Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Lt. Gov. Josh Green Discuss HEROES Act, Coronavirus Testing and Tracing

Press Release

Yesterday, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) hosted a telephone town hall to update Hawai"i residents about the coronavirus crisis, before heading to Washington, D.C. for a scheduled vote on the next emergency assistance bill introduced in the U.S. House this week. On the call she was joined by Lt. Governor Josh Green, a physician and one of Hawai"i's leaders overseeing the state's response to the pandemic. This was the ninth of a weekly coronavirus-related live telephone town hall series Rep. Gabbard has hosted since the pandemic began to impact Hawai'i.

"Opening Hawaiʻi safely will require vigilant testing and contact tracing. As an island state, we are in a unique position to do this effectively. This should have been implemented in full force from the start of the outbreak, and we can't responsibly move forward without it," said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

Rep. Gabbard kicked off the call with an update on the latest out of Washington D.C., where she is travelling to vote on a new emergency assistance bill, H.R.6800, the Heroes Act, this Friday. The main focus of the bill is to provide financial resources to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments -- $3.3 billion of which would go to Hawai"i, divided between the state as a whole and our counties and municipalities, over two years.

The Heroes Act also includes $200 billion to provide hazard pay to our essential workers. It provides funding in a number of areas intended to help the members of the community who have been hit hardest by the crisis, including an employee retention credit, additional funding to small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) programs, $175 billion in housing assistance, additional funding for nutrition programs that help families put food on the table, education, and an extension of the the $600 weekly federal unemployment benefits payments until January 2021.

The legislation would also provide a second $1,200 direct payment to all individuals, including dependents, up to $6,000 per household. Rep. Gabbard was the first in Congress to call for a monthly direct payment to continue as long as the crisis continues, and will continue to fight for a monthly emergency basic payment to provide certainty for Americans during this crisis.

Rep. Gabbard expressed her concern that because the Heroes Act was crafted without Republican and or White House negotiations, Friday's vote will only be a starting point before a bipartisan consensus is achieved to pass a final bill which will meet the critical needs of first responders, frontline workers, and families.

Lt. Gov Green gave an update on Hawai"i's success in flattening the curve. He noted that while the risk has gone down, it is still important to not let our guard down and maintain social distancing, mask-wearing, and personal hygiene.

Rep. Gabbard and Lt. Gov. Green answered questions on the call about the next steps as Hawai"i begins to open back up, emphasizing the importance of testing and contact tracing as the key to reopening.

Rep. Gabbard also answered questions related to the safety of our elections, noting that there is funding and language in the Heroes Act to ensure every voter can access voting by mail for the November 2020 election.

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