On Thursday morning US Representative (PA-12) Fred Keller provided an update on the COVID-19 legislation the Senate approved 96-0 last evening and the House will take up on Friday.
Congress is continuing to consider its phase three legislative relief package related to COVID-19.
Phase 1 addressed the immediate public health and safety concerns caused by COVID-19. The $8.3 billion legislative package focused on the healthcare aspects of COVID-19 and included money for testing, vaccine development, therapeutics, personal protective equipment, state and local government response efforts, and mitigation of the disease abroad.
Phase 2 is the $2.5 billion stimulus effort that most recently passed Congress. The package includes relief for families and individuals who might need to take paid leave from work in order to care for themselves or family members while providing tax credits to small businesses, boosts unemployment compensation funding for those who may be laid off as a result of COVID-19’s economic impacts, increases funding to low-income nutrition assistance programs, and provides flexibility to child nutrition programs.
Phase 3, which is currently being negotiated in Congress, will include economic relief for businesses and workers impacted by COVID-19.
On Wednesday, according to Congressman Fred Keller who spoke exclusively with News Talk 104.1 and 1600 WEJS on Wednesday morning, “Our office is reviewing the details of the Senate package as they become available. As I have said from the beginning, I will be looking for any Phase 3 plan to provide immediate and significant relief for small businesses and employees directly impacted by COVID-19. I will also be looking to make sure that any relief is limited to dealing with the pandemic and does not contain any ill-advised long-term policy changes.”
