Number:        116-21   
Date:             October 13, 2020

House passes H.R. 7340, the
“Chai Suthammanont Remembrance Act of 2020”

On September 30, 2020, the House suspended the rules and passed H.R. 7340, the Chai Suthammanont Remembrance Act, as amended by voice vote.  The legislation would require Federal agencies1 to publish their reopening plans on their website prior to sending employees back to workstations during a public health emergency2 (e.g., coronavirus pandemic).  The bill now moves to the Senate for action.

H.R. 7340 includes the following provisions of interest to SSA:

• Would require the head of each Federal agency, no later than 30 days prior to the date an agency plans to reopen a facility, and after consultation with the agency’s Chief Human Capital Officer and director of administration (or equivalent), to publish on its website a reopening plan that details policies and procedures for sending employees back to workstations during a public health emergency. The reopening plan must include:

• the personal protective equipment (PPE) the agency will provide, additional cleaning protocols to be implemented, and efforts to ensure social distancing at worksites;
• actions the agency will take to protect employees who are required to work outside of Federal office buildings;
• requirements the public must meet in order to enter Federal office spaces;
• a description of proper contingencies for employees who have a high-risk for contracting coronavirus; and
• plans to ensure continuity of operations, including plans to reverse reopening, if there is a resurgence of coronavirus cases in certain geographic locations.

• Would require the inspector general for each agency, within 6 months of enactment, to submit a review to Congress3 describing whether the agency provided adequate PPE to employees returning to a Federal office location and published its reopening plan as required under this Act.

If enacted, the law would not provide funding to implement these requirements.

1As defined under 5 U.S.C. § 551

2As defined under 42 U.S.C. § 247d

3House Committee on Oversight and Reform and Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs