Did The Hazard Bill Pay Passed? Here’s What You Need To Know

The question of whether hazard pay legislation for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic passed Congress has been a hot topic lately. With frontline employees still facing health risks there is ongoing discussion around providing additional compensation. But did a hazard pay bill actually make it through both chambers and get signed into law? Let’s break down what happened and what it means.

The HEROES Act and Initial Hazard Pay Provisions

In May 2020, the US. House of Representatives passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act This sweeping $3 trillion stimulus package included $200 billion allocated for “pandemic premium pay” – essentially hazard pay bonuses – for essential workers.

Specifically, the HEROES Act called for essential employees to receive an additional $13 per hour, up to a maximum of either $10,000 or $5,000 depending on their income. Workers making less than $200,000 annually would qualify for up to $10,000 in hazard pay, while those above $200,000 could get up to $5,000. The pay was retroactive to January 27, 2020 and would continue for 60 days after the pandemic’s end.

So the initial hazard pay provision passed the House but still needed Senate approval.

Stalling in the Senate

While the HEROES Act passed the Democrat-controlled House, it stalled in the Republican-led Senate. The GOP took issue with many components of the wide-ranging package, calling it a “liberal wishlist.” Specific hazard pay language was not cited, but the overall bill was deemed “dead on arrival.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said his chamber would likely take up a “smaller” COVID relief bill. Some Senate Republicans voiced support for premium pay for frontline workers who braved risks, so a scaled-back version still seemed possible. But the HEROES Act framework looked unlikely to advance.

Other Federal Hazard Pay Proposals

The HEROES Act was not the only federal hazard pay proposal circulated. In May 2020, Senator Mitt Romney introduced the Patriot Pay Act, which would have provided essential workers with bonuses equal to $12 per hour extra from May to July, capped at $12,000. It targeted lower-income employees making under $90,000 annually. But this bill did not advance either.

President Trump also expressed support for hazard pay for healthcare workers. In April 2020, he called additional compensation for doctors, nurses and others on the pandemic frontlines “so important.” But ultimately none of these federal proposals passed both chambers.

State and Local Action

With federal hazard pay stalled, some states and localities created their own premium pay programs for essential workers, though tight budgets made that difficult. For example, Vermont allocated grants to employers to provide up to $2,000 in hazard pay per employee. Cities like Seattle and Los Angeles also implemented smaller-scale hazard pay for grocery workers. But federal legislation did not materialize.

Hazard Pay Absent from Subsequent Relief Bills

Congress did pass additional COVID relief bills even without dedicated hazard pay provisions. The December 2020 package sent direct stimulus checks to individuals but did not include extra compensation specifically for essential workers.

Some hoped hazard pay might resurface in 2021 under full Democratic control, but it was left out of legislation like the American Rescue Plan. Efforts shifted more toward general worker protections versus targeted essential employee pay.

Why Hazard Pay Legislation Stalled

Several key factors contributed to federal hazard pay legislation stalling:

• Cost: The estimated $200 billion price tag of the initial House proposal made some lawmakers balk. There were concerns about the impact on the budget deficit.

• Scope concerns: There were debates around which workers should qualify as “essential” and whether pay should be capped based on income. Complex logistics would have been required for rollout.

• Partisan divisions: COVID relief bills faced party-line disputes. Hazard pay got caught up in broader spending fights despite some bipartisan support.

• Changing priorities: As the pandemic persisted, congressional priorities shifted. Hazard pay fell lower on the list behind stimulus checks, unemployment aid, and vaccines.

• Vaccine rollout: Some policymakers likely felt heightened urgency around hazard pay before vaccines were available to protect frontline workers.

What This Means for Essential Workers

While widely proposed, dedicated hazard pay for essential workers did not ultimately pass at the federal level. Supporters maintained the moral argument that those who risked their lives in vital jobs deserved extra pay.

But without a federal mandate, any additional compensation was left up to state/local governments and individual employers. Some did take action, but many essential workers likely did not receive pandemic premium pay. For most, hazard pay remains an unfinished debate, not a reality.

As the pandemic continues, there could be renewed calls for essential employee compensation. But so far, congressional proposals have yet to make meaningful progress despite prominent discussion of the topic. Any future efforts would face the same tall obstacles that previously stalled momentum.

For now, robust hazard pay legislation sought by advocates as a way to honor frontline workers and account for their risks has not come to fruition in Congress. But the fight for additional essential employee pay could persist as the pandemic drags on.