{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-priorities-covid-relief-pass-government-funding-bill", "Cornyn Priorities, COVID Relief Pass in Government Funding Bill", "2020-12-21", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) supported the passage of the targeted coronavirus relief package and FY21 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which funds the federal government through September 30, 2021 and includes many priorities important to Texas: Relief for Texans During the Pandemic:\n Provides direct financial assistance to Texans:\nProvides individuals making up to $75,000 with a $600 check and an additional $600 for each eligible child. A family of four making up to $150,000 will receive $2,400\nExtends the eviction moratorium until January 31, 2021 and provides $25 billion in temporary and targeted rental assistance for those who lost their source of income during the pandemic\nExpands unemployment insurance (UI) for Texas workers:\nProvides an extra $300 weekly federal UI benefit on top of the state maximum temporarily\nAssists the health care industry's response:\nProvides $19.695 billion for the purchase, development, and production of vaccines and $8.75 billion for vaccine distribution, administration, and monitoring\nProvides $22.4 billion to assist states with testing and containment\nReauthorizes the Community Health Centers program for three years and provides $1.68 billion in appropriated funds.\nProvides $3.25 billion for the Strategic National Stockpile of PPE and other critical supplies\nProvides $3 billion for the Provider Relief Fund\nProvides $4.25 billion for substance abuse and mental health treatment and prevention\nSupports Texans in rural areas:\nIncludes $300 million to build out rural broadband\nProvides an additional $250 million for telehealth\nProvides $11.2 billion in funding for agricultural assistance to support farmers, ranchers, logging and timber, textile mills, and producers.\nProvides $1 billion in repurposed funding for agricultural losses due to previous natural disasters.\nProvides for Texas education, childcare, and nutrition:\nProvides $10 billion for childcare centers\nAllocates $82 billion in funding to support students, teachers, schools, and families, including:\n$54.3 billion to help elementary and secondary schools safely re-open or remain open;\n$22.7 billion to support students and institutions of higher education;\nAnd $4.1 billion as part of the Governors Fund to give states flexible funding to address students' needs from early childhood through college\nContinues and provides additional waivers and flexibility for School Nutrition Programs, of which two-thirds of Texas school children participate in\nProvides $400 million in funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program and $1.5 billion for the purchase of food and commodities to help Texas food banks meet unprecedented demand\nIncludes a six-month increase in supplemental food benefits for low-income Texans\n Supporting Texas Workers & Job Creators:\n Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): Provides more than $250 billion to replenish the program, which provides loans to allow small businesses to maintain their payroll, hire back laid-off employees, and cover interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities\nSave Our Stages Act: Provides Small Business Administration grants totaling $15 billion for entertainment venue operators affected by COVID-19 stay-at-home orders in order to keep venues afloat, pay employees, and preserve a critical economic sector\nSmall Business Expense Protection Act: Clarifies the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) so small businesses can deduct expenses paid with a forgiven PPP loan from their taxes\nExtension of the Donation Acceptance Program: Provides a one-year extension of this program promoting public-private partnerships to boost staffing and make infrastructure improvements at U.S. ports of entry without adding to the national deficit\n Protecting Texas Children:\nStrengthening Texas' Energy Sector:\nPreserving Texans' History:", 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://www.cornyn.senate.gov/content/news/cornyn-priorities-covid-relief-pass-government-funding-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9339959360659122, "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"}