[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 94 (Tuesday, May 19, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E466-E467]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HEALTH AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY OMNIBUS EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. SUZANNE BONAMICI

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 15, 2020

  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6800, the Health 
and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act. Our 
nation is experiencing unprecedented job loss as our communities deal 
with a global health pandemic that is responsible for the deaths of 
more than 85,000 individuals in our country in just the past few 
months. We cannot wait another day, another week, or another month to 
take action. Our communities need help now and they are looking to 
Congress to lead. I'm grateful for the leadership of the House of 
Representatives, Speaker Pelosi, and our committee chairs and staff for 
working with us to put together an ambitious bill that will send needed 
help to individuals and families in the form of an additional direct 
stimulus payment; to our state and local governments, which are 
experiencing extreme budget shortfalls; and to our small businesses 
that are the backbone of our local economies and the heart of our 
communities. Although I am disappointed that the bill does not include 
several provisions including ongoing payments for individuals and 
families, additional funding to support child care, and a strong 
investment in our workforce systems, among other things, I will support 
this step forward.
  We heard loud and clear from our state and local governments--they 
need more support to keep our communities safe. This bill includes $915 
billion in emergency funding to state and local governments, funding 
that can be used to help prevent teacher job loss and funding cuts to 
education and, importantly, the bill expands the use of funds to cover 
lost, delayed, or decreased revenue from the public health emergency. 
The HEROES Act also includes $90 billion for the State Fiscal 
Stabilization Fund that can be used to provide emergency support to 
students--including Dreamers, who were previously excluded from 
receiving emergency grants--schools, and institutions of higher 
education. These funds are critical to supporting public colleges and 
universities, addressing student mental health needs, and purchasing 
technology and mobile hotspots to support distance learning. Under this 
proposal, my home state of Oregon would receive approximately $980 
million.
  During this public health crisis, no one should have to choose 
between affording basic needs or making payments on their student 
loans. The CARES Act suspended involuntary collection like wage 
garnishment or reduction of Social Security payments for delinquent 
federally-owned student loans. The HEROES Act follows my recommendation 
to extend these protections to all borrowers, including those who have 
privately held student loans.
  Building on my earlier efforts to make sure K12 students can access 
school meals during school closures, this legislation funds school meal 
and child and adult care food programs with emergency relief that will 
help schools continue to meet the needs of children and their families. 
This bill will further help families access nutritious meals by 
increasing the SNAP benefit level by 15 percent.
  I am grateful that this bill provides $7 billion for child care, but 
this is far from the investment that is needed to support families, 
providers, and the child care workforce at this critical time. I will 
continue to fight for significant, additional funding in future relief 
packages. If child care is not available and affordable, families will 
not be able to return to work. Additionally, I will continue to fight 
for additional funding for the Community Services Block Grant program 
to support the vital anti-poverty work of the more than 1,000 Community 
Action agencies across this country.
  We cannot overcome this virus until we drastically increase our 
public health efforts. The HEROES Act provides crucial funding to 
conduct national testing, implement a contact tracing and surveillance 
strategy, and allow all Americans to seek treatment for COVID-19 
without worrying about the cost. The bill also increases support for 
our frontline health care providers, invests in public health 
infrastructure, and expands access to health coverage whether employer-
provided, publicly supported, or on the open market. The HEROES Act 
also provides key resources to older adults and people with 
disabilities. The bill provides an additional $85 million in funding 
for Older Americans Act (OAA) programs that were reauthorized earlier 
this year by legislation I was proud to lead. This means more resources 
for supportive services, nutrition programs, assistive technology, and 
elder rights protection activities.
  The direct payments to individuals in the CARES Act was an important 
first step, but I know that too many people in Northwest Oregon and 
across the country need more support during this health and economic 
crisis. Although this bill does not provide at least $2,000 per month 
for individuals through the duration of the pandemic, which I advocated 
for, it does provide a second stimulus payment of $1200 to most 
individuals and, importantly, it retroactively fixes a problem in CARES 
and will now extend direct payments to individuals filing with 
Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers.
  More than 396,000 Oregonians have filed for unemployment insurance in 
the last two months. I know how important this support is during the 
pandemic, and I'm working in Congress to strengthen and expedite access 
to these benefits. The HEROES Act expands the additional $600 in 
federal benefits added to every weekly unemployment compensation check 
through January 2021, and it extends eligibility for self-employed 
individuals, gig economy workers, and independent contractors. This 
vital economic support must continue until workers can safely get back 
on the job. Also it is truly unfortunate that, despite the merits of a 
more comprehensive approach, the HEROES Act does not include the 
Paycheck Guarantee Act, legislation spearheaded by Congresswoman 
Pramila Jayapal. The Paycheck Guarantee Act would allow most 
individuals to stay on payroll during this national emergency and keep 
their benefits, and it would also significantly reduce the number of 
people filing for Unemployment Insurance. I will continue to advocate 
for creative approaches like the Paycheck Guarantee Act that maximize 
the benefits to workers and the economy while also reducing 
bureaucracy.

  We need to do more to protect workers from hazardous conditions on 
the job, and I will keep fighting for workplace protections and 
personal protective equipment for all workers during the COVID-19 
pandemic. I am an original cosponsor of the COVID-19 Every Worker 
Protection Act, and I'm pleased that it is included in the HEROES Act 
with additional funding for the Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration. Protecting essential workers during the pandemic is one 
of my top priorities. I have also advocated for premium pay for 
essential workers to recognize their role in sustaining our communities 
and the sacrifices they are making during the pandemic. The HEROES Act 
will provide frontline

[[Page E467]]

workers who are in contact with patients, the public, or co-workers--
including grocery store workers, health care workers, and first 
responders--with an additional $13 per hour in premium pay on top of 
regular wages, up to $10,000.
  As more communities start to lift stay-at-home orders, all workers 
need access to paid family, medical, and sick leave benefits. The 
HEROES Act will help expand access to emergency paid sick leave and 
emergency paid family and medical leave by eliminating exemptions for 
health care workers, first responders, workers at businesses with fewer 
than 50 employees, and workers at businesses with 500 or more 
employees. And I will keep working with my colleagues to secure 
permanent paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave for all 
workers.
  I started working at Legal Aid while I attended community college, 
and learned there that people do not struggle by choice. With our 
national economy upended, consumers face even greater financial 
hardships and predatory actors continue to take advantage of people 
facing this crisis. We should have implemented the strengthened 
consumer protections in the HEROES Act at the beginning of this crisis, 
and I have continued calls for their passage. I'm glad that the HEROES 
Act suspends consumer debt collection during the COVID-19 emergency and 
for 120 days after the end of the national emergency to make sure 
consumers can fully recover. I worked with the Congressional 
Progressive Caucus to make debt collection suspension a priority in 
relief legislation.
  We know that Oregonians are struggling through no fault of their own, 
and they should not be further harmed financially. Negative credit 
reporting will be suspended under the HEROES Act for the duration of 
this crisis and any future national emergencies. This is an essential 
step to safeguard consumers most affected by the current outbreak. I 
have also continued to call for medical debt collection and credit 
reporting suspensions--needed reforms to prevent a hospital visit from 
destroying the credit of consumers. I am glad to see that medical debt 
related to coronavirus treatments will not result in adverse credit 
information; however, we must give consumers the flexibility to settle 
their medical debt before it shows up on a credit report and we must 
continue to fight so everyone can access affordable health care.
  The HEROES Act also clarifies the intent of the CARES Act by 
preventing the garnishment, levy, or seizing of direct payment for 
private debts. I have been a vocal advocate for stopping unfair 
garnishment and protecting payments like Social Security and other 
essential earned benefits.
  Oregon has strong laws to prevent unfair price hikes during crises 
like the current pandemic. I am continuing to work with Oregon Attorney 
General Ellen Rosenblum on ways to expand Oregon's protections to all 
Americans. It's beneficial that the HEROES Act includes provisions to 
stop unconscionably excessive prices on necessities like food, hygiene 
products, personal protective equipment, and health services.
  Workforce boards, labor unions, community colleges, community-based 
organizations, small businesses, and other stakeholders are training 
health care, direct care, and front-line workers, but they are in 
desperate need of more resources. I am pleased that the HEROES Act 
includes $2.5 billion for adult education, youth training, dislocated 
worker grants, migrant and seasonal farmworker programs, and public 
health worker recruitment and training as authorized in the Workforce 
Innovation and Opportunity Act, but this funding is insufficient to 
meet the scale of the crisis at hand. For comparison, the American 
Reinvestment and Recovery Act provided more than $7.7 billion in 
workforce funding. To respond to the economic consequences of the 
coronavirus pandemic, we need at least $15.1 billion in supplemental 
federal investments to help prevent further layoffs and provide 
dislocated workers and employers with access to employment services 
like training, career navigation, and supportive services. I will keep 
working with my colleagues on the Education and Labor Committee to 
advance the Relaunching America's Workforce Act because the historic 
unemployment levels over the last two months require an equally 
historic response to support workers.
  No one should be forced to choose between paying their bills and 
paying for food, but as Oregonians face the ongoing economic 
consequences of COVID-19, this is becoming a reality for too many 
working families. This bill includes $175 billion to assist renters and 
homeowners make monthly rent, mortgage and utility payments, and other 
housing-related costs. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program 
(LIHEAP) is an important wraparound support that helps low-income 
families pay for heating and cooling bills. The HEROES Act includes 
another $1.5 billion in supplemental funding for LIHEAP, but many more 
households will need and likely qualify for assistance in the coming 
weeks and months. Additionally, as individuals comply with stay-at-home 
orders across the country during the pandemic, they will likely be 
using more electricity and heat or air conditioning to keep their homes 
habitable. As we work to craft the next response package, I will keep 
fighting for more funding for LIHEAP to provide tangible assistance to 
families who are struggling to pay their bills. I also advocated for 
assistance similar to LIHEAP that would help households economically 
affected by COVID-19 with drinking water and wastewater services during 
this national emergency. The HEROES Act includes an additional $1.5 
billion for this support.
  The success of our economic recovery will depend on the success of 
our small businesses. The Paycheck Protection Program was a good first 
lifeline for many, but many business owners are concerned about 
artificial timelines and a lack of flexibility in the program. I'm glad 
that the HEROES Act will extend the coverage period to the end of 2020 
and give businesses additional flexibility while still adhering to 
local stay-at-home orders that may not allow them to fully open and 
resume operating for some time to come. The bill would also expand PPP 
eligibility to additional nonprofit organizations of all types and 
sizes, as well as provide an additional $10 billion in economic injury 
disaster grants (EIDL) through the Small Business Administration.
  Fisheries are an important part of our economy in Northwest Oregon, 
and I know that our coastal communities need more assistance to get 
through these challenging times. The HEROES Act provides an additional 
$100 million in disaster funding, and I will keep working to secure 
more direct assistance for fisheries and the domestic seafood supply 
chain. Northwest Oregon is known for its prestigious specialty crops, 
and our farmers have been struggling to make ends meet during the 
pandemic. The HEROES Act will also support our specialty crop farmers 
by providing $100 million for specialty crop grants and $50 million for 
support for local farmers markets and other direct to consumer markets.
  This bill addresses one of the key shortcomings of previous 
legislative efforts; the exclusion of individuals from direct economic 
relief because of their immigration status. The HEROES Act 
retroactively extends direct payments to mixed-status families and 
immigrants who file taxes using ITINs, and it expands eligibility for 
other economic support. It removes barriers to testing, treatment, 
vaccines, and other health care based solely on immigration status and 
automatically extends work permits for individuals with DACA or TPS. 
The bill offers protections from ICE removal and employment 
authorization for individuals in critical industries, including 
agricultural workers and meatpackers. It also requires ICE to review 
its detention policies and find alternatives for individuals not 
subject to mandatory detention.
  Importantly, the HEROES Act strengthens our democratic institutions 
with new resources to conduct secure, reliable elections using vote-by-
mail. Oregonians have used this trusted method of voting for more than 
twenty years, and it should be implemented nationwide as a simple and 
safe solution that will increase access while allowing voters to 
maintain physical distancing measures.
  We must act quickly and decisively to curb the spread of COVID-19 and 
create conditions that will allow us to begin our recovery, but we must 
also act boldly so our response is sufficient to prevent a widespread 
resurgence of the virus. We must also not leave behind any segment of 
our society as we work to repair the immense and harmful economic 
damage that we see across Oregon and the country. We are all safer and 
healthier when everyone in our communities is safer and healthier. I 
commend House leadership for putting forward a proposal that 
responsibly addresses the desperate need we are currently facing while 
also acknowledging the potentially disastrous costs of doing too 
little. I urge all my colleagues to support our nurses, first 
responders, grocery workers, and all frontline heroes by supporting 
this legislation.

                          ____________________