{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/schatz-help-is-on-the-way-new-covid-19-relief-deal-includes-at-least-17-billion-for-hawaii", "Schatz: Help Is On The Way, New COVID-19 Relief Deal Includes At Least $1.7 Billion For Hawai\u2018i", "2020-12-21", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) announced that Hawai\u2018i will receive at least $1.7 billion in estimated funding from a new $900 billion COVID-19 relief package. The bipartisan deal \u2013 the second largest emergency relief package in American history \u2013 includes funding for unemployment assistance, and aid for small businesses, schools, vaccine distribution, hospitals, and health care workers.\n\n\u201cHelp is on the way. This relief package will help those who\u2019ve lost their job or can\u2019t make rent. It provides more money for businesses, and gives our state, hospitals, and health care providers more resources to distribute the vaccine and fight this pandemic,\u201d said Senator Schatz. \u201cWhile it\u2019s not enough, and we still have more work to do, this will provide help immediately.\u201d\n\nThe COVID-19 relief package was included in the annual spending bill, which includes additional money for Hawai\u2018i for housing, roads, public transit, and infrastructure, as well as Native Hawaiian health and education programs.\n\nKey provisions in the COVID-19 relief package include:\n\nUnemployment assistance \u2013 extension of unemployment insurance to help those who have lost their jobs or are experiencing reduced incomes.\n\nAt least $200 million in estimated funding will go to helping unemployed Hawai\u2018i workers.\n\nAvailable to self-employed individuals, part-time workers, independent contractors, and gig workers, including ride-sharing drivers.\n\nCovers those who are sick, quarantined, furloughed, or whose family circumstances keep them from working or reduce their pay as a result of the coronavirus outbreak or government containment efforts.\n\nAid will cover salaries up to about $65,000 for 3 months with an additional $300 per week.\n\nRent relief and eviction moratorium \u2013 An estimated $200 million to help Hawai\u2018i residents who lost their job or saw a significant reduction in income due to the pandemic to make rent.\n\nProvides a 30-day extension of the CDC\u2019s current eviction moratorium to January 31, 2021.\n\nAt least 90 percent of the funds must be used for payment of future rent, back rent, utilities and home energy bills, and related housing expenses; and up to 10 percent of the funds are available for housing counseling or other stability services.\n\nIncludes an additional $2.4 million for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.\n\nSmall businesses and non-profits \u2013 provides $325 billion nationally for small businesses, including restaurants, hotels, live venues, and non-profits.\n\n$284 billion in partially forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to small businesses and non-profits to maintain existing workforce and help pay for other expenses like rent, mortgage, and utilities.\n\nThe hardest-hit small businesses\u2014those with 300 or fewer employees that have sustained a 25 percent revenue loss in any quarter of 2020\u2014can receive a second forgivable PPP loan.\n\nForgivable expenses are expanded to include supplier costs, investments in facility modifications, and purchases of personal protective equipment.\n\nBusiness expenses paid for with PPP loans are now tax deductible, consistent with Congressional intent in the CARES Act.\n\nExpanded eligibility for nonprofits, local newspapers, and TV and radio broadcasters.\n\nPPP forgiveness process simplified for loans of $150,000 or less, eliminating red tape and making loan forgiveness easier for small businesses.\n\n$20 billion for Small Business Administration (SBA) emergency grant advances of up to $10,000 to provide immediate relief for small business operating costs.\n\n$15 billion for grants to independent live venue operators, including eligible independent movie theatres and museums, affected by stay-at-home orders.\n\nVaccine distribution and procurement \u2013 provides nearly $32 billion nationally, including $4.5 billion directly to states and localities and an estimated $35 million to Hawai\u2018i, to help distribute and administer COVID-19 vaccines.\n\nTesting and contact tracing \u2013 provides $22.4 billion nationally for testing and contact tracing, including at least $150 million in estimated funding to Hawai\u2018i. This funding will expand capacity for COVID-19 testing to effectively monitor and suppress COVID\u201319, conduct surveillance and contact tracing activities, and support other COVID-19 mitigation efforts.\n\nHospitals and health care providers \u2013 provides $3 billion nationally, including an estimated $5 million for Hawai\u2018i providers, to help health care providers through the Provider Relief Fund, extends relief from the Medicare sequester through March 2021, and increases payments under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for all services by 3.75 percent for 2021.\n\nMental health \u2013 includes more than $4 billion nationally for several mental health programs, including the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant, and suicide prevention programs.\n\nDirect cash payments \u2013 provides a one-time cash payment to millions of Americans.\n\nMore than $700 million is estimated to go to Hawai\u2018i residents.\n\nIndividuals will get $600 (joint filers get $1,200) plus $600 per child.\n\nBenefits start to phase out for those with incomes exceeding $150,000 for married couples, $75,000 for singles, and $112,500 for single parents.\n\nPayments will not go to single filers earning more than $87,000; head-of-household filers with one child, more than $136,500; and more than $174,000 for joint filers with no children.\n\nSocial Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries will be eligible for this cash payment.\n\nExpands direct payments to households with mixed immigration status, retroactive to the CARES Act.\n\nEducation \u2013 provides at least an estimated $200 million for Hawai\u2018i schools, which can be used to support teacher salaries, including:\n\nAn estimated $4.4 million for Hawai\u2018i in the Governor\u2019s Emergency Education Relief Fund, which provides both K-12 schools and institutions of higher education with emergency assistance funding;\n\nAn estimated $178 million for Hawai\u2018i in Elementary and Secondary School (K-12) Emergency Relief Funding with eligibility for Native Hawaiian Education Programs specifically included; and\n\nAccess to additional funding from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund to support Hawai\u2018i\u2019s colleges and universities; and\n\nAt least $20 million in estimated funding for Hawai\u2018i to support Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions.\n\nChild care \u2013 $10 billion for grants for child care providers, including an estimated $25 million or more for Hawai\u2018i.\n\nNative-serving community lenders \u2013 provides $25 million nationally in grants to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) serving Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native, and other Native American communities across the country to help them withstand the economic impacts of the pandemic.\n\nTransportation \u2013 provides at least $128 million in estimated funding for Hawai\u2018i to support transportation and airport services including:\n\n$60 million to ensure that transit services in Hawai\u2018i continue operating with enhanced safety procedures for passengers and staff;\n\n$42 million to continue funding for critical highway projects;\n\n$26 million for Hawai\u2018i airports. Funds can be used for operations and expenses related to coronavirus safety procedures as well as a set-aside for aide to in-terminal airport concessions and other service providers;\n\nAccess to $2 billion in national funding to transportation service companies, such as tour bus operators. At least 60 percent of the funding must be used to retain or rehire staff; and\n\nAccess to $15 billion in national funding to airlines for workforce salaries and benefits to prevent layoffs.\n\nCoronavirus Relief Fund extension \u2013 includes a one-year extension of the CARES Act\u2019s Coronavirus Relief Fund, providing state and county governments with more time to expend their allocations. The new deadline is December 31, 2021.\n\nBroadband internet \u2013 provides at least $7 billion nationally to improve broadband infrastructure, expand access high-speed internet, including:\n\nAt least $30 million in funding for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands;\n\n$3.2 billion nationally in an Emergency Broadband Benefit to help low-income Americans get connected or remain connected to broadband;\n\n$250 million nationally for a new telehealth pilot program;\n\n$300 million national grant program to fund broadband in rural areas; and\n\n$65 million to improve U.S. broadband maps.\n\nFood and nutrition programs \u2013 provides $13 billion nationally for nutrition programs, including an increase of 15 percent in monthly SNAP benefits to ensure that all Americans receive the food they need. The bill also provides funding for food banks, food pantries, school meal programs, and other nutrition programs.\n\nAgricultural producers and fisheries \u2013 provides $13 billion nationally to support agriculture, fisheries, and rural communities, including:\n\n$9.7 billion for assistance to farmers and ranchers, including specialty crops, and floriculture;\n\n$1.5 billion to purchase food, agricultural products, and seafood for individuals in need; and\n\n$300 million for assistance to commercial, recreational, and tribal fisheries.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"]], "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.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/schatz-help-is-on-the-way-new-covid-19-relief-deal-includes-at-least-17-billion-for-hawaii"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9670089930295944, "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"}