U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet has reintroduced legislation with nearly a dozen other Democratic senators to create a “Health Force” that would hire workers to perform a variety of tasks nationwide related to infection control and response.

“For the past 10 months, Washington has allowed the virus to manage us instead of taking action to manage the virus. Despite the heroic efforts of front-line health workers, chronic underinvestment in our public health infrastructure has only compounded the damage,” Bennet said. “We need a new approach.”

Last year, he and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced a similar bill that took inspiration from the Great Depression’s Works Progress Administration. Under the “Health Force,” workers could conduct contact tracing, support the administration of vaccinations, and provide information and support for hard-to-reach communities. The program would cost $40 billion per year.

A spokesperson for Bennet in 2020 said the name was not a reference to the U.S. Space Force.

Also in the legislation is a “Resiliency Force,” intended to employ 62,000 responders through the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support the logistical tasks of responding to the public health emergency. Those responsibilities would include assisting in the supply chain for protective equipment, building infrastructure that complies with COVID-19 protocols and responding to other natural disasters.