In Press release from Congress Member TJ Cox he outlines the benefits of the latest stimulus package.
Tonight, Rep. TJ Cox (CA-21) and his House colleagues voted on and passed the Heroes Act, the House’s latest bill to address the unprecedented COVID-19 health and economic crisis. This follows the CARES Act signed into law on March 27th.
This pandemic shows the need for a legislative package that meets the crisis we are facing. That is why the House voted to pass the Heroes Act to protect the lives and livelihoods of the American people and the life of our democracy. To help Americans, the Act:
- Supports small businesses by strengthening the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
- Gives a second round of direct payments of up to $1200 for individuals or $6000 per household,
- Extends $600 federal unemployment benefits through next January,
- Prohibits the shutoff of utilities during the crisis,
- Protects farmworkers by providing pandemic premium pay for frontline workers,
- Commits another $75 billion for testing, tracing, and treatment for COVID-19, including specific funding for testing how COVID-19 affects farmers and farmworkers,
- Provides $100 million for the Specialty Crop Block Grant,
- Provides $500 million to reimburse dairies for contributions to the Emergency Dairy Donation Program, as well as another half a billion for the Dairy Recourse Loan Program,
- Provides special funding for municipalities under 50,000 residents, which is most of the Central Valley,
- Strengthens food security by increasing the maximum SNAP benefits by 15% and providing $10 billion to support anticipated increases in participation in SNAP,
- Provides $1 trillion to state, local, territorial and tribal governments to pay vital workers,
- Creates a $200 billion Heroes’ fund to ensure that essential workers receive hazard pay, and
- Protects our democracy with new resources to ensure safe elections, an accurate Census, and preserve the Postal Service.