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Friends,
Last week, the Senate passed the bipartisan omnibus and COVID-19 relief bill, which I supported and President Trump signed into law. Although it is not perfect, the bill will provide another round of direct checks to hardworking North Carolinians and assistance to small businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The legislation includes many wins for North Carolina that I lead, including assistance for North Carolina farmers, health care workers, and small businesses.
Wins for North Carolina include:
- $600 stimulus checks for individuals, $1,200 for married couples, and $600 per child for Americans who qualify. The U.S. Department of Treasury says you can expect these checks as early as this week.
- An extension of the Paycheck Protection Act will allow more small businesses to apply for payroll assistance to help save more jobs.
- Providing more relief to small businesses by forgiving PPP loans of $150,000 or less. This will account for 86% of total PPP recipients.
- $157.8 million to make improvements to North Carolina’s military installations.
- The RELIEF for Producers Act will provide assistance to livestock and poultry farmers who had to depopulate animals due to COVID-19-caused supply chain disruptions.
- North Carolina’s health care workers will receive support by preventing payment cuts, delaying the Medicare sequester, and providing key flexibilities and certainty to health care providers receiving support from the Provider Relief Funds.
- Relief for airlines to provide $16 billion in additional assistance for furloughed airline employees and contractors.
- Improved broadband including $635 million for the USDA’s ReConnect program.
- Forgiveness of outstanding debt of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that already received loans under the HBCU Capital Financing Loan Program.
- $10 billion for child care, including direct support for child care providers for fixed costs and operating expenses.
My top priority has been protecting the physical health and economic future of North Carolinians. I have worked hard to introduce legislation that will benefit every North Carolinian and pushed for follow-up relief to help families and businesses in need, as many are still suffering from the effects of this pandemic.
Thank you for reading, and as always, please reach out to my office if you have any questions or need help with a federal agency. I hope you and your loved ones have a safe and healthy new year.
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