Rep. Susie Lee Hosts COVID-19 Telephone Town Hall

March 17, 2020

Las Vegas, Nev. - Today, U.S. Rep. Susie Lee (Nev.-03) hosted a public health telephone town hall to address the COVID-19 pandemic and give her constituents accurate, up-to-date information on what is being done to help protect American families, workers, and businesses.

Rep. Lee was joined by Southern Nevada Health District Manager of Public Health Preparedness Jeff Quinn, City of Henderson Mayor Debra March, Clark County School District Superintendent Jesus Jara, Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft, UNLV School of Public Health Dean Dr. Shawn Gerstenberger, and UNLV Infectious Disease Epidemiologist Dr. Brian Labus, all of whom answered constituent questions and provided relevant, up-to-date information surrounding COVID-19 in southern Nevada.

Rep. Lee released the following statement after the telephone town hall:

"Right now, nothing is more important than good hygiene, social distancing, and streamlined, accurate information about how we are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Thankfully, tele-town halls like today's gives me the chance to talk directly to my constituents without risking anyone's health. This is a rapidly evolving situation and I will be taking several opportunities like this to provide up-to-date information on the steps we're taking in Nevada and in Congress to protect the health and well-being of all Americans.

"It was clear from the questions my constituents were asking that people are looking to their government to step up and meet the gravity of this moment. Workers are losing their jobs, students are stuck at home, and elderly and at-risk Americans are concerned about our health care system meeting the challenges of this crisis.

"We need to address these problems head on, starting with enacting the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to guarantee free coronavirus testing for those who need it; expand food assistance for students and older Americans; expand paid, family, and medical leave to workers; and help our businesses, big and small, get the support and resources they need to weather this storm.

"We remain committed to ensuring that Nevadans get the resources they need during this national emergency. We are currently working on a recovery package that will be vital to our travel and tourism economy and the hundreds of thousands of Nevadans impacted by this crisis. But, I will stress, this response takes each of us doing our part to ensure we contain this pandemic as soon as possible.

"Nevada always emerges from tests stronger than ever, and we will do it again. We do it because we take care of each other. That's what Nevada does best. So, thank you for pitching in to keep us all safe."

BACKGROUND: Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which includes:

· Free coronavirus testing - ensures that all individuals, including those with private insurance, Medicare Advantage or Original Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, VA, FEHBP, and TRICARE, as well as the uninsured, will have access to tests at no cost.

· Establishes paid leave - establishes an Emergency Paid Leave Program that replaces a significant share of lost wages so that those who take leave to avoid spreading the virus or due to illness or caregiving responsibilities can pay their bills.

· Enhanced Unemployment Insurance - gives states the resources and flexibility to provide unemployment benefits to laid off and furloughed workers, as well as to those workers who exhaust their allotted paid leave.

· Strengthened food security initiatives - includes more than $1 billion to provide nutritious foods to low-income pregnant women and mothers with young children, help food banks, and provide meals to seniors. It also protects students' access to school meals in the event of school closures.

· Clear protections for frontline workers, including health care workers and other workers who are in contact with those who have been exposed or are responsible for cleaning at-risk places.

Rep. Lee's bill, the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, passed as a provision in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which would ensure that workers have access to extended, job-protected leave to care for themselves and their families amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The legislation significantly expands the number of U.S. workers who can take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in the event of a quarantine, illness, or school closure related to COVID-19.

On Mar. 4, Rep. Lee and the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan emergency supplemental appropriation bill of $8.3 billion to address COVID-19 with a vote of 415 to two. The emergency supplemental provides $8.3 billion in entirely new funding—not funding taken from other critical public health priorities—to combat the coronavirus epidemic and keep Americans safe. It includes:

More than $3 billion for research and development of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics;
$2.2 billion in public health funding for prevention, preparedness, and response, $950 million of which is to support state & local health agencies;
Nearly $1 billion for procurement of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, to support healthcare preparedness and Community Health Centers, and to improve medical surge capacity;
$61 million to facilitate the development and review of medical countermeasures, devices, therapies, and vaccines, and to help mitigate potential supply chain interruptions;
$1.25 billion to address the coronavirus abroad to help keep Americans safe here at home; and
Allows for an estimated $7 billion in low-interest loans to affected small businesses, to help cushion the economic blow of this public health emergency.

On Feb. 28, Rep. Lee and a group of her congressional colleagues sent a letter to House and Senate leadership voicing support for the appropriation of comprehensive supplemental funding to address COVID-19. Follow the link to read the letter.

As a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus (PSC), Rep. Lee called for bipartisan cooperation across the country, congressional leadership, and the administration to combat COVID-19. Follow the link to read PSC's statement. Rep. Lee and PSC met with Vice President Mike Pence on Mar. 3 to discuss the spread and potential global impact of COVID-19.

Follow the links below for more information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on COVID-19 and steps to take to prevent the spread of the virus:

CDC FACT SHEETS:

ADDITIONAL CDC INFORMATION:

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