent of the
educator's wage per hour.
(b) Educator Fund.--
(1) In general.--There is established in the Treasury of
the United States a fund to be known as the ``Educator Fund''
(referred to in this section as the ``Fund''), consisting of
amounts appropriated to the fund under subsection (c).
(2) Fund administration.--The fund shall be administered by
the Secretary of Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary
of Education.
(3) Use of funds.--
(A) In general.--Amounts in the Fund shall be
available to award a grant to each local educational
agency that applies for a grant under subparagraph (B),
for the purpose of providing premium pay under
subsection (a).
(B) Application.--Any local educational agency
seeking a grant under this subsection shall submit an
application to the Secretary of the Treasury at such
time, in such manner, and complete with such
information as the Secretary may require.
(c) Authorization and Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated, and there is hereby appropriated, such sums as may be
necessary to carry out this section, to remain available until
expended.
(d) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) Educator.--The term ``educator'' includes teachers and
other staff.
(2) Emergency period.--The term ``emergency period'' means
the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, and
ending on the last day of the public health emergency first
declared on January 31, 2020, by the Secretary of Health and
Human Services under section 319 of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) with respect to COVID-19.
(3) ESEA terms.--The terms ``elementary school'', ``local
educational agency'', ``other staff'', and ``secondary school''
have the meaning given such terms in section 8101 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
7801).
(4) Public school.--The term ``public school'' means a
public elementary school or secondary school.
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