{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://woodall.house.gov/media-center/e-newsletter-archive/district-connection-102620", "District Connection - 10/26/20", "2020-10-26", "2020", "2020-10", "Republican", "Senate", "GA", "Rob Woodall", "W000810", "woodall.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "VOTING UNDERWAY IN GEORGIA\nNearly 60 million Americans are estimated to have already cast their ballot for the upcoming 2020 elections, and early voting in Georgia is well underway. As a fundamental civic duty, voting is a right that we must never take for granted. No matter how you choose to cast your ballot, I strongly encourage you to exercise this right.\nBefore you vote, you can visit Georgia's My Voter Page to verify your voter registration status, find your polling place, view a sample ballot, or download an absentee ballot application (if you choose to vote by mail). Early voting ends on October 30th, and those looking to request an absentee ballot who have not already done so should submit an application as soon as possible, as that deadline is this Friday as well. Absentee ballots must be postmarked and returned to your elections office by mail or delivered in person  or at a valid drop box location  by 7:00 PM on November 3rd. If you choose to vote in person, be sure to bring a valid state or federal government issued photo ID, which you can learn more about HERE. For other questions, please contact the Gwinnett County or Forsyth County Elections office. You can also visit the Secretary of State's Voter Page to review helpful voter and election day information.\n\nPRESIDENT TRUMP ISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDER TO AID CONSERVATION EFFORTS\nAs you may know, earlier this year, President Trump announced the United States' commitment to the World Economic Forum's One Trillion Trees Initiative aimed to better manage, conserve, and restore one trillion trees globally by 2030. And just last week, President Trump recently issued the Trillion Trees Executive Order, which creates the One Trillion Trees Interagency Council to coordinate federal forest conservation strategies with states, tribes, communities, non-profits, and the private sector. The Council will also assist in coordinating the United States' efforts with this global initiative. With over a third of the U.S. covered in forest, conservation of our American forestland can serve as a vital recourse to combat climate change through carbon sequestration, with studies estimating that nature-based climate solutions could provide up to one-third of the mitigation needed to keep global temperate rise to 2C by the end of the decade.\nAs a Member on the Congressional Climate Solutions Caucus, I appreciate efforts aimed at not only restoring but better managing our forest lands and public lands. But I also know there is still much work to be done to ensure the utility and beauty of our natural world persists for generations to come. I am encouraged by the widespread commitment from government leaders, industry partners, and citizens to promote conservation, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to find solutions that both address the impacts of climate change and uplift  not stifle  our economic growth, particularly as our long-term fiscal outlook demands that we do so.\n\nSUPPORTING CRITICAL INVESTMENTS IN RURAL ELECTRIC INFRASTRUCTURE\nAs you may recall from last week's newsletter, addressing disparities that exist in broadband internet access has been a continued priority across our nation, particularly among our rural communities. Last week, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue announced $3.1 billion in new funding made available through one such program that works to close the telecommunications gap - the Electric Loan Program.\nThese loans provide much-needed capital so that rural electric cooperatives and utilities can make investments in crucial electric infrastructure projects that increase the access and availability of affordable power and telecommunication services, includingbroadband internet. This supports the delivery of affordable power to not only residential homes but to commercial and agricultural sectors as well. I am pleased that a portion of this infrastructure development will occur right here in Georgia, as this funding will support roughly $218 million in projects across our state.\nThis program plays a critical role in supporting an efficient and reliable electric grid, and that is why each year Congress, in a bipartisan fashion, continues to ensure that funding is made available through this program. In Secretary Perdue's own words, these kinds of infrastructure projects are the cornerstone to prosperity and I am encouraged by the continued commitment in Congress and through our federal agencies to provide for Americans' critical telecommunications needs.\n\nFUNDING HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT\nWe all are aware of the important role our health care professionals play in providing quality care to Americans and their families. Amid the COVID-19 public health emergency, we have seen first-hand how critical it is to have a workforce that is equipped to address emerging health needs, particularly in areas where that need is the greatest. Federally-supported workforce programs play a critical role in ensuring that we have a dedicated and skilled workforce, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced half a billion in congressionally appropriated funding will be made available to support the recruitment and retention of health care professionals.\nThis new funding will be distributed through federal workforce development programs, including the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and the Nurse Corps, whose members have served on the frontlines for communities with high-need, particularly during the battle against COVID-19. Nearly 19 million patients receive care from NHSC and Nurse Corps clinicians throughout the United States, and their efforts are critical to increasing access to primary care and substance abuse treatment two emerging health needs that plague our health care systems. This funding will support these workforce development programs, as well as loan repayment and scholarship opportunities to strengthen our health care workforce. I am pleased to see this funding come through in support of our health care professionals so they can provide the best possible service to our nation during this critical time.\n\nCONSTITUENT SPOTLIGHT: PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM LOAN FORGIVENESS\nAs you know, a critical line of support created through the CARES Act was the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) which offers forgivable loans for many small businesses, nonprofits, and sole proprietors if those funds were used for eligible payroll and nonpayroll expenses. In June, Congress enacted reforms to add flexibility to the PPP, and with many borrowers now approaching the end of the extended covered period, here are some of the messages I have received from you about the forgiveness process for these loans.\nEarl from Duluth:\nWhen can we expect our banks to give us instructions regarding PPP-Loan forgiveness with the repayment terms beginning this December?\nMartha from Grayson:\n\n\tNearly seven months into the pandemic and small businesses across the country continue to do everything they can to withstand its economic impact. But for many small businesses that applied for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, facing a complicated forgiveness process will add insult to injury and will push an additional administrative burden onto them at a time when they are still trying to recover. Congress has the opportunity to make it easier for small businesses that took PPP loans and pass S. 4117/H.R. 7777, streamlined PPP loan forgiveness legislation.\n\t_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________\n\tSince the creation of the PPP, Congress has allocated $659 billion in funding to the PPP to keep businesses afloat due to the harsh economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency. Over5.2 million loans have been approved through the PPP, with roughly 80% of those loan amounts totaling $100,000 or less  a strong indicator of how this program has been able to serve as a lifeline for those small businesses most in need. A total of 174,000 loans amounting to $14.6 billion were approved in Georgia, but the program expired on August 8th and Congressional action would be needed to allow for the second draw of PPP loans.\n\nI regret that so much uncertainty continues to exist surrounding the future of Congress' next COVID-19 relief package. And in the absence of a wider deal, I have continued to join my colleagues in urging Speaker Pelosi to bring forth standalone bills to address Americans' continued need for relief. That is why I have also signed on to a discharge petition that would bring H.R. 8265 to the floor for consideration to further the PPP, if it can garner 218 signatures from Members of Congress. As I previously discussed, H.R. 8265 would allow for the second draw of the roughly $134 billion remaining PPPfunds that remain unused for businesses with 300 employees or fewer and demonstrate at least a 25 percent reduction in gross revenues. And to Martha's point, that bill would, similarly to H.R. 7777, streamline the forgiveness process for loans under $150,000 while ensuring the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has the continued capability to review and audit these loans to guard against fraud.\nBut as congressional action remains stifled, borrowers should review current guidance from the SBA and the U.S. Department of Treasury on documentation that is required to apply for loan forgiveness. For example, just this month, SBA issued its new streamlined 3508S Forgiveness application form that can be used by eligible borrowers who received a PPP loan of $50,000 or less. Most importantly, borrowers should know that they are not immediately required to submit an application as soon as their covered period ends, with this guidance noting that as long as a borrower submits its loan forgiveness application within ten months of the completion of the covered period, the borrower is not required to make any payments until the forgiveness amount is remitted to the lender by SBA. Also, some banks are in the early stages of accepting PPP forgiveness applications, and many have only now just begun setting up their systems. Be sure to check with your lender; they may have their own requirements in place as it relates to this process.\n\nFORSYTH COUNTY STUDENTS EARN TOP ACT SCORES IN STATE\nTime and again, students in our communities reach outstanding academic milestones which I am honored to share with you. For the sixth consecutive year, Forsyth County students have achieved the highest ACT scores in Georgia, boasting an average score of 24.9well above the state and national averages. The foundation of our students' success is our district's commitment to family and education, values which I know will live on in this next generation of student leaders as they head off to college. As Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Jeff Bearden said:We are committed to ensuring that our students can lead and succeed in the world.\nI would like to commend not only our outstanding Forsyth County Schools, but also our parents, guardians, and support systems who provide the love and encouragement necessary for our students to succeed in the classroom. Continuous achievements like this one reflect how truly special our Seventh District community is.\n\nGWINNETT COUNTY HOLDS ANNUAL GREAT DAYS OF SERVICE\nOne of the things I greatly admire about our district is that individuals and organizations are not only answering the call to help our friends and neighbors when assistance is most needed, but they are also proactively looking for ways to give back to our community. Last week, Gwinnett County mobilized for its annual Great Days of Service, bringing together thousands of volunteers from across our district to gather, sort, and deliver food and supplies to those in need. Dozens of local organizations like Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful held food and supply drives to meet the needs of those struggling in our area, coming together to improve the lives of individuals and families one donation at a time. Gwinnett Great Days of Service has an incredible track record of successlast year, 26,000 volunteers gathered to collect and donate over 50,000 items. I look forward to hearing about this year's achievements in the coming days.\nI would like to thank all Gwinnett Great Days of Service volunteers and sponsors for their generosity and time dedicated to making our community a better place to live. Your service will go a long way in making sure that all our neighbors are taken care of in this time.\n\nTHE WEEK AHEAD\nAfter Thursday's vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee to advance the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, the full Senate is set to vote today to confirm her nomination. As political fanfare continues to grip the Chamber, I regrettably expect the final vote for Judge Barrett's confirmation to fall largely on party lines. While I am disappointed in how this confirmation has taken place, I am pleased that Justice Barrett will be joining the highest court in the land.\nAlso, this week, we will be waiting to hear on the long, drawn-out negotiations to provide Americans relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the Speaker and the White House have indicated a deal is right around the corner, however, differences on both sides remain. I am hopeful we will be able to deliver for our constituents soon. Our nation is in need of relief and we must get serious about getting a deal done.\nSincerely,\nRob Woodall  Member of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://woodall.house.gov/media-center/e-newsletter-archive/district-connection-102620"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0230839252471924, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}