District 3 Congressman to Host Town Hall Meeting

By Debra Dingman

Confused or worried citizens in District 3 which includes Lake, Glenn, Colusa, Yuba, Sutter, Yolo, and Solano Counties are invited to a call-in Town Hall Meeting provided by Congressman John Garamendi. It will be held on Monday, March 23, at 6:30 pm. The number to call at that time will be (855) 962-1140.

This legislation, Families First Corona Virus Response Act now signed into law, is the second phase of providing the resources American families need to protect themselves from the spread of the novel coronavirus without fear of losing their wages and other necessities.

The legislation includes:

• Free coronavirus testing by ensuring that everyone has access to testing at no cost, including those with private insurance, Medicare Advantage or Original Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, VA, FEHBP, and TRICARE, as well as the uninsured.
• Paid emergency leave by establishing an Emergency Paid Leave Program to ensure those who take leave to avoid spreading the virus or due to illness or caregiving responsibilities can pay their bills.
• Enhanced Unemployment Insurance by giving states the resources and flexibility to provide unemployment benefits to laid-off and furloughed workers, as well as workers who exhaust their allotted paid leave.
• Strengthened food security initiatives by including more than $1 billion to provide nutritious foods to low-income pregnant women and mothers with young children, help local food banks and provide home-delivered meals to seniors.
• Increased federal funds for Medicaid by increasing the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) that the federal government provides to state and territorial Medicaid programs. This will prevent states from cutting Medicaid benefits.

Garamendi will be joined by local health officials to address citizen's concerns and answer questions in regards to the Corona virus (COVID-19.)