Senator Doug Jones of Alabama Votes to Pass Strengthened Economic Relief Package –

By Glynn Wilson –

The largest fiscal stimulus bill ever passed by the United States Congress, containing $2.2 trillion intended to flood the country with cash in an effort to stem the debilitating impact on the economy of the coronavirus pandemic, is expected to pass in the House on Friday by a voice vote after passing unanimously in the Senate Wednesday night 96-0.

“Tomorrow we’ll bring the bill to the floor,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday. “It will pass with strong bipartisan support.”

The legislation will rush direct payments to Americans within three weeks after Republican President Donald Trump signs it into law, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The package of bills provides payments of up to $1,200 for single tax-filers that make $75,000 or less last year, and $2,400 for joint tax-filers that make $150,000 or less. Families would receive an additional $500 per child.

It extends the federal tax filing deadline from April 15 to July 15, and expands unemployment benefits to allow part-time, self-employed, gig economy, and furloughed workers to access benefits for the first time.

It sets aside $15.5 billion in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) contingency reserve for people on Food Stamps, and provides $3.5 billion in additional funding to provide child care assistance to health care sector employees, emergency responders, sanitation workers, and other workers deemed “essential” during the response to the coronavirus, regardless of income eligibility requirements.

Pelosi said there was no question more money would be needed to fight the coronavirus outbreak and the economic recession caused by it, and vowed to keep House committees working on it even if the full chamber is not in session. Some members are quaranteened and can’t show up to vote in person, and other members have already gone back to their home states during the current recess and some of those states have travel restrictions in place, such as New York, Washington state, California and Louisiana, where the virus is taking the heaviest toll so far.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer made the case for why only the federal government can deal with such a huge health and economic problem.

“When there’s a crisis of this magnitude, the private sector cannot solve it,” he said on the Senate floor. “Individuals, even with bravery and valor, are not powerful enough to beat it back. Government is the only force large enough to staunch the bleeding and begin the healing.”

Alabama

In states such as Alabama, where citizens turn to their own Senators for informaiton and answers, Senator Doug Jones of Birmingham has been working to make sure his state and people are covered by the stimulous package, which he voted for.

“From robust funding for hospitals and community health centers, to loans and grants to small businesses to keep their doors open and workers employed, this bill will provide help for the people in Alabama who need it most,” the Democrat said in a press release on Thursday. He is a member of both the Senate health and banking committees, key to drawing up the bills.

After the first measure failed to earn enough votes to advance on Sunday evening, he said, because Democrats opposed the pro-big business nature of the first proposal with no regulations on how the money could be spent and not enough aid to help working individuals and families, negotiations continued and the final set of bills includes significant improvements to help workers, health care providers, and others who are most vulnerable to the economic fallout of COVID-19.

“I’m relieved that we were able to continue negotiations to create a bipartisan package that meets Alabama’s critical needs and provides money for the millions of folks who have been laid off across the country,” he said. “While this is another major step to provide relief for Americans who are struggling right now, Congress and the Administration must continue to work to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to prevent the spread of this virus and to provide working people and small businesses with the help they need to keep their heads above water.”

New provisions in the final bill that were not included in Sunday’s package include up to 4 months of unemployment insurance benefits instead of 3 months, with an additional $600 benefit per week. Now unemployed workers could receive 39 weeks of unemployment benefits through the end of 2020.

It includes a $55 billion increase from previous drafts, now providing a total of $150 billion to help hospitals and health care providers “who are on the front lines of this pandemic,” he said.

The package increases funding for state and local governments, providing $150 billion for a state, tribal, and local Coronavirus Relief fund. Alabama will receive no less than $1.25 billion under this fund, the Senator said.

The package supports schools and students by providing $30.75 billion for an Education Stabilization Fund, and it provides federal student loan cancelation for students who withdrew due to COVID-19. It suspends federal student loan payments without accrual of interest until September 30, 2020.

The package of bills provides assistance for small businesses, inculuding $10 billion for SBA emergency grants of up to $10,000 to provide immediate relief for small business operating costs.

Senator Jones said he specifically advocated for Alabama priorities in the bill, including Jones-Cassidy legislation requiring that insurance companies cover the costs of a future approved COVID-19 vaccine.

He made sure the bill included $1 billion to historically black colleges and other minority-serving institutions.

He got a Jones-Brown bill included to prevent landlords from evicting renters during the coronavirus crisis, as well as a Jones-Rounds bill to establish a Ready Reserve Corps to ensure vital health care jobs are filled when disasters strike in the U.S. and a Jones-Toomey bill to fix a drafting error in current tax law and help spur Main Street investments.

Jones proposal to help small business continue to make payroll for employees through payroll providers was included in the final package of bills.

As Congress looks to draft future relief packages, Senator Jones said he will continue to work toward including important policies like expanding early voting and vote-by-mail, and incentives for states to expand Medicaid.

In response to my question about how those on Social Security are to be aided by this legislaiton, along with those who do not earn enough wages on an annual basis to file income tax forms, a member of Senator Jones staff, Press Secretary Caroline Jones Stonecipher, provided a quick reply with answers you won’t find in other reporting on this important story.

For the Poor and Those on Social Security

People who file taxes, and many people who receive Social Security and SSDI, will receive the direct payment benefit without having to take any extra steps, she said. People whose incomes are so low that they don’t file taxes can either file a 2019 return, even though they don’t have tax liability, and get the benefit now. Or they can file a 2020 return starting next January and get it then.

“But it is tied to the tax forms,” she said. “Social Security automatically is shared with the IRS so that’s why those folks won’t have to do anything extra.”