{"id":16907,"date":"2020-06-10T19:52:04","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T19:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/06\/10\/how-front-line-feds-could-get-a-legislative-boost\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:43:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:43:34","slug":"how-front-line-feds-could-get-a-legislative-boost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2020\/06\/10\/how-front-line-feds-could-get-a-legislative-boost\/","title":{"rendered":"How front line feds could get a legislative boost"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Legislation intended to financially support \u201cessential workers\u201d currently working in-person during the COVID-19 pandemic could also apply to some federal employees that were required to work in the office or interact with citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act, introduced in both chambers of Congress May 15, defines an essential worker as \u201cany individual, employee, or contractor working for a person, business, nonprofit entity, or federal, state, tribal, territorial or local government that is determined, during the response to the COVID\u201319 pandemic, to be essential, based on state, local, tribal or territorial orders or declarations (or equivalent) or federal guidance published by the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency, and who performed work outside their place of residence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And though some representatives at a June 10 House Oversight and Reform committee hearing criticized the legislation for providing too vague a window for estimating who qualifies as an essential worker, Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., noted that some federal government employees, such as those working for the U.S. Postal Service, would absolutely fit under that description:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c90 percent of the drugs that go to our veterans are handled by letter carriers and postal clerks and mail handlers. That\u2019s a critical, essential service. It\u2019s not hard to determine who is essential here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t