Tomorrow, July 22, the AFL-CIO is leading a national call-in day to demand that the Senate take up the HEROES Act.
The call-in link is: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/heroesact/
Please also visit https://www.passtheheroesact.org/ for the AFL-CIO HEROES Act toolkit where you can find a local event, talking points, placards, social graphics, and more.
Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act or the HEROES Act
This bill responds to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) outbreak and its impact on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals, and businesses.
Among other things, the bill
- provides FY2020 emergency supplemental appropriations to federal agencies;
- provides payments and other assistance to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments;
- provides additional direct payments of up to $1,200 per individual;
- expands paid sick days, family and medical leave, unemployment compensation, nutrition and food assistance programs, housing assistance, and payments to farmers;
- modifies and expands the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides loans and grants to small businesses and nonprofit organizations;
- establishes a fund to award grants for employers to provide pandemic premium pay for essential workers;
- expands several tax credits and deductions;
- provides funding and establishes requirements for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing;
- eliminates cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatments;
- extends and expands the moratorium on certain evictions and foreclosures; and
- requires employers to develop and implement infectious disease exposure control plans.
The bill also modifies or expands a wide range of other programs and policies, including those regarding
- Medicare and Medicaid,
- health insurance,
- broadband service,
- medical product supplies,
- immigration,
- student loans and financial aid,
- the federal workforce,
- prisons,
- veterans benefits,
- consumer protection requirements,
- the U.S. Postal Service,
- federal elections,
- aviation and railroad workers, and
- pension and retirement plans.