House to Pass Covid-19 Relief, Including Bipartisan Schneider Bills Improving Health Care

Statement

Today, the House of Representatives will pass the negotiated COVID-19 relief deal, initially framed and helped along by sustained efforts from the Problem Solvers Caucus, of which Schneider is a founding member. The bill will also include two bills led by Schneider, the BENES Act and the Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act. Additionally, the bill includes Schneider's initiative to train 1000 additional doctors annually, based on language from his Opioid Workforce Act.

"This package should have been delivered months ago and there's still much needed assistance missing from the final agreement. But right now, it's better to be late than to never pass a bill. Today, we will deliver funding to accelerate vaccine distribution, support small businesses, and provide rental assistance and $600 direct payment checks," said Brad Schneider. "I'm proud to be a part of the Problem Solvers Caucus, the bipartisan group that kept the negotiations alive and allowed us to get to this place. And I'm proud that my legislation supporting hospitals and streamlining Medicare enrollment will be included in the bill. Nevertheless, this agreement is only a down payment on what is needed to get our country back to healthy -- physically and economically. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House, and the bicameral work of the Problem Solvers Caucus to make sure Congress remains focused on the needs of our communities, our health care system, our state and local governments and our nation as a whole in the new year."

The spending package contains $900 billion in emergency coronavirus relief to protect the lives and livelihoods of the American people. Among its provisions, the bill provides:

Billions in urgently need funds to accelerate the free and equitable distribution of safe vaccines to crush the virus;
$13 billion in increased SNAP and child nutrition benefits to help relieve the COVID hunger crisis;
A new round of direct payments worth up to $600 per adult and child;
A $300 per week UI enhancement for Americans out of work;
$82 billion in funding for colleges and schools and $10 billion for child care assistance to help get parents back to work and keep child care providers open; and
An additional $3.36 billion for a total of $4 billion for GAVI, the international vaccine alliance, recognizing that we are not truly safe until the whole world is safe from the coronavirus.

Provisions for small business include:

Clarifies the deductibility of PPP-related expenses, including the tax-treatment of EIDL Advances for those with PPP loans
Expands PPP funds to be used towards certain operational expenses, like purchasing worker PPE, while remaining forgivable
Creates simplified loan forgiveness process for recipients of $150,000 or less in PPP funds
Allows for a "second draw" for certain PPP borrowers, focused on hardest-hit industries and smallest businesses
Makes most 501(c)(6) organizations -- like local chambers of commerce -- eligible for PPP loans
Sets up $15 billion in funds specifically for live venues, museums, and movie theaters

The text of the spending package, H.R. 133, is available here.

A division-by-division summary of the appropriations provisions is here. A division-by-division summary of the coronavirus relief provisions is here. A division-by-division of the authorizing matters is here.

One-page fact sheets on critical priorities included among the appropriations provisions, the coronavirus relief provisions, and the authorizing matters are here, here, and here respectively.

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