Below please find the Murphy office update on COVID-19. As always, if you need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact our Hartford or Washington DC offices.
- Here’s what you need to know today, March 25th:
Today, the Senate reached an agreement on a third COVID-19 relief bill to help workers, families, hospitals and their staff, and small businesses. The bipartisan legislation includes:- Direct cash payments for low and middle-income families – $1,200 per person and $500 per child.
- $150 billion for hospitals and health systems to fight the virus.
- $260 billion for increased unemployment insurance that waives waiting periods and covers part-time, self-employed, and gig economy workers.
- $377 billion to rescue small businesses, including forgivable loans to small businesses and non-profits to maintain their workforce and help pay for other expenses like rent, mortgage, and utilities.
- $150 billion to assist States, Tribes, and local governments with new expenses related to COVID-19 response.
- $30.75 billion for grants to provide emergency support to local school systems and higher education institutions to continue providing educational services to their students, as well as $8.8 billion in additional funding to ensure meals for children while schools are closed.
- $3.5 billion to support child care centers and provide child care for first responders and health care workers.
- $400 million in election assistance for the states to help prepare for the 2020 election cycle, including to increase the ability to vote by mail and expand early voting and online registration.
- $7 billion for affordable housing and homelessness assistance programs. This funding will help low-income and working-class Americans avoid evictions.
- $450 million through The Emergency Food Assistance Program to help stock the shelves of local food banks.
- Strong requirements for industries receiving bailout money including no stock buybacks or dividends, restrictions on increases to executive compensation and a prohibition of funds for any businesses controlled by the President, Vice President, Members of Congress, and heads of Executive Departments.
- The Connecticut Department of Public Health is asking health care professionals, such as retired nurses and doctors, to consider volunteering their services at a medical facility in Connecticut. Those willing to volunteer should fill out the online form located at ctresponds.ct.gov .
- Connecticut announced that they are extending tax filing season to July 15 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Taxpayers can go here to learn more about the extension.
- If you are a Connecticut veteran having difficulty reaching your health care provider, please contact the Connecticut VA at 866-808-7921 to do so. The call center will get in touch with the nurse or doctor for you.
- Over 100,000 people in Connecticut have filed unemployment claims since March 13. If you need to apply for unemployment, please go to www.filectui.com
- Yesterday, Governor Lamont announced a public-private partnership between the state of Connecticut and philanthropists Indra and Raj Nooyi to distribute take-home books from Scholastic that will provide reading and writing instruction to more than 185,000 prekindergarten to 8th grade students while learning from home.
- The US Department of Commerce will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, March 26 at 12PM to help manufacturers understand how to highlight their COVID product capabilities and allow buyers in need of high demand items to quickly identify manufacturing capabilities and supplies. Register here: https://emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ePublic/event/editWebReg.do?SmartCode=0QH7
For the latest information about keeping you or your family safe go to cdc.gov/coronavirus . For resources and information about Connecticut’s response visit ct.gov/coronavirus .
I hope you found this letter helpful. You can get the latest updates on Senator Murphy’s work in the Senate by following him on Facebook and Instagram . If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our offices in Hartford or in Washington, DC.
