U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) released the following statement upon House passage of the American Rescue Plan:

“We are truly at a precarious moment in America.  Too many families, workers and small businesses are hurting from the pandemic and its economic fallout.

“In Florida, we lost a half a million jobs last year and suffered the second highest number of unemployment claims in the country. We rely on tourism and it wasn’t safe for many visitors to travel, and that had consequences.

“The bipartisan CARES Act that passed last March was credited with saving the economy, but it hasn’t taken us all the way through the pandemic. The American Rescue plan is that bridge, with a plan to help us get back to normal.

“Thanks to President Biden and his team, we have a national vaccination strategy. They have brought order to the chaos with 50 million shots administered in the past 37 days. No other country has done that.

“Six weeks ago, 14 percent of people over age 75 in the US had gotten one COVID vaccine shot. Today, that number stands at nearly 60 percent.

“Out of the 55 million Americans who are over 65, six weeks ago, only 8 percent had gotten a shot. Today, almost 50 percent have gotten at least one shot. We have a long way to go, but what a vast improvement since the Biden team has been at the helm.

“We must do more to ensure that underserved communities have access to the vaccine. Next week, thanks to the Biden administration, we will open a mass vaccination site in the heart of Tampa, in Sulphur Springs (at the Tampa Greyhound Track), and more pharmacies and community health centers will have more COVID-19 vaccines as well, but to get everyone vaccinated, we need to pass this rescue plan.

“Until most Americans are vaccinated, families and children will need help, so our plan provides new $1400 survival payments, emergency food and rental aid, and extra unemployment insurance to tide us over while ensuring support for struggling small businesses. 

“It’s critical that families have the resources for their children and an expanded Child Tax Credit will provide money every month to help keep kids out of poverty. Our plan provides community support dollars to the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County, who have been good partners in keeping families afloat.

“Democrats and the Biden administration are focused on schools being open and operating safely. We have a lot of ground to make up– so let’s give students, teachers and local school districts the help they need to boost student achievement, summer school, safe graduations, early preK and childcare.

“The Rescue Plan also provides several vital provisions to make comprehensive health care coverage more affordable and accessible for millions of people, especially in Florida, with a financial incentive to rapidly expand Medicaid and enact other proposals to improve access to health coverage during the health and economic crisis.

“Democrats are not going to give up on raising the minimum wage either. It has not been increased from $7.25 for over 11 years. Florida voters overwhelmingly passed a phased-in increase to $15/hour last November and it’s time to give all American minimum wage workers a raise. A $15 minimum wage would not only give 3 million Floridians—37 percent of the state’s workforce—a raise, but it would also provide an extra $10.5 billion in total state wages and even more in economic activity.

“To all Americans, help is on the way.”

The American Rescue Plan will support Tampa families and workers by:

PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR FL-14 FIRST RESPONDERS AND OTHER ESSENTIAL WORKERS

• Providing approximately $80 million to the City of Tampa and $285 million to Hillsborough County in New Coronavirus Relief Funds To Help Keep First Responders, Frontline Health Care Workers, and Other Essential Workers on the Job.

Direct Payments to Working Families & Expanding Child Tax Credit

INCREASING THE DIRECT PAYMENTS TO WORKING FAMILIES

• Providing Working Families an Additional Direct Payment of $1,400 Per Person – Bringing the Total Relief Payment to $2,000 Per Person
• Under the bill, single filers with incomes up to $75,000, head of household filers with incomes up to $112,500, and joint filers with incomes up to $150,000 will receive the full payment of $1,400. 

EXPANDING CHILD TAX CREDIT, CUTTING CHILD POVERTY IN HALF

• Making the Child Tax Credit Fully Refundable and Increasing Its Size for 2021:  The bill makes the child tax credit fully refundable for 2021 and increases the annual amount from the current $2,000 per child to $3,000 per child ($3,600 for a child under age 6). 
• Directing the Secretary of the Treasury to Issue Advance Payments of the Child Tax Credit:  The bill directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue advance, monthly payments of the child tax credit, based on the parents’ 2019 or 2020 tax returns. The advance payments would begin on July 1, 2021. 

Aggressive Action to Speed Up COVID-19 Vaccinations and Contain the Virus

ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL COVID-19 VACCINATION PROGRAM AND INCREASING VACCINATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

• Providing Over $20 Billion to Establish A National COVID-19 Vaccination Program and Improve the Administration and Distribution of Vaccinations, Including:   

·        Providing $7.5 billion for the CDC to prepare, promote, distribute, monitor, and track COVID-19 vaccines.

·        Providing $7.5 billion for FEMA to establish vaccination sites across the country.

·        Providing $600 million to be directed to the Indian Health Service for vaccine-related activities.

·        Providing $5.2 billion to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to support advanced research, development, manufacturing, production, and purchase of vaccines, therapeutics, and ancillary medical products for COVID-19.

·        Providing $1 billion for the CDC to undertake a vaccine awareness and engagement campaign.

SCALING UP COVID-19 TESTING, CONTACT TRACING, AND MITIGATION, IN ORDER TO STOP THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS

• Providing $49 Billion to Expand Testing, Contact Tracing, and Mitigation and Related Activities, Including:    
• Providing $47.8 billion for testing, contact tracing, and mitigation. These activities include implementing a national strategy for testing, contact tracing, surveillance, and mitigation; and the manufacturing, procurement, distribution, and administration of tests, including personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies necessary for administration of the tests. 
• $10 billion to fund the Defense Production Act and close the gap in domestic manufacturing to fulfill U.S. public health needs. 

• Providing $27 Billion for Addressing Health Disparities:  The bill provides a total of $27 billion for addressing health disparities and protecting vulnerable populations, including:  

·        Providing $7.6 billion in funding to support COVID-19 response at Community Health Centers.

• Providing $4 Billion for Expanding Behavioral and Mental Health Services:  The bill provides a total of $4 billion to expand behavioral and mental health services, including:   

·        Providing $3.5 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA) to be split between the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Community Mental Health block grant programs.

·        Providing $280 million for programs that support mental and behavioral health and prevent burnout among health care providers and public safety officers.

Providing the Resources Needed to Allow Schools to Safely Re-Open

PROVIDING RESOURCES FOR OUR SCHOOLS

• Providing $527 million to Help Hillsborough County Public Schools to Re-Open Safely: 
• Repairing ventilation systems, reducing class sizes and implementing social distancing guidelines, purchasing personal protective equipment, and hiring support staff to care for students’ health and well-being.
• Ensures 20 percent of the funding that schools receive must be reserved to address and remediate learning loss among students.
• Includes $40 Billion to Support Colleges and Universities:  
• Requires institutions to dedicate at least half of their funding for emergency financial aid grants to students to help prevent hunger, homelessness and other hardships facing students as a result of the pandemic.
• Broadband: Helping to Bridge the Digital Divide By Providing $7.6 Billion to Expand Internet Connectivity to Students and Communities

Immediate Economic Relief for Americans Hit Hardest

EXTENDING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

• Extending and Increasing the Federal Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (FPUC):  The bill extends the federal supplemental unemployment benefit through August 29 and increases the monthly supplemental benefit from the current $300 per month to $400 per month.

EXPANDING HEALTH COVERAGE AND LOWERING AMERICANS’ HEALTH CARE COSTS

• Expanding Subsidies in ACA Marketplaces:  Removes the current cap that makes any family with income above 400% of the poverty level ineligible for any subsidies.  Under the bill, no one will have to pay more than 8.5 percent of their income for a silver plan in the ACA marketplaces. It also provides that individuals below 150% of the poverty level pay no premiums at all compared to 4% of their income currently. The Urban Institute estimates that these provisions could lead to 4.5 million more Americans gaining coverage.
• ACA Subsidies for Those on Unemployment:  The bill provides that any individual who receives unemployment at any point in 2021 is treated as if their income were 133% of the poverty level for the purposes of the ACA marketplace subsidy. As a result, they can purchase an ACA silver plan for zero premium.
• New Incentives for Medicaid Expansion in Florida:  Temporarily increases the base Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) by five percentage points for two years for any state that newly expands.  If all 12 remaining states expanded Medicaid, more than 2 million uninsured people would gain access to Medicaid.
• COBRA Subsidies:  Provides an 85% subsidy for individuals who lose their job and choose to use COBRA to continue their existing employer-sponsored health coverage through September 30, 2021.  Currently, those who would like to choose COBRA are required to pay the full cost of their coverage, including the employer contribution, making the cost prohibitive and preventing many from doing so.

HOUSING ASSISTANCE

• Provides $26 Billion for Emergency Rental Assistance, to Help Ensure Struggling Families Continue to Have a Safe Place to Live During This Pandemic.
• Provides $10 Billion for the Homeowner Assistance Fund to Help those Struggling to Afford Their Housing as a Result of the Coronavirus Pandemic.
• Supports Solutions for Americans Experiencing Homelessness:  Provides $4.75 billion for state and local governments – through the HOME Investment Partnership program.
• Provides $5 Billion to Those Most in Need to Help Pay Their Utility Bills, Including by:
• Providing $4.5 billion to HHS for home energy assistance through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
• Providing $500 million in additional funds for HHS for the Low-Income Household Drinking Water and Wastewater Emergency Assistance Program established by Congress at the end of 2020.  This brings the total amount of money available to assist families with their water and sewer bills to over $1.1 billion.

FOOD SECURITY

• Makes Key Investments in Food Security:
• Extends SNAP maximum benefits by 15 percent (through September 30, 2021);
• Provides $1.1 billion in additional SNAP administrative funds to states to help meet the demand of increased caseloads and $25 million to improve the state SNAP online pilots; and
• Allocates $800 million for WIC – supporting low-income women and infants – and temporarily boosts the value of WIC Cash Value Vouchers for vulnerable mothers and their children; and
• Secures $37 million to cover food shortfalls in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program which seeks to improve the health and nutrition of low-income Americans over 60 years old through access to nutritious food.
• Maintains and Expands the Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) Program:  The bill invests more than $5 billion in P-EBT so that low-income families have access to school meals and food assistance during both the school year and summer months.
• Expands Access to the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP): The bill temporarily expands the age of eligibility for CACFP at emergency homeless shelters to ensure more young adults can access needed nutrition support.

RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE TO $15 PER HOUR BY 2025

ENSURING ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE CHILD CARE AND EARLY LEARNING FOR FAMILIES

• Provides $39 billion through the Child Care and Development Block Grant.
• Improves the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for 2021: 
• Increases the amount of child and dependent care expenses that are eligible for the credit to $8,000 for one qualifying individual and $16,000 for two or more qualifying individuals (such that the maximum credits would now be $4,000 and $8,000).
• Includes $1 billion for Head Start.

Support for Struggling Communities

SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS

• Increases Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Funding and Expands Eligibility to Ensure It Reaches Nonprofits of All Sizes and Types: The bill includes $7.25 billion in additional funding for PPP and expands eligibility of 501(c) nonprofits of all sizes and types, except for 501(c)4 lobbying organizations.

• Creates a $25 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund.
• Supports Small Businesses By Providing $15 Billion for COVID-19 Emergency Grants Through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program.
• Establishes the Community Navigator pilot program: this program increases the awareness of and participation in COVID-19 relief programs for business owners currently lacking access, with priority for businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, women, and veterans
• $10 billion to the State Small Business Credit Initiative, supporting minority-owned businesses.

SUPPORTING AIRLINE INDUSTRY & WORKERS 

• Provides Emergency Assistance to Airports and Helps Protect Aviation Industry Jobs: This bill includes:
• $8 billion to support airports across the country as well as airport concessions and their employees.
• $15 billion to extend the Payroll Support Program through September 30, 2021 stopping furloughs and layoffs for workers employed by airlines, cargo air carriers and contractors servicing air carriers at airports.