Bacon Votes Yes on Fourth Round of COVID-19 Legislation

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02) and his House colleagues today passed a fourth round of pandemic response legislation, that builds on the CARES Act. This legislation delivers major wins for Nebraska and accomplishes three of his top priorities. Not only does this legislation infuse $310 billion into the Payment Protection Program (PPP), it has additional funding for Community and Rural Health Centers as well as testing, and $60 billion for the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) economic injury disaster loans and grants.

“With 26 million people unemployed, this package provides the much-needed relief for our Nebraska families and businesses as we work together to fight the virus and sustain our economy that was rapidly growing prior to this pandemic,” said Rep. Bacon. “For nearly two weeks, many small businesses have been waiting for the PPP to be funded after it was frozen.”

In addition to the $310 billion in increased funding to SBA’s PPP that will support small businesses and families, the bill also expands SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) eligibility to include agriculture producers. Families will also benefit from the $75 billion for reimbursements to hospitals to support the need for COVID-19 related expenses and lost revenue, enabling our medical system to better serve the community.

“I was also pleased to see that $825 million has been set aside for our community health centers who serve our rural areas and those with lower incomes,” said Rep. Bacon. “OneWorld and Charles Drew Community Health Centers in Omaha are just two examples of the impact CHC’s make in our community.”

“While I am pleased to see that these areas will be addressed, I am disappointed that my concerns about a lack of reasonable support to state, county and municipal governments was not considered,” said Rep. Bacon. “I have engaged with Congressional leaders and the administration about the need to develop workable options for our local governments to continue providing essential services such as fire and police protection.”

Rep. Bacon has been working with the League of Municipalities and local mayors to bring these concerns to the forefront.

“My staff is working to get legislation drafted to fix this problem and I hope to introduce it soon,” said Rep. Bacon. “Our municipalities are losing revenue sources and we need to help them just like we have helped small businesses, farmers and healthcare systems. This is an all-out strategy to defend not only our health, but our economy so that our country will survive.”

“In future legislation, I will work to guarantee funds are distributed to cities at no additional cost,” said Rep. Bacon. “This is money that has already been appropriated but redirected to keep our first responders and firefighters from being laid off, the very people who protect our communities. I would also like to see funding included for more non-profits because they also are fighting the pandemic head-on to protect Nebraskans by providing vital services to our communities, citizens and businesses.”

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