What's in the House economic aid bill - Entrepreneur Generations

The House Budget Committee began marking up the $1.9 trillion economic aid bill today at 1 p.m. Though that markup isn't done as of this item's publish time, markups are expected to be minor, so here's some of what's in the bill as of now:

• $4 billion for the Agriculture Department to buy and distribute agricultural products to those in need, to extend grants and loans to smaller producers, to improve agricultural supply-chain resiliency, and help pay for necessary expenses related to crop losses (including weather-related losses).
• $100 million would be set aside from the overall agriculture funding to reduce the amount of overtime inspection costs borne by small and very small federally inspected meat, poultry or egg processors. 
• Within 150 of the bill becoming law, the USDA would be required to establish an emergency pilot program to provide need-based grants to help rural health-care providers with pandemic-related expenses.  $500 million from the overall USDA funding would go toward this provision.
• $1,4000 direct aid payments per person for individuals earning up to $75,000 per year. The checks would start shrinking for those making more, with a hard cut-off at individuals earning $100,000.
• An increase of the child tax credit from the current $2,000 per child to $3,000 for each child aged 6 to 17 and $3,600 for each child under age 6. The credit would have the same income thresholds as the stimulus checks. The credit would also become fully refundable so more low-income parents could take advantage, and would distribute payments monthly rather than as a lump sum once a year.
• The bill would not reinstate mandatory paid family and sick leave approved in a previous relief package, though Biden wanted that, but it does continue providing tax credits to employers who choose to offer the benefit through Oct. 1.
• A 15% increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits would continue through September, instead of expiring at the end of June.
• $880 million for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
• States would be allowed to continue the Pandemic-EBT program, which provides families whose children's schools are closed with funding to replace free- and reduced-price meals the kids would have received, through the summer.
• $195.3 billion would go to state governments, including the District of Columbia. 
• $130.2 billion would go to local governments, to be divided evenly among cities and counties. 
• Tribal governments would receive $20 billion and territorial governments would get $4.5 billion.
• $19.1 billion to state and local governments to help low-income households cover back rent, rent assistance, and utility bills.
• About $10 billion to help struggling homeowners pay their mortgages, utilities and property taxes.
• $5 billion to help state and local governments help the homeless.
• $14 billion for coronavirus vaccine research, development, distribution, and compliance outreach efforts. 
• $46 billion for coronavirus testing, contact tracing and mitigation, including laboratory capacity, community-based testing sites, and mobile testing unites, especially in medically underserved areas.
• $7.6 billion to hire 100,000 public-health workers to support the coronavirus response.
• $128.5 billion for K-12 schools to make them safer to reopen. The funds would be used for things such as reducing class sizes, modifying classrooms to enhance social distancing, installing ventilation systems, buying personal protective equipment, and hiring more nurses and counselors.
• Nearly $40 billion for colleges and universities to defray pandemic-related expenses and provide emergency aid to students for expenses such as food, housing, and computer equipment. 
• $39 billion to help child-care providers with operating expenses.
• $25 billion for a new program benefiting restaurants and bars hurt by the pandemic. The grants would provide up to $10 million per business with a limit of $5 million per physical location.
• $7.25 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program. The bill would also make more non-profit organizations eligible for PPP funds.
• $175 million for outreach and promotion to help target businesses eligible for PPP funds.
• Expanded federal unemployment benefits would be extended, with an increase from $300 a week to $400 a week through Aug. 29.
• The federal minimum wage would gradually rise to $15 per hour by Jun 2025, and then be adjusted to increase at the same rate as median hourly wages.
• Federal premium subsidies for Affordable Care Act policies would be made more generous and the maximum income cap would be eliminated for two years. Enrollees would pay no more than 8.5% of their income towards coverage, down from nearly 10% now. And those earning more than the current cap of 400% of the federal poverty level (about $51,000 for an individual and $104,800 for a family of four) would become eligible.
• Federal subsidies for lower-income ACA enrollees would be eliminated completely, as would those for people collect unemployment benefits in 2021.
• Laid-off workers who want to remain on their employer's health-insurance plans through COBRA would have to pay only 15% of the premium through the end of September.
• Federal matching funds for states that that expand Medicaid to low-income adults would be boosted by 5 percentage points for two years.
• $15 billion for the Emergency Injury Disaster Loan program, which provides long-term, low-interest loans through the Small Business Administration. Severely impacted businesses with fewer than 10 workers will be given priority for some of the money.

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