Schakowsky Votes to Send American Rescue Plan to President Biden's Desk
Press Release
Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and a senior member of the House Budget Committee, voted to pass President Biden's American Rescue Plan Act, which was approved in the House of Representatives by a vote of 220-211.
"Today I voted for and helped pass President Biden's American Rescue Plan Act to provide urgently needed COVID-19 relief. This plan includes critical funding for our states, counties, cities, and municipalities that are starving for aid just to cover their most immediate needs and close massive budget shortfalls brought on by this pandemic. In Illinois, we see cities, counties, and towns whose health care systems, emergency services, sanitation, water treatment, schools, and other essential public services are on the verge of collapse. In Chicago alone, we're facing a $1.2 billion shortfall for fiscal year "21 as a direct result of this pandemic."
Help is on the way for our IL-09 communities:
$7.5 billion for the State of Illinois
$998 million for Cook County
$1.98 billion for the City of Chicago
$6.95 million for Arlington Heights
$7.66 million for Des Plaines
$45.78 million for Evanston
$5.84 million for Glenview
$60,000 for Golf
$2.82 million for Morton Grove
$4.57 million for Park Ridge
$15.34 million for Skokie
$3.35 million for Wilmette
$1.52 million for Winnetka
In the battle against COVID-19, emergency help is on the way to Illinois:
Approximately $275 million in vaccine distribution money for Illinois
Approximately $1.5 billion in testing and public health money for Illinois health departments
Hundreds of millions for Illinois community health centers and health workforce
Tens of millions for Illinois hospitals
More than $100 million for mental health and substance abuse treatment efforts in Illinois
Lowers health premiums on the Affordable Care Act for the average Illinois couple by $1,300
Nearly 800,000 Illinoisans are claiming unemployment benefits--resulting in many also without health insurance during the pandemic. Many of these individuals and their families will now be able to stay on their employer-sponsored health plans through September, for free via COBRA.
For the hardest hit workers and families:
The American Rescue Plan Act puts money in people's pockets. The bill provides $1400 in direct stimulus payments; $3600 in tax credits for children under 6; and $3000 for other children up to 17 years old
Nearly 7.6 million Illinois adults and more than 3 million Illinois children will benefit from another round of relief checks. This is targeted relief that will reach 85 percent of all Illinois adults and 83 percent of all Illinois children
Extends federal unemployment programs through September 6, which affects 205,000 Illinoisans claiming Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and 251,000 Illinoisans claiming Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
Up to $10,200 in unemployment benefits will be exempt from federal income taxes for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans that have claimed unemployment insurance benefits in 2020
To open our schools safely:
Around $5 billion for Illinois K-12 schools
Estimated $1.3 billion for Illinois institutions of higher education
Estimated $39 million for Illinois Head Start programs
Estimated $1.3 billion to support child care providers in Illinois
Transportation:
Estimated $1.5 billion in transit funding for the Chicago region as part of the $30 billion for transit in the bill, which will help fund operating expenses and payroll for frontline workers of the CTA, Metra, and Pace through 2023.
Estimated $388 million for Illinois airports as part of the $8 billion for airports and airport concessions in the bill.
Protects thousands of airline industry jobs in Illinois by providing $15 billion to extend the airline worker payroll support program for six months along with an additional $3 billion for payroll support for aviation manufacturers.
Protects hundreds of Amtrak jobs in Illinois by restoring furloughs and reversing service cuts as part of the $1.7 billion included in the bill for Amtrak.
Housing:
The American Rescue Plan includes urgently needed housing assistance, including $26 billion for emergency rental assistance, $10 billion to help homeowners make mortgage, property tax, property insurance, and other housing related payments, and $4.75 billion to help Americans experiencing homelessness. The bill also provides $5 billion to ensure low-income Americans can keep their lights on, the heat working, and their water running
Illinois will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for homeowner assistance to provide homeowners with direct help with mortgage payments.
Illinois, the City of Chicago, and several eligible counties will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for emergency rental assistance to help renters with unpaid rent, utilities, and other housing related costs.
Multiemployer Pension Relief:
By prolonging the solvency of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), more than 100,000 Illinoisans will have their hard-earned pension benefits preserved.
Food Security:
Extends 15 percent SNAP benefit increase through September 30, 2021, which would help 2 million people in Illinois, and increases the WIC benefit.
Extends the Pandemic-EBT feeding program through next school year, to support one million children in Illinois who are not able to access consistent meals at school.
Disaster Relief:
Allocates $50 billion to replenish FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund, which provides COVID-19 assistance to Illinois at a 100 percent federal cost share.
Provides $300 million in firefighter grants, including $200 million for SAFER grants to increase emergency personnel staffing, and $100 million for Assistance to Firefighter grants to for fire departments to purchase equipment and resources.
Provides $400 million for FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which funds nonprofits helping households that are experiencing, or at risk of, food insecurity or homelessness.
Veterans:
Includes $250 million in one-time emergency, per-diem funding to state veterans homes based on the census of veterans state home residents. According to census data from the end of 2020, Illinois Veterans Homes would receive $7.2 million from this account.
Schakowsky continued, "While we continue fighting to end this pandemic once and for all, please know that you can reach out to my office for assistance anytime. We will do our best to get you the help that you need. And please know that I will continue working to ensure that our families and communities in the Chicagoland area and across the country are able to fully recover from this devastating pandemic."
For a detailed fact sheet on the American Rescue Plan Act, please visit this page on my website.
Information on accessing these programs will be available on the Congresswoman's website at https://schakowsky.house.gov/coronavirus, as they become available in the coming days and weeks.
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