Representative Mikie Sherrill: Relief Package Update

Press release from the Borough of Kinnelon:

Published on Dec 29, 2020

The House and Senate passed H.R. 133, the Omnibus Appropriations and Emergency Coronavirus Relief package on December 21. Last night, the president signed it into law.

Americans have had a difficult nine months and now face a tough winter. This legislation will deliver urgently needed relief over the next few months. It ensures that families can stay in their homes and unemployed workers will continue to receive additional support. It also provides a second round of PPP assistance for small businesses, funding for vaccine distribution, and direct cash payments.

I’m glad we were able to pass this critical piece of legislation and I will continue my efforts to support New Jersey with the next administration. However, there is still work to be done. The House voted on additional legislation today to expand the direct cash payments to $2,000 and I hope that Senate Majority Leader McConnell will act immediately to do the same.

We will also need to extend relief measures again and send direct aid to state and local governments that are facing revenue shortages resulting in layoffs and budget cuts while working on the ground to provide food assistance, testing sites, and small businesses grants. I will keep working to provide support to North Jersey residents so we can get to the other side of this crisis.

I wanted to share some of the key provisions in the legislation:

Support for Families:

• Provides direct payments of $600 for individuals making up to $75,000, $1,200 for couples making up to $150,000, and $600 for each dependent child.
• Extends Unemployment Insurance benefits through March 14, 2021, with an additional $300 per week.
• Extends the CDC eviction moratorium through January 31, 2021.
• Creates the first-ever emergency federal rental assistance program to be distributed by state and local governments.
• $13 billion in increased SNAP and child nutrition benefits.

Support for Small Businesses:

• $284 billion for first and second forgivable PPP loans.
• $20 billion in new EIDL grants for businesses in low-income communities.
• $15 billion in dedicated funding for live venues, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions.
• Expands PPP eligibility for 501(c)(6) nonprofits.
• Extends and improves the Employee Retention Tax Credit to help keep workers in their jobs and provides a tax credit to support employers offering paid sick leave.

Support to Address the Public Health Crisis:

• $20 billion for vaccine procurement and therapeutics.
• $9 billion to the CDC and states for vaccine distribution.
• $22 billion to states for testing, tracing, and mitigation programs.
• $3 billion for the Strategic National Stockpile.
• Ends surprise medical billing for emergency and scheduled care, establishing a fair process for health care providers and health plans to sort out the out-of-network costs between themselves, without the patient stuck in the middle.

Support for Communities:

• $82 billion in funding for colleges and schools, including support for HVAC repair and replacement to mitigate virus transmission and reopen classrooms.
• $10 billion for child care assistance to help get parents back to work and keep child care providers open.
• $45 billion for transit, including $1 billion for Amtrak.
• $7 billion to increase access to broadband, including a new Emergency Broadband Benefit to help millions of students, families, and unemployed workers afford the broadband they need during the pandemic.
• Extends the eligibility of state and local expenses under the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund until December 31, 2021, so state and local governments can continue to provide services to residents during the pandemic with funding they received from the CARES Act.

My office will continue to provide you updates on programs and other announcements as we receive them. We expect that the Treasury Department will start issuing checks shortly. Our four counties are all developing plans for vaccine distribution. To stay informed, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter and forward this message to your neighbors who you think would also like to receive this information from my team.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office with any issues you are having related to federal programs. You can email nj11casework@mail.house.gov or fill out a casework form here on my website.

Sincerely,

Mikie Sherrill

This press release was produced by the Borough of Kinnelon. The views expressed here are the author's own.