Washington – Today, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes voted in favor of H.R. 6800, The Heroes Act, which passed the House. The $3 trillion proposal would bring resources back to Connecticut and help to address the grave reality that families across the country are facing.
“I voted for The Heroes Act today, because it is a bill for the people at a time when the people need it most,” said Congresswoman Hayes. “Further assistance cannot wait – Congress must act now. People are losing their lives and just about every sector of the economy has been impacted. Providing assistance to state and local municipalities is vitally important to ensure we make it out of this pandemic. This legislation will support our first responders, our frontline workers, local school districts, and the people who do not know how they will pay their bills next month. I am happy that this bill includes many provisions that I supported and led including urgently needed funding for the Postal Service, more direct payments for families, premium pay for essential workers and expanded access to SNAP benefits. I will continue to fight to ensure that future legislation addresses the issues that face our nation, and includes funding for child care and provides more access to capital for our farmers.”
The Heroes Act:
- Establishes a Heroes’ Fund for essential workers, with $200 billion to ensure that essential workers receive premium pay;
- Directly assists Americans through additional Economic Impact Payments of $1,200 per family member, including eligibility for individuals providing taxpayer identification numbers;
- Extends existing student loan payment and consumer protections – like debt collection prohibitions – to private loan borrowers;
- Includes $10 billion for SNAP, a 15% increase for recipients, and exclusion of federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation from eligibility determination;
- Provides $75 billion in assistance to homeowners impacted by the COVID19 pandemic, and $100 billion to low-income renters at risk of homelessness or eviction due to the economic impact of the pandemic;
- Works to preserve the Postal Service with an investment of $25 billion;
- Seeks to secure our elections through the allocation of $3.6 billion for contingency planning, prep, and resilience of elections for federal office;
- Addresses the need for the protection of incarcerated Americans through $200 million for the Bureau of Prisons;
- Supports students through $1.5 billion to close the homework gap by providing funding for WiFi Hotspots and connected devices for students and library patrons, $4 billion for emergency home connectivity needs, and $100.15 billion for both K-12 and postsecondary education and;
- Strengthens both testing and treatment of COVID-19 through $7.6 billion to Community Health Centers, $100 billion in relief for hospitals and providers, and $75 billion for testing and contact tracing.
The Heroes Act would give state, local, tribal and territory governments over $1 trillion to make up for their anticipated revenue shortfalls. Through the State and Local Coronavirus Relief Funds, it is estimated that Connecticut would receive $7 billion.
The Heroes Act heads to the Senate where it awaits consideration.
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Rep. Jahana Hayes has been a public-school teacher in Connecticut for more than 15 years and was recognized in 2016 as the National Teacher of the Year.
Currently serving her first term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Hayes sits on the Committees on Education & Labor and Agriculture and proudly represents Connecticut’s 5th District.