{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.jones.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-doug-jones-introduces-paycheck-security-act-to-keep-workers-on-payrolls-during-covid-19", "Senator Doug Jones Introduces \u201cPaycheck Security Act\u201d to Keep Workers on Payrolls During COVID-19", "2020-05-21", "2020", "2020-05", "Democrat", "House", "AL", "Doug Jones", "J000300", "www.jones.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-Ala.) today introduced legislationwith several of his colleaguesto cover the wages and benefits of employees of affected businesses and non-profits until the economic and public health crisis is resolved.\r\nAs Americans continue to struggle through the health and economic crisis we're facing, Congress needs to continue to provide relief to workers and small businesses  the lifeblood of our economy. ThePaycheck Security Actwould direct economic relief to American workers who are suffering by helping employers maintain their payroll,Senator Jones said. Our legislation is exactly the type of big, bold approach that we need to take, given the scale of this crisis. If we can provide the resources that businesses need to tide them over until it is safe to re-open, we can keep more folks safe and help keep workers on the payroll and receiving vital benefits like health insurance. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to include this in the next relief package, so that we can continue to help the people in Alabama and throughout our country who need it most.\r\nSince the COVID-19 pandemic began, more than 470,000 Alabama workers havefiledfor unemployment. Across the country, more than 20 million people lost their jobs in the month of April alone, the most in a single month on record. An estimated 27 million people have alreadylosttheir employer-provided health insurance coverage, and millions more could lose coverage before this crisis is over. The unemployment rate is likely close to 20 percent, and could exceed the depths of the Great Depression in the coming months.\r\nThePaycheck Security Actwould avert mass layoffs, stem catastrophic unemployment levels and prevent irreversible business losses with a refundable tax credit big enough ($90,000 annually per employee) to rehire and pay laid off and furloughed workers and restore their health care benefits. It will also provide small and mid-sized businesses with the funds they need to pay for rent, mortgages, utilities and other operating costs until they can reopen safely and sales begin to recover.\r\nJoiningSenator Jonesin introducing this legislationtodayare Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)\r\nFull text of thelegislationcan be foundhere.\r\n\r\nBACKGROUND\r\nSenator Joneswas an early advocate for apayroll protectionpolicy that offered expedited relief for Alabamians and Americans across the country.During the negotiations for the CARES Act, he proposed the Small Business Lifeline fund to direct financial assistance to workers through payroll processing companies. Last month, Senator Jonesled an effort tourgeSenate leadership to include the Paycheck Security Proposal in the next COVID-19 relief package.And hehasalsocalledforthe Treasury Department and the Small Business Administration to allow payroll processing companies to disburse theCARES Actsmall businesses loans to reduce complications and expedite salaries to workers.\r\n###", 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.jones.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-doug-jones-introduces-paycheck-security-act-to-keep-workers-on-payrolls-during-covid-19"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8681181352585554, "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"}