Rep. Sherrill Votes to Pass American Rescue Plan and Deliver Relief to New Jerseyans

Press Release

Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) voted today for the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to deliver pandemic relief to New Jersey residents. The legislation addresses the continued public health and economic crisis and includes key provisions to get people back to work, help kids return to in-person schooling, expand vaccine distribution, and support small businesses.

"As I visit communities in North Jersey, the need for additional COVID relief is stark," said Rep. Sherrill. "The American Rescue Plan Act will provide urgent funding to support vaccine distribution, get children back into schools, and support state and local governments. It will help ensure Americans can pay their bills, stay in their homes, and feed their children. Ten million fewer Americans are employed right now compared to before the pandemic -- a larger level of job loss than at any point during the Great Recession. We need to provide genuine relief right now because Americans can't afford years of economic downturn and hardship as a result of the pandemic."

The American Rescue Plan Act takes important action to support small businesses and working families, speed up vaccinations, curb the spread of the virus, get schools open, and provide support for struggling communities, including:

Support for Small Businesses

Increases Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding and expands nonprofit eligibility: Includes $7.25 billion in additional funding for PPP and expands eligibility of 501(c) nonprofits of all sizes and types, except for 501(c)4 lobbying organizations.
Creates a Restaurant Revitalization Fund: Provides $25 billion for a new program at SBA to offer assistance to restaurants and bars with 20 or fewer locations that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
Supports small businesses by providing $15 billion for COVID-19 emergency grants through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program: Includes an additional $15 billion for targeted EIDL Advances to help those who applied for relief in 2020 but did not receive the full $10,000 grant.
Support for Working Families

Provides working families an additional direct payment of $1,400 per person: Brings the total relief payment to $2,000 per person following the $600 payment enacted in December. Single filers with incomes up to $75,000, head of household filers with incomes up to $112,500, and joint filers with incomes up to $150,000 will receive the full payment of $1,400.
Extends and Increases the Federal Supplemental Unemployment Benefit through August 29 and increases the weekly supplemental benefit from the current $300 per week to $400 per week. Extends both the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program through August 29.
Makes the Child Tax Credit fully refundable and increases its size for 2021: Makes the child tax credit fully refundable for 2021 and increases the annual amount from the current $2,000 per child to $3,000 per child ($3,600 for a child under age 6). Currently, because the child tax credit is not fully refundable, there are 27 million American children who do not receive the full value of the current $2,000 tax credit because their parents do not earn enough money.
Gradually raises the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025, increasing wages for at least 27 million American workers.
Support for our Students

Provides nearly $130 billion to help K-12 schools re-open safely: Makes nearly $130 billion available to states and school districts for immediate and long-term relief including to repair ventilation systems, reduce class sizes and implement social distancing guidelines, purchase personal protective equipment, and hire support staff to care for students' health and well-being. Ensures that 20 percent of the funding schools receive is reserved to address and remediate learning loss among students.
Provides nearly $40 billion for institutions of higher education and requires institutions to dedicate at least half of their funding for emergency financial aid grants to students to help prevent hunger, homelessness, and other hardships facing students as a result of the pandemic.
Provides $7.6 billion to expand internet connectivity to students and communities: Reimburses schools and libraries -- central points for connectivity in many communities -- to purchase equipment such as hotspots, internet service, and computers on behalf of students and patrons.
Support for Struggling Communities

Provides $350 billion for new Coronavirus Relief Funds to help keep first responders, frontline healthcare workers, and other essential workers on the job: Provides $350 billion for new Coronavirus Relief Funds for states, localities, the U.S. Territories, and the Tribal Governments, to help keep critical workers on the job including frontline health care workers, police, firefighters, transit workers, teachers, EMS, and other vital workers who help keep us safe.
Provides nearly $400 million for up to 12 months of retraining assistance for veterans who are unemployed as a result of the pandemic and do not have access to other veteran education benefits. Covers the cost of the rapid retraining program as well as a housing allowance for enrolled veterans.
Support for Expanded Vaccine Distribution, Testing, and Tracing

Provides over $20 billion to establish a national COVID-19 vaccination program and improves the administration and distribution of vaccinations, including $7.5 billion for FEMA to establish vaccination sites across the country.
Provides $51 billion to expand testing, contact tracing, and mitigation and related activities, including implementing a national strategy for testing, contact tracing, surveillance, and mitigation; and the manufacturing, procurement, distribution, and administration of tests, including personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies necessary for administration of tests.
Support for Housing Security

Provides $26 billion for emergency rental assistance: $21.2 billion for emergency rental and utility assistance to states, territories, counties, and cities to help stabilize renters during the pandemic, and help rental property owners of all sizes continue to cover their costs; $5 billion for emergency vouchers to transition those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, survivors of domestic violence, and victims of human trafficking to stable housing.
Provides $10 billion to help homeowners struggling as a result of the pandemic: Provides $10 billion for the Homeowner Assistance Fund that allocates funds to states, territories, and tribes to address the ongoing needs of homeowners including direct assistance with mortgage payments, property taxes, property insurance, utilities, and other housing-related costs.
Support for Food Security

Makes key investments in SNAP and WIC: Extends SNAP maximum benefits by 15 percent through September 30, 2021, provides $1.1 billion in additional SNAP administrative funds to states to help meet the demand of increased caseloads, and allocates $800 million for WIC to support low-income women and infants.

Source