Dear John,

On Saturday, the House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which is an important first step toward protecting public health and working families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now the Senate must act immediately to pass the bill too.

Before this crisis, many families throughout our country were already struggling, of course. But this pandemic is exposing huge gaps in our labor laws and social insurance systems: workers cannot take paid time off if they are sick or need to care for family members, be assured of access to medical help, or be able to meet basic needs should they be laid off as a consequence of the virus. There are a number of important policy tools that Congress and the administration can use to limit the spread and harm of the virus and limit the economic pain families are already starting to feel.

The House has passed a bill that is an important first step toward addressing workers’ needs. It would:

• Empower more employees and employers to prevent further spread of the virus with paid sick days and emergency leave.
• Invest in testing and health care for people affected by COVID-19.
• Get help to more families facing illness-related job loss more quickly, preventing widespread economic hardship, bolstering macroeconomic response to slow additional job losses, and helping affected families and communities get back on their feet more quickly.

This bill doesn’t do everything workers need or cover everyone it should—but it’s where we need to start. Now the Senate needs to pass it, and then get to work on next steps.

Tell the Senate to lead in this critical moment by immediately passing legislation to help working families survive this crisis.

Even if you’ve already emailed your representatives, we need you to do it again. There’s far too much at stake, for all of us. Join me in urging the Senate to act NOW.

Sincerely,