Courtney Statement on House Introduction of The Heroes Act | Congressman Joe Courtney
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Courtney Statement on House Introduction of The Heroes Act

May 12, 2020

NORWICH, CT – Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) issued a statement this afternoon following the House introduction of the newly negotiated The Heroes Act. TheHeroes Act is a bold and comprehensive bill that would authorize more than $3 trillion in to protect the lives and livelihoods of the American people as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a toll on families, small businesses, states and local governments, and many others. TheHeroes Act represents the fourth major COVID-19 response package that the House will consider.

"In the time since Congress came together to pass the bipartisan CARES Act, the pain being felt by Americans all across the country has rapidly increased," said Rep. Courtney. "The unemployment rate is accelerating at a speed that we haven't seen since the Great Depression, and my office has heard from thousands of families, small employers, nonprofits, and local officials who are facing steep budget shortfalls that have real-life, immediate consequences. Folks in eastern Connecticut have been doing their part, and Congress has got to keep working to support them in real time because the economic fallout of this pandemic isn't slowing down – people is still have rent to pay, food to put on the table, employees to compensate, and dreams to pursue. The velocity and scale at which the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting our economy requires a sustained and powerful response, and that's what we've presented with the introduction of The Heroes Act."

Among its many provisions, TheHeroes Act:

  • Honors our heroes, by providing nearly $1 trillion to state, local, territorial and tribal governments who desperately need funds to pay vital workers like first responders, health workers, and teachers who keep us safe and are in danger of losing their jobs;
  • Establishes a Heroes' Fund for essential workers, with $200 billion to ensure that essential workers in key sectors who have labored throughout the pandemic – including shipbuilders who are working in a shipyard performing shipbuilding or repair work under contract or subcontract to DOD for military or other national security purposes – receive hazard pay;
  • Supports testing, tracing and treatment, by providing another $75 billion for coronavirus testing, contact tracing and isolation measures, ensuring every American can access free coronavirus treatment, and supporting hospitals and providers;
  • Provides additional direct payments, cushioning the economic blow of the coronavirus crisis with a second round of more substantial economic impact payments of $1,200 per family member, up to $6,000 per household;
  • Protects payrolls, by enhancing the new employee retention tax credit that encourages employers to keep employees on payroll, allowing 60 million Americans to remain connected to their paychecks and benefits;
  • Ensures worker safety, by requiring OSHA to issue a strong, enforceable standard within seven days to require all workplaces to develop and implement infection control plans based on CDC expertise, and prevents employers from retaliating against workers who report infection control problems;
  • Supports small businesses and nonprofits, by strengthening the Payroll Protection Program to ensure that it reaches underserved communities, nonprofits of all sizes and types and responds flexibly to small businesses by providing $10 billion for Covid-19 emergency grants through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program;
  • Preserves health coverage, by protecting Americans losing their employer-provided health insurance with COBRA subsidies to maintain their coverage and creating a special enrollment period in the ACA exchanges for uninsured Americans;
  • Extends unemployment benefits, ensuring weekly $600 federal unemployment payments through next January, providing a vital safety net for the record number of Americans who are unemployed;
  • Bolsters housing assistance, helping struggling families afford a safe place to live with $175 billion in new supports to assist renters and homeowners make monthly rent, mortgage and utility payments and other housing-related costs;
  • Strengthens food security, addressing rising hunger with a 15 percent increase to the maximum SNAP benefit and additional funding for nutrition programs that help families put food on the table;
  • Safeguards our democracy, with new resources to ensure safe elections, an accurate Census, and preserve the Postal Service

The Heroes Act is the fourth major bipartisan COVID-19 response bill that the House will consider. Today's introduction follows the passage and signing into law of the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and theCoronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The House also passed H.R. 266, another bipartisan bill that provided stop-gap funding to important CARES Act programs, and expanded them to farmers.

The text of The Heroes Act, H.R. 6800, is here. A one pager on the legislation is here. A section-by-section summary is here. A resource on the state and local relief provisions is here.

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