Congress Considers Next Round of COVID-19 Response

The Senate returned to Washington last week and the House is expected to return late this week for a vote on House Democrats’ Phase Four proposal. On Tuesday, House Democrats released the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act. You can find text here, a summary here, and an overview of state and local relief funding provisions here. The 1,815 page, $3 trillion legislation includes a cornucopia of spending, including $1 trillion in assistance to state and local governments and another round of $1,200 payments to individuals.

Relevant highlights include:

• $15 billion for state Departments of Transportation
• Expansion of the Employee Retention Tax Credit
• Clarification that funds received through Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans are not subject to tax as revenue
• Extension of the window for using PPP loans
• Inclusion of all 501(c) organizations, including 501(c)6s, as eligible for PPP loans
• Extension of additional $600/week unemployment benefits to January

The legislation did not include liability protections for business as states reopen their economies.The House Rules Committee will meet Thursday to pass a rule for consideration of the HEROES Act as well as a measure to allow for proxy voting. You can see the Rules Committee’s proceedings here. The House is expected to pass the HEROES Act as early as Friday. The legislation is expected to receive a cool reception in the Senate where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is in no rush to consider additional multi-trillion dollar bills. The legislation should be seen as an opening negotiation from the House.

For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org.