Rep. Stevens Votes to Pass Updated HEROES Act

WASHINGTON — Last night, Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11) voted to pass the updated HEROES Act, legislation to provide emergency relief for the American people as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the country. The updated HEROES Act will protect the lives and livelihoods of American families, and is in line with what scientists and public health experts say is needed to address the ongoing health and economic crisis.

This legislation provides relief to schools, child care providers, small businesses, and businesses from sectors that have been hit particularly hard like restaurants and performance spaces. It provides an extension of payroll support for airline workers to reduce furloughs. The bill also provides funding for COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and vaccine development. Lastly, the bill supports struggling American families with another round of $1,200 Economic Impact Payments, an extension of enhanced unemployment benefits, additional funding for nutrition assistance, and funding to stabilize the postal service which has been a lifeline for so many Americans during the pandemic.

The updated HEROES Act also includes provisions championed by Rep. Stevens, including robust federal funding to replace lost revenues for state and local governments, expansion of paid family and medical leave, support for the child care sector, stabilization of struggling multi-employer pension plans, funding to support the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program, and support for low-income families to afford their utility bills as temperatures begin to drop.

“While we have made progress since the early days of this pandemic, the American people still desperately need Congress to step up and provide much-needed relief as this virus continues to spread and our economy continues to stagnate,” said Congresswoman Stevens. “It is unacceptable that Michiganders have already waited this long to receive additional relief for families, small businesses, and local governments. We will not be able to fully rebuild our economy until we defeat COVID-19 through investments in testing, contact tracing, and vaccine development, all of which are included in this bill. This legislation is not a perfect solution, but after several months of waiting for the Senate to act, this updated HEROES Act represents a reasonable compromise proposal that deserves immediate consideration in the Senate.”

Click HERE for a fact sheet on the updated HEROES Act.

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