{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/senate-passes-scott-brown-wyden-grassley-legislation-to-help-nonprofits/", "SENATE PASSES SCOTT, BROWN, WYDEN, GRASSLEY LEGISLATION TO HELP NONPROFITS", "2020-07-06", "2020", "2020-07", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "Fix Would Free up Much-Needed Money to Keep Nonprofits Running, Serving Americans\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 The United States Senate unanimously passed the Protecting Nonprofits from Catastrophic Cash Flow Strain Act, introduced by U.S. Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). This legislation helps nonprofits, state and local governments, and federally recognized Tribes remain financially viable during the COVID-19 pandemic.\n\nMany nonprofits operate as \u2018reimbursing employers,\u2019 which means they pay their share of unemployment taxes by reimbursing states for 100 percent of the unemployment benefits collected by their former employees. Recognizing that reimbursing employers would be unable to cover all of their unemployment costs, the CARES Act allows nonprofits to reimburse only 50 percent to the states while the federal government covered the other 50.\n\nGuidance issued by the Department of Labor in April, however, requires states to collect 100 percent of unemployment costs from nonprofits up front and reimburse them later, putting a further strain on organizations hit hard by COVID-19. The Senators\u2019 bill would clarify that nonprofits are only required to provide 50 percent in payments up front. The net cost to the employer and the federal government would remain the same, but would free up much needed money to help nonprofits stay afloat.\n\n\u201cNonprofit organizations play a vital role in our communities, especially during this time of uncertainty for so many American families,\u201d said Sen. Tim Scott. \u201cThis bipartisan legislation protects these vulnerable organizations from being placed in unnecessary hardship in the midst of the pandemic. I\u2019m grateful for the support of my colleagues on this issue and looking forward to this being signed into law.\u201d\n\n\u201cNonprofits are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic and our constituents are increasingly looking to local nonprofits to help feed their families or make ends meet,\u201d said Sen. Brown. \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be putting added financial strains on nonprofits at a time when they need this money to better serve our communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe CARES Act provided substantial relief to nonprofits forced to furlough or lay off staff,\u201d said Sen. Grassley. \u201cWithout this fix, some nonprofits would have to make large payment to the state now\u2014when they\u2019re least able to afford it\u2014and then wait for a reimbursement later. This bill would make sure they don\u2019t have to wait for further relief.\u201d\n\n\u201cNonprofit groups like food banks have been critical in helping their communities through the pandemic and economic crisis,\u201d said Sen. Wyden. \u201cMany are struggling to maintain services as they have been forced to furlough their own employees. Our proposal is a commonsense fix that will help nonprofits maintain the cashflow needed to survive this crisis and continue serving others in need.\u201d\n\nFor many nonprofit employers, the requirement to pay 100% of the UI bill before securing relief exacerbates the financial impact of historically high claims triggered by the pandemic, increasing the risk of further layoffs, closures, or substantial reductions in services. This legislation would enable states to provide the CARES Act\u2019s 50% emergency relief to reimbursing employers without requiring these nonprofits or other entities to pay their full bill first.\n\nFull text of the bill can be found HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:18:24Z"]], "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.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/senate-passes-scott-brown-wyden-grassley-legislation-to-help-nonprofits/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8428369183093309, "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"}