Rep. Susie Lee Produces Results for NV-03 During First Quarter of 2020

Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Rep. Susie Lee (Nev.-03) released the following statement marking her first three months of 2020 in Congress:

"While the coronavirus pandemic has stretched our country to its brink, I'm more encouraged than ever by our ability as a state and a nation to rally together. Every day, I am inspired by individual acts of heroism and selflessness, from our doctors and nurses putting their lives on the line to treat Americans with limited resources, to our grocery store clerks and restaurant cooks who are showing up every day to make sure the essential wheels of our society keep turning.

"That sense of collective duty has rubbed off on Congress as we've passed three bipartisan COVID-19 relief packages this month, including the CARES Act, which provides $2 trillion in relief for our health care workers, working families, and small businesses. Congress is by no means finished passing relief to get our nation through this pandemic, and I will keep working day and night to make sure Nevada families are getting the help they need.

"While the coronavirus pandemic is a challenge unlike any we've faced, I strived every day this quarter to produce results to improve the lives of my constituents—such as getting my bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Older Americans Act signed into law by the President and spearheading with Senator Durbin the bipartisan effort to strengthen student loan borrower protections that had been weakened by Betsy DeVos. Helping our community and state recover from the coronavirus pandemic is my top priority right now. Please know that I am and will continue to look out for Nevadans in more ways than one.

"As the days move forward, it's going to be more and more important that we stick together, and that each of us do our part for the greater well-being of our communities. Thank you to everyone for pitching in to keep us safe."

Accomplishments for Constituents

• Recovered approximately $179,000 for constituents.
• Responded to over 35,000 emails, calls, and letters.
• Attended/hosted 54 public events in the district.
• Hosted 8 Town Halls, Community Conversations, and Coffee Hours.
• Hosted 3 COVID-19-specific public events.
  • 2 telephone town halls with medical experts and Nevada officials
  • Facebook Live Event with Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
• Rep. Lee launched her COVID-19 resource page on her website.

COVID-19 Pandemic Response

Late last week, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the third bipartisan COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress in the last month. This $2 trillion relief package is Congress's most comprehensive effort yet to help health care workers, working families, and small businesses deal with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Congress and the President also enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to provide immediate assistance to our public health system and expand paid and family leave for millions of working Americans.

Package No. 3: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act

Unemployment Insurance (UI)

• Extended UI program increases max UI benefit by $600 per week and ensures that laid-off workers, on average, will receive their full pay for four months. Protects all workers whether they work for small, medium, or large businesses; are self-employed; or work in the gig economy.

Direct Cash to Individual Americans

• $1,200 for every American. $500 for any available child. The full payment is available for individuals making up to $75,000 (individual) and $150,000 (married). The value begins decreasing and then phases out completely for those making over the full payment income cap.

Direct Assistance to State and Local Governments

• As a result of Democratic negotiations, state and local governments will get $150 billion via Coronavirus Relief Fund.

Accountability Provisions

• Accountability for how taxpayer money in the bill is handled.
  • Bans stock buybacks for any company receiving a government loan from the bill.
  • Creates oversight board to provide oversight and accountability of how taxpayer dollars are being used in this package.
  • Attaches worker protections to all federal loans for businesses and adds a retention tax credit for employers to encourage businesses to keep workers on payroll during the crisis.

Small Business Provisions

• $350 billion in loan forgiveness grants to small businesses and non-profits to maintain existing workforce and help pay for other expenses, like rent, mortgage, and utilities.

Investments in Our Health Care System

• Top line $150 billion investment in our healthcare system. This includes a new $100 billion fund that is widely available to all types of hospitals and providers most affected by COVID-19.

Educational Benefits

• Includes tax relief encouraging employers to implement student loan repayment programs. This provision will exclude up to $5,250 in qualifying student loan repayments paid by the employer on behalf of the employee from income for income tax purposes.

Emergency Appropriations Funds

• $1 billion for the Defense Production Act to bolster domestic supply chains, enabling industry to quickly ramp up production of personal protective equipment, ventilators, and other urgently needed medical supplies, and billions of dollars more for federal, state, and local health agencies to purchase such equipment.
• $30.75 billion for grants to provide emergency support to local school systems and higher education institutions.
• More than $6.5 billion in Federal funding for CDBG, the Economic Development Administration, and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
• $10 billion in grants to help our nation's airports as the aviation sector grapples with the most steep and potentially sustained decline in air travel in history.

Package No. 2: Families First Coronavirus Response Act

• Free coronavirus testing for everyone who needs a test, including the uninsured;
• Paid emergency leave with both 14 days of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave;
• Enhanced Unemployment Insurance, a first step that will extend protections to furloughed workers;
• Strengthened food security initiatives, including SNAP, student meals, seniors nutrition and food banks;
• 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;
• Increased federal funds for Medicaid, as states face increased costs.

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

Package No. 1: initial $8.3 billion relief package

• $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.

Additional Legislative Accomplishments

Last week, Congresswoman Lee's bipartisan bill, the Supporting Older Americans Act, was signed into law by the President. This landmark law reauthorizes and strengthens the Older Americans Act, which benefits roughly 11 million older Americans who use important social services and community-based programs like Meals on Wheels. The legislation also strengthens the aging network's ability to respond to public health emergencies and emerging health threats, like the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 11, the Senate voted in bipartisan fashion to approve Congresswoman Lee's bill, H.J.Res. 76, to overturn the U.S. Department of Education's 2019 Borrower Defense rule that guts essential protections for student borrowers and taxpayers. The bill has now passed both chambers of Congress and awaits President Trump's signature or veto.

###