H.R. 8011

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8011 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8011

To increase global health security, create more stable societies, and 
save lives, especially children's lives, by clarifying and focusing 
United States support for frontline health workers across global health 
and humanitarian investments, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 19, 2026

Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia (for herself and Mr. Bera) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 
and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Intelligence 
(Permanent Select), 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 increase global health security, create more stable societies, and 
save lives, especially children's lives, by clarifying and focusing 
United States support for frontline health workers across global health 
and humanitarian investments, and for other purposes.

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 ``Strengthening and Expanding Capacity 
for Unified Response and Excellence in Health Act'' or the ``SECURE 
Health Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) Strengthening the global health workforce is critical 
for improving health outcomes worldwide, preventing the 
international spread of infectious diseases, enhancing global 
health security, reinforcing supply chains, and ultimately 
protecting the health and economic well-being of the American 
people.
(2) Access to healthcare and a skilled health workforce is 
essential for maintaining a healthy overall global workforce 
and ensuring a stable supply of goods vital to the United 
States economy.
(3) Recognizing the growing demand for mental health 
services, efforts to strengthen the global health workforce can 
help expand access to qualified providers, evidence-based 
practices, and innovation to improve the quality of mental 
health care globally and in the United States.
(4) One in five active physicians and one in six nurses in 
the United States are foreign-educated, and legal immigrants 
comprise 18 percent of the entire healthcare workforce, with 
the number of hospitals hiring foreign-educated nurses nearly 
doubling between 2010 and 2022.
(5) United States leadership and investments in global 
health have driven remarkable progress, including a 60 percent 
reduction in child mortality and a 38 percent reduction in 
maternal mortality from 1990 to 2020, a 31 percent decline in 
new HIV infections from 2010 to 2020, and a 38 percent decrease 
in malaria-related deaths from 2000 to 2019--contributing to 
enhanced productivity and economic growth.
(6) Nations with healthier populations are more likely to 
be productive, prosperous, and peaceful, whereas countries with 
poorer health conditions are more prone to instability and 
conflict, which compromises United States national security.
(7) A well-trained, well-equipped, and well-supported 
frontline health workforce is critical to the effectiveness, 
sustainability, and resilience of United States global health 
programs, as well as to strengthening national security and 
global economic prosperity.
(8) Despite the critical role of frontline health workers 
in improving health, advancing security, and spurring economic 
growth both in the United States and abroad, nearly half of the 
world's population--approximately 4.5 billion people--lacks 
access to critical health services.
(9) Recognizing that frontline health workers are critical 
to preventing malnutrition, particularly during pregnancy and 
among children, it is necessary to invest in health workers to 
enable these workers to deliver nutrition interventions 
integrated with other health services and, as a result, build 
community resilience, reduce preventable deaths, and contribute 
to long-term economic stability.
(10) Every day, more than 15,000 children die worldwide, 
primarily from preventable causes, and 810 women lose their 
lives due to pregnancy or childbirth-related complications.
(11) Millions of people succumb annually to HIV/AIDS, 
tuberculosis, malaria, and other treatable and often 
preventable conditions.
(12) In 2024, an estimated 300 million people across 72 
countries required humanitarian assistance and protection due 
to conflicts, disease outbreaks, and other crises.
(13) Frontline health workers frequently perform life-
saving services under hazardous conditions, often at great 
personal risk, with limited access to essential medicines, 
medical equipment, and safe water and sanitation.
(14) Since 2020, more than 14,000 attacks on healthcare 
facilities, transport, and personnel have been reported, 
resulting in almost 2,800 health workers killed in conflict 
zones and significantly hindering access to critical health 
services for millions.
(15) Frontline health workers serve as the first--and often 
the only--link to healthcare for millions of people in low- and 
middle-income countries.
(16) When enabled with modern training, supervision, and 
digital tools, community health workers can efficiently extend 
the reach of the healthcare system and help ensure medical 
innovations.
(17) By 2030, the world is projected to face a shortfall of 
at least 11 million health workers without immediate and 
concerted action, particularly in low- and middle-income 
countries.
(18) The Commission on Health Employment and Economic 
Growth demonstrated that investments in health yield a ninefold 
economic return, identifying health employment as a force 
multiplier for economic growth.
(19) Frontline health workers play a vital role in 
strengthening national resilience, saving lives, fostering 
economic growth, developing robust primary healthcare systems, 
and preventing and responding to humanitarian crises and global 
health security threats from infectious diseases.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

It is the policy of the United States--
(1) to pursue the expansion, training, payment, support, 
equipping, and protection of the frontline global health 
workforce;
(2) to support integrated investments in health workers 
that resemble their true responsibilities and move away from 
siloed, single-disease investments in health workers;
(3) to use global health investments to catalyze the 
expansion and most efficient utilization of frontline health 
workers and address severe global health workforce shortages; 
and
(4) to require host organization contributions as part of 
any investments of the United States in salary support and 
plans for transitioning those salaries to domestic financing to 
better ensure the sustainability of remuneration for health 
workers.

SEC. 4. GLOBAL HEALTH WORKFORCE STRATEGY.

(a) Establishment; Updating.--
(1) In general.--The President shall establish and 
regularly update a 5-year strategy to be known as the ``Global 
Health Workforce Strategy''.
(2) Contents.--The strategy shall--
(A) identify spending by the United States 
Government to support the global health workforce from 
global health and humanitarian assistance funds; and
(B) include measurable goals and implementation 
plans for global health workforce investments by the 
United States.
(b) Strategies of Federal Departments and Agencies.--The head of 
each Federal department and agency that uses resources for 
international health and humanitarian assistance shall--
(1) establish policies for the use of such resources that 
align with the strategy established under subsection (a); and
(2) regularly update such policies.

SEC. 5. GLOBAL HEALTH WORKFORCE COORDINATOR.

(a) Appointment.--The President shall appoint an individual to 
serve, within the Department of State, with the concurrent title and 
responsibility as the Global Health Workforce Coordinator.
(b) Duties.--The Global Health Workforce Coordinator shall--
(1) coordinate and oversee the implementation of this Act; 
and
(2) approve strategy and resource allocations across 
foreign assistance programs supporting the global health 
workforce.

SEC. 6. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE.

(a) Establishment.--The President shall establish, within the 
National Security Council, an interagency task force to be co-chaired 
by--
(1) the Global Health Workforce Coordinator appointed under 
section 5(a); and
(2) an appropriate senior director of the National Security 
Council selected by the President.
(b) Duties.--The interagency task force shall--
(1) coordinate and oversee the implementation of this Act; 
and
(2) ensure the alignment of global health investments 
across Federal departments and agencies.

SEC. 7. ANNUAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

(a) In General.--The President, acting in coordination with the 
heads of relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall publish an 
annual report detailing efforts of Federal departments and agencies to 
train and support frontline health workers across all funding streams.
(b) Contents.--The report shall include, at a minimum, the 
following:
(1) Funding for health workers.--A breakdown of funding 
across all cadres of health workers that is--
(A) categorized as direct or indirect support; and
(B) differentiated between--
(i) single United States Government source 
funding for a specific disease or condition; 
and
(ii) integrated funding approaches that use 
more than one United States Government source 
of funding to cover multiple diseases or 
conditions.
(2) Support for training.--A breakdown of funding that 
supports the training of health workers, including--
(A) pre-service training to address workforce 
shortages;
(B) in-service training for skill development;
(C) institutional capacity building and retention 
measures; and
(D) digital capacity and access for health workers.
(3) Support for salaries and sustained employment.--A 
breakdown of funding that supports the salaries and employment 
of health workers, including--
(A) funds allocated to workforce expansion;
(B) salary support with details on plans to 
transition to domestic funding sources; and
(C) protection measures for health workers, 
including safe work conditions, labor standards, and 
protections during conflicts, pandemics, or crises.

SEC. 8. GLOBAL REPORTING.

(a) In General.--The United States shall seek to establish and 
support a biennial, independent global report on the status of the 
global health workforce, produced outside the donor and United Nations 
system.
(b) Contents.--The report shall assess the status of the global 
health workforce, including international and domestic funding, the 
policy environment, and other avenues for global health workforce 
support, for the purpose of tracking and encouraging greater progress, 
increased international and domestic funding, and the success of global 
engagement in support of the global health workforce.
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