Mucarsel-Powell Applauds Passage Of Historic Bipartisan Coronavirus Response Legislation That Supports South Florida Workers And Businesses

Statement

Date: March 27, 2020
Location: Washington, DC

Today, U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26) voted to pass the historic CARES Act legislation, which will provide much-needed assistance to struggling workers and families in South Florida during the coronavirus pandemic.

"The crisis facing our nation is unprecedented in scope and impact and so is the emergency response legislation that I am supporting today," said Mucarsel-Powell. "Those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, to nurses and doctors, students, and our most vulnerable should know that my colleagues and I worked tirelessly on a coordinated, fully-funded, whole-of-government response to keep them and their loved ones safe from the coronavirus epidemic. This bipartisan bill is not perfect but it will provide immediate and direct payments to individuals and families, loans to keep small and mid-sized businesses open, and critical funding for hospitals and front line health workers. I am proud to have fought for increased unemployment insurance benefits for Floridians and to ensure that corporations use federal funds to retain employees. While this is not the last coronavirus response bill that I will vote on, it is an important and historic step to saving millions of lives, jobs and businesses."

Mucarsel-Powell caught an early flight to Washington, D.C. Friday morning in order to cast her vote for this critical legislation and ensure passage. A downloadable video statement can be found HERE.

Here are just a few of the numerous initiatives in this historic piece of legislation that will benefit the residents of Florida:

A $150 Billion State and Local Coronavirus Relief Fund: Creates a $150 billion State and Local Coronavirus Relief Fund to provide states and localities additional resources to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. It is estimated that our state of Florida will receive $8,328 million in desperately needed funds to benefit our state's residents.
$260 Billion in Dramatically Expanded Unemployment Benefits: Includes numerous provisions to improve unemployment benefits including providing an additional $600 per week for the next four months, providing an additional 13 weeks of federally funded benefits, and expanding eligibility to include workers in the gig economy and self-employed workers.
Immediate Direct Cash Payments to Lower and Middle-Income Americans: Provides for immediate, direct cash payments to lower-and middle-income Americans of $1,200 for each adult and $500 for each child, beginning to phase out at an annual income of $75,000 for an individual and $150,000 for a household. These payments will provide individuals with the cash they need right now to survive with much of the economy currently shut down.
More Than $375 Billion in Small Business Relief: Provides more than $375 billion in small business relief, including $349 billion for forgivable loans to small businesses to pay their employees and keep them on the payroll; $17 billion for debt relief for current and new SBA borrowers; and $10 billion in immediate disaster grants.
Approximately $200 Billion for Our Hospitals, Health Care Workers, and Health Research: Provides an investment of about $200 billion in our hospitals, health systems, and health research, including expanding funding for the personal protective equipment desperately needed by our health care workers, including ventilators, n95 masks, gowns, gloves, etc.
More Than $100 Billion in Additional Emergency Appropriations, Including the Following:
Transit Agencies: Provides $25 billion to transit agencies, which have all seen a drastic drop in revenues as social distancing has been implemented. This funding is to be used to protect the jobs of the employees of the transit agencies, funding their paychecks during this public health emergency. Our state of Florida will receive approximately $9.7 million under this program. [TABLE]
HUD Emergency Solution Grants: Provides $2 billion for HUD Emergency Solution Grants to states that will be distributed by formula. These grants are designed to address the impact of the coronavirus among individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and to support additional homeless assistance, prevention, and eviction prevention assistance. Of this $2 billion, our state will receive approximately $91 million. In addition, the bill provides an additional $2 billion for these grants that will be allocated by HUD to the most hard-pressed areas. [TABLE]
Child Care and Development Block Grant: Supports child care and early education by providing $3.5 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant. Our state will receive approximately $222 million under this emergency appropriation. [TABLE]
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Provides $900 million to help low-income families pay their heating and cooling bills. Our state will receive $53 million for this purpose during this public health emergency. [TABLE]
Byrne-Justice Assistance Grant Program: Provides $850 million for this program, giving additional support to state and local law enforcement agencies, thereby allowing them, for example, to obtain the personal protective equipment and other medical items they may need during this public health emergency. Our state will receive approximately $52 million under this appropriation. [TABLE]
CDC Coronavirus State, Local and Tribal Grants Minimum Awards: Provides about $750 million in CDC State, Local, and . Tribal Grants Minimum Awards to help agencies cope with the public health emergency. The minimum award for our state is approximately $30 million. In addition, states can apply for additional funds above their minimum award, based on their needs. [TABLE]
Election Assistance: Provides $400 million for Election Assistance Grants for states to help prepare for the 2020 elections. Coronavirus is already resulting in the postponement of some primaries and this funding can help states make voting safer for individuals. Funding can be used, for example, to increase the ability to vote by mail, expand early voting, and expand online registration. Our state will receive approximately $20 million for these purposes. [TABLE]


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