Congressional Dish: CD232: American Rescue Plan (2024)

May 27, 2021

In March 2021, a year after the official beginning of theCOVID-19 pandemic, the fully Democratic Party controlled Congresssent President Joe Biden their version of a COVID relief bill tosign, a bill that was rejected by the entire Republican Party. Inthis episode, examine the new law in detail to learn how it couldhelp you and to judge whether this new law was something you wouldhave liked your representatives in Congress to support.

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American Rescue Plan Outline

House vote1

House vote2

Senate vote

Text

TheAmerican Rescue Plan Act of 2021

TITLE I - COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, ANDFORESTRY

Subtitle A - Agriculture

Sec. 1001: Food Supply Chain and Agriculture PandemicResponse

  • Appropriates $4 billion for food purchases and grants for foodsuppliers to protect their workers from COVID

Sec. 1002: Emergency Rural Development Grants For Rural HealthCare

  • Appropriates $500 million for "emergency pilot program" grantsto impoverished rural communities to help them distribute vaccineswith infrastructure and staffing, give them medical supplies,reimburse them for lost revenue. The program has to be in operationby mid-August 2021.

Sec. 1005: Farm Loan Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmersand Ranchers

  • Provides "such sums as may be necessary" for the Secretary ofAgriculture (TomVilsack) to give "socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers"payments covering "up to 120% of the outstanding indebtedness" asof January 1, 2021, which will pay off loans they received from theFarm Service Agency or Commodity Credit Corporation and loansguaranteed by the Department of Agriculture. "Sociallydisadvantaged farmers" are farmers or ranchers who "have beensubjected to racial or ethnic prejudice because of their identityas members of a group without regard to their individualqualities."

Subtitle B - Nutrition

Sec. 1101: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

  • Extends food assistance benefits provided by the Coronabus fromJune 30, 2021 to September 30, 2021 and appropriates an additional$1.15 billion.

Sec. 1103: Additional Funding For Nutrition AssistancePrograms

  • Provides $1 billion in food assistance benefits to be splitamong the territories, which they will have until September 30,2027 to use.

Sec. 1105: Improvements to WIC Benefits

  • Allows, but does not require, the Secretary of Agriculture toincrease the amount of WIC benefits by $35 until July 11, 2021, ifrequested by the states. Appropriates $490 million.

Sec. 1108: Pandemic EBT Program

  • The Family's First Coronavirus Response Act said that during2020 and 2021, if a school is closed for more than 5 consecutivedays under a public health emergency designation, families ofchildren who are eligible for free or discounted school luncheswill be able to get benefits valued at least as much as the schoolmeals, to be distributed via the food stamp program, with money onEBT cards. This changes the dates so that it's valid "in any schoolyear in which there is a public health emergency declaration" or"in a covered summer period following a school session" which willallow the state to continue the benefits for 90 days so that kidscan continue to receive the meal credits during the emergencysummers.

TITLE II - COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, LABOR, ANDPENSIONS

Subtitle A - Education Matters

Part 1 - Department of Education

Sec. 2001: Elementary and Secondary School Emergency ReliefFund

  • Appropriates over $122.7 billion, which can be used throughSeptember 30, 2023, for grants to the states. 90% of the money hasto be given to local education agencies, including charter schools.20% of the money needs to be used to address learning loss, viasummer programs and extended school days and school years. The restof the money can be spent at the local agencies discretion foractivities they're already authorized to use Federal tax money forand to fund measures needed to protect students and staff fromCOVID. Any money not used must be returned to the Secretary ofEducation after one year.

Sec. 2002: Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools

  • Appropriates $2.75 billion, which can be used through September30, 2023, for private schools that "enroll a significant percentageof low-income students and are most impacted by the qualifyingemergency."

Sec. 2003: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund

  • Appropriates $39.5 billion, which can be used through September30, 2023, for colleges and universities.

Part 2 - Miscellaneous

Sec. 2021: National Endowment for the Arts

  • Appropriates $135 million for the National Endowment for theArts

Sec. 2022: National Endowment for the Humanities

  • Appropriates $135 million for the National Endowment for theHumanities

Sec. 2023: Institute of Museum and Library Services

  • Appropriates $200 million for the Institute of Museum andLibrary Services

Subtitle B - Labor Matters

Sec. 2101: Funding for Department of Labor Worker ProtectionActivities

  • Appropriates $200 million, with half of that going to OSHA.Only $5 million is required to be spent on "enforcement activitiesrelated to COVID-19 at high risk workplaces"

Subtitle C - Human Services and CommunitySupports

Sec. 2201: Child Care and Development Block Grant Program

  • Appropriates almost $15 billion, which has to be used beforeSeptember 30, 2021, for the Child Care and Development Block GrantProgram, which gives money to states for child care for low incomefamilies with children under the age of 13. States are authorizedto provide child care funding to health care employees, emergencyresponders, and "other workers deemed essential" regardless oftheir income levels during the emergency period.

Sec. 2202: Child Care Stabilization

  • Appropriates almost $24 billion for states to give to childcare providers, regardless of any other federal money they havereceived. The grant will be determined by the child care provider'soperating expenses and can be used to pay for employee salaries,benefits, and recruitment; rent or mortages; PPE and training; andmental health support for children or employees.

Subtitle D - Public Health

Sec. 2301: Funding for COVID-19 Vaccine Activities at the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention

  • Appropriates $7.5 billion for the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention to plan, prepare for, promote, distribute,administer, monitor, and track COVID-19 vaccines.

Sec. 2302: Funding for Vaccine Confidence Activities

  • Appropriates $1 billion, that does not expire, for the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention for activities "to strengthenvaccine confidence in the United States" in order to "improve ratesof vaccination throughout the United States"

Sec. 2303: Funding for Supply Chain for COVID-19 Vaccines,Therapeutics, and Medical Supplies

  • Appropriates a little over $6 billion, which does not expire,"for necessary expenses with respect to research, development,manufacturing, production, and the purchase of vaccines,therapeutics, and ancillary medical products" to prevent andrespond to COVID and "any disease with potential for creating apandemic."

Sec. 2305: Reduced Cost-Sharing

  • Expands subsidies for health insurance provided by theAffordable Care Act to anyone who has been approved forunemployment insurance in 2021, and their subsidy level will bedetermined as if they didn't make more than 133% above the povertylevel, regardless of actual income. This makes them eligible forthe most general subsidy levels, which reduces their out-of-pocketlimit by two-thirds and the insurance provider must pay 90% ofhealth care costs.

Subtitle E - Testing

Sec. 2401: Funding for COVID-19 Testing, Contact Tracing, andMitigation Activities

  • Appropriates $47.8 billion, which does not expire, to "detect,diagnose, trace, and monitor SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 infections".This money must be used to implement a national testing andcontract tracing strategy, provide technical assistance to states,"support the development, manufacturing, procurement, distribution,and administration of tests", which includes the supplies neededfor those tests, PPE, and "the acquisition, construction,alteration, or renovation of non-federally owned facilities."

Sec. 2402: Funding for Sara-COV-2 Genomic Sequencing andSurveillance

  • Appropriates $1.75 billion for genomic sequencing, analytics,and disease surveillance, which will identify mutations and surveytheir transmission in our communities. This money can be used to"award grants for the construction, alteration, or renovation offacilities to improve genomic sequencing and surveillancecapabilities at the State and local level."

Sec. 2403: Funding for Global Health

  • Appropriates $750 million to combat COVID "and other emerginginfectious disease threats globally"

Subtitle F - Public Health Workforce

Sec. 2501: Funding for Public Health Workplace

  • Appropriates $7.66 billion, which does not expire, to fund thecreation and expansion of local public health workforces. The moneywill be granted to states who will then fund the wages and benefitsfor individuals hired to be contract tracers, community healthworkers, epidemiologists, laboratory personnel, communications andpolicy experts who are employed by the government or a non-profit,which can be public or private.

Subtitle G - Public Health Investments

Sec. 2601: Funding for Community Health Centers and CommunityCare

  • Appropriates $7.6 billion, which does not expire, for grantsfor community health centers, which can be used for vaccinedistribution, testing and contact tracing, to hire health careworkers, and for community outreach. This money can be used toreimburse community health centers that they provided for COVIDresponse sine January 31, 2020.

Subtitle H - Mental Health and Substance UseDisorder

Sec. 2701: Funding for Block Grants For Community Mental HealthServices

  • Appropriates $1.5 billion, that must be spent by September 30,2025, for states to give to mental health service providers.

Sec. 2702: Funding For Block Grants For Prevention and Treatment ofSubstance Abuse

  • Appropriates $1.5 billion, that must be spent by September 30,2025, for states to give to substance abuse treatmentproviders.

Subtitle K - Ratepayer Protection

Sec. 2911: Funding for LIHEAP

  • Appropriates $4.5 billion, that expires on September 30, 2022,for payment for energy expenses of low income families.

Subtitle L - Assistance for Older Americans,Grandfamilies, and Kinship Families

Sec. 2921: Supporting Older Americans and Their Families

  • Appropriates over $1.4 billion for COVID related expenses ofsenior citizens.

TITLE III - COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBANAFFAIRS

Subtitle A - Defense Production Act of 1950

Sec. 3101: COVID-19 Emergency Medical Supplies Enhancement

  • Appropriates $10 billion, available until September 30, 2025,to use the Defense Production Act for "the purchase, production(including the construction, repair, and retrofitting ofgovernment-owned or private facilities as necessary)" fordistributing medical supplies and equipment to combat the COVID-19pandemic.
  • Starting on September 30, 2022, the money left over can be usedfor any activity "necessary to meet critical public health needs ofthe United States, as determined by the President.

Subtitle B - Housing Provisions

Sec. 3201: Emergency Rental Assistance

  • Appropriates over $21.5 billion (on top of the $25 billionprovided by the Coronabus), available until September 30, 2027, forgrants to states that will be used to pay rent, utilities and"other expenses related to housing incurred due, directly orindirectly," to COVID for up to 18 months. People who qualify forunemployment benefits, had their income reduced, are low income, orcan demonstrate that they are at risk of homelessness. The paymentswill be made directly to the landlord until the landlord does notagree to accept the payment, in which case the household canreceive the money.
  • All eligible grantees (states and territories) must be given atleast 40% of their payments by May 11
  • States and territories can use up to 15% of the money foradministration
  • Unused money will begin to be returned and redistributedstarting on March 31, 2022

Sec. 3202: Emergency Housing Vouchers

  • Appropriates $5 billion, available until September 30, 2030,for emergency housing vouchers (Section 8) to people who arehomeless, at risk of homelessness, or escaping a domestic violenceor human trafficking situation.
  • Prohibits families from getting another voucher after theirvoucher expires starting on September 30, 2023.

Sec. 3205: Homelessness Assistance and Supportive ServicesProgram

  • Appropriates $5 billion, available until September 30, 2025,for "tenant-based rental assistance", development of affordablehousing, housing counseling, and individual shelters than may beconverted to permanent housing. Eligible people include people whoare homeless, at risk of homelessness, escaping a domestic violenceor human trafficking situation, or veterans and their families ifthe veteran meets one of the other criteria. These services can becontracted out and the government "shall" enter into contracts"that cover the actual total program costs and administrativeoverhead"

Sec. 3206: Homeowner Assistance Fund

  • Appropriates over $9.9 billion, available until September 30,2025, for a new Homeowner Assistance Fund. The fund will makepayments "for the purpose of preventing homeowner mortgagedelinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, loss of utilities... ofhomeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 21,2020."
  • Assistance will include payments of mortgages, payments to takea loan out of forbearance, principal reduction, facilitatinginterest rate reductions, payments for utilities and internetservice, insurance, and homeowner association fees.
  • 60% of the money given to states has to be used to helphomeowners at or below the median income level for their householdsize or the median income level for the United States, whichever isgreater. The rest of the money has to go to "socially disadvantagedindividuals".
  • The states must receive their payments by April 25. If a statedoes not request payments by that date, that state will becomeineligible for payments and the money will be divided among theother states.

Subtitle C - Small Business (SSBCI)

Sec. 3301: State Small Business Credit Initiative

  • Appropriates $10 billion to bring back a program last usedafter the 2008 global recession to support small businessesrecovering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • $1.5 billion must be spent on businesses owned and controlledby "socially and economically disadvantaged individuals" Thisincludes privately owned businesses owned 50% or more by "sociallyand economically disadvantaged individuals" Publicly ownedbusinesses with 51% or more of the stock owned by "socially andeconomically disadvantaged individuals" Institutions where amajority of the board, account holders and the community are"socially and economically disadvantaged individuals". "Sociallyand economically disadvantaged individuals" are two differentlegal categories, but the "economically" disadvantaged groupcomes from the "socially" disadvantaged group. "Sociallydisadvantaged individuals" are those who have been subjected toracial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias because of theiridentity as a member of a group without regard to their individualqualities.
  • $500 million must be spent on businesses with fewer than 10employees, which "may" include independent contractors and soleproprietors.

Subtitle D - Public Transportation

Sec. 3401: Federal Transit Administration Grants

  • Appropriates almost $30.4 billion, available until September30, 2024, for... Over $26 billion: Urbanized areaformula grants For capital projects, planning, job access andreverse commute projects and operating costs for publictransportation facilities and equipment in cities with fewer than200,000 people. Over $1.6 billion: Fixed guidewaycapital investment grants, For rail, ferry, and bus publictransportation systems that increase the capacity of the route byat least 10%. Over $417 million: Formula grantsfor rural areas. For planning for rural areas, publictransportation capital costs, public transportation facilities andequipment, joe access and reverse commute projects, and privateproviders of public transportation services. The grants cover 80%of the net project cost. $50 million: Grants forenhancing the mobility of seniors, "For public transportationprojects designed, and carried out to meet the special needs ofseniors and individuals with disabilities when publictransportation is insufficient, inappropriate, orunavailable."
  • The money is allowed to be used for operating expensesbeginning on January 20, 2020, including payroll, operating costsdue to lost revenue, purchase of PPE, and the administrative leaveof personnel due to service restrictions.
  • Increases the government's share of the costs from 80% to100%.
  • Prohibits money paying for route planning to be used toprivatize a public transportation service.

TITLE IV - COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY ANDGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

Sec. 4001: Emergency Federal Employee Leave Fund

  • Appropriates $570 million, available through September 30,2022, for up to 600 hours of paid leave for full time employees,capped at $2,800 for each bi-weekly paycheck, for employees thathave to quarantine, who have COVID, is caring for a family memberwith COVID, or is getting vaccinated or is sick from getting thevaccination.
  • Eligible employees include executive branch employees, USPSemployees, and working people in the DC court system.
  • Eligibility ends on September 30, 2021.

Sec. 4005: Federal Emergency Management AgencyAppropriation

Appropriates $50 billion, available until September 30, 2025 forFEMA for "major disaster declarations"

Sec. 4006: Funeral Assistance

For the COVID emergency declared on March 13, 2020 "and for anysubsequent major disaster declarations that supercedes suchemergency declaration", FEMA funds "shall" be paid for 100% ofdisaster-related funeral expenses.

Sec. 4007: Emergency Food and Shelter Program Funding

  • Appropriates $400 million, available until September 30, 2025for FEMA's emergency food and sh

TITLE V - COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS ANDENTREPRENEURSHIP

Sec. 5001: Modifications to Paycheck Protection Program

  • Adds non-profit organizations with fewer then 500 employees perlocation to the eligibility list for forgivable PPP loans. They canbe eligible if they receive up to 15% of their money from lobbyingactivities and that amount was less than $1 million during the taxyear that ended prior to February 15, 2020.
  • Adds "internet only periodical publishers" who are "assigned aNorth American Industry Classification System code of 519130" to beeligible for forgivable PPP loans if they have fewer than 500employees per physical location.
  • Appropriates an additional $7.25 billion to the PPPprogram

Sec. 5002: Targeted EIDL Advance

  • Appropriates $15 billion, which does not expire, for the SmallBusiness Administration to make loans to businesses with fewer than300 employees in low income communities.

Sec. 5003: Support for Restaurants

  • Appropriates $28.6 billion for restaurants, food stands, foodtrucks, caterers, bars, tasting rooms, including locations insideof airports. Does not include chains that had more than 20locations on March 13, 2020, or publicly traded companies. $5billion of that is reserved for businesses that made less than$500,000 in 2019. The maximum amount of each grant is $10 million,and no more than $5 million per physical location. The amount up tothose caps of the grants is the amount of the business's pandemicrelated revenue loss.
  • Valid for expenses from February 15, 2020 through at leastDecember 31, 2021. The Administrator of the Small BusinessAdministration can extend that until no later than March 11,2023.

Sec. 5005: Shuttered Venue Operators

  • Appropriates an additional $1.25 billion, that doesn't expire,to the Coronabus grant program for live performance venues. Reducesthe grant amounts by any amount of PPP money that was received onor after December 27, 2020.

TITLE VII - COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, ANDTRANSPORTATION

Subtitle A - Transportation andInfrastructure

Sec. 7101: Grants to the National Railroad PassengerCorporation

  • Appropriates almost $1 billion to Amtrak's Northeast Corridorand $730 million to Amtrak's national network, available untilSeptember 30, 2024 for coronavirus related expenses.

Sec. 7102: Relief for Airports

  • Appropriates $8 billion, available until September 30, 2024 forairports. No more than $800 million can be used to pay the rent andrequired minimum payments of airport concessions operators. Toqualify for the funding, airports have to retain 90% of the numberof employees they had on March 27, 2020 until September 30, 2021,unless granted a waiver due to environmental hardship.

Subtitle B - Aviation Manufacturing JobsProtection

Sec. 7202: Payroll Support Program

  • Appropriates $3 billion, available until September 30, 2023 fora new program that pays airplane manufacturers for some payrollexpenses if they have "significant operations in, and a majority ofits employees" in the United States, if they have laid off at least10% of their workforce or experienced a 15% or more loss ofrevenue. Businesses that got money from the CARES Act or PPPprogram are ineligible.

Subtitle C - Airlines

Sec. 7301: Air Transportation Payroll Support ProgramExtension

  • Appropriates $14 billion for airlines and $1 billion forcontractors conditioned on their agreement not to furlough anyoneor reduce pay for workers before September 30, 2021, not buy backtheir own stock or pay out dividends before September 30, 2022, andlimit executive pay.

Subtitle D - Consumer Protection and CommerceOversight

Sec. 7402: Funding for E-Rate Support for Emergency EducationalConnections and Devices

  • Appropriates over $7.1 billion, available through September 30,2030 to reimburse elementary and high schools and libraries for newtelecommunications equipment and services including wi-fi hotspots,modems, routers, and connection devices.

TITLE VIII - COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS

Sec. 8002: Funding Availability for Medical Care and HealthNeeds

  • Appropriates $14 billion in additional funding, available untilSeptember 30, 2023 for the "Veterans Community Care program"

Sec. 8007: Prohibition on Copayments and Cost Sharing for VeteransDuring Emergency Relation to COVID-19

  • Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from charging anyco-pay or cost sharing for health care received by a veteran, andany co-pays and cost sharing already charged must be reimbursed,for the period between April 6, 2020 and September 30, 2021.Appropriates an additional $1 billion, available until spent.

TITLE IX - COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

Subtitle A - Crisis Support for UnemployedWorkers

Part 1 - Extension of CARES Act UnemploymentProvisions

Sec. 9011: Extension of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

  • Extends unemployment benefits through September 6, 2021 andextends the total number of eligible weeks from 50 to 79.

Part 3 - Department of Labor Funding for Timely,Accurate, and Equitable Payment

Sec. 9032: Funding for Fraud Prevention, Equitable Access, andTimely Payment to Eligible Workers

  • Appropriates an additional $2 billion, available until fullyspent, to the Secretary of Labor to detect and prevent fraud andensure the timely payment of unemployment benefits.

Part 4 - Other Provisions

Sec. 9042: Suspension of Tax on Portion of UnemploymentCompensation

  • For taxpayers whose gross income for "any taxable yearbeginning in 2020" is less than $150,000 and whose unemploymentpayments were less than $10,200, that income will not betaxable.

Subtitle F - Preserving Health Benefits forWorkers

Sec. 9501: Preserving Health Benefits for Workers

  • People who lose their employer paid health insurance due tobeing laid off or having their hours reduced can elect to haveCOBRA (a continuation of their health insurance) paid for by thegovernment, which will provide tax credits to the employer who willpay the premiums. This applies between April 1, 2021 throughSeptember 30, 2021.

Subtitle G - Promoting Economic Security

Part 1 - 2021 Recovery Rebates toIndividuals

Sec. 9601: 2021 Recovery Rebates to Individuals

  • Provides $1,400 per person stimulus checks to people makingless than $75,000 per year, with a phase out up to $100,000 peryear. No checks are allowed to be issued after December 31, 2021.They check amounts will be determined based on either 2019 or 2020tax filings, whatever the government has on file. Appropriates over$1.4 billion.

Part 2 - Child Tax Credit

Sec. 9611: Child Tax Credit Improvements for 2021

  • For 2021, for taxpayers living in the United States will get a$3,000 payment for each child ages 6-18 and $3,600 for each childunder the age of 6. The payments will be reduced for individualswho make more than $75,000 and couples who make more than $150,000.Payments will be made between July 1, 2021 and December 31,2021.

Part 3 - Earned Income Tax Credit

Sec. 9621: Strengthening the Earned Income Tax Credit forIndividuals with No Qualifying Children

  • Doubles the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit for qualifiedtaxpayers for 2021 who don't have children, increasing the maximumcredit from $538 to $1,500. To qualify, you have to live in theUnited States at least half the year and have investment incomebelow $10,000. People who make more than $21,430 as a single personor $27,830 jointly are not eligible.

Part 4 - Dependent Care Assistance

Sec. 9631: Refundability and Enhancement of Child and DependentCare Tax Credit

  • For 2021, eligible taxpayers can get up to 50% of up to $8,000in childcare costs (capped at $16,000 for multiple children underthe age of 12) reimbursed via a refundable tax credit. The creditphases out for families with income higher than $400,000 peryear.

Part 5 - Credits for Paid Sick and FamilyLeave

Sec. 9641: Payroll Credits

  • Provides a 100% refundable tax credit for employers thatprovide paid sick leave, capped at $511 and 10 days per quarter.Provides a 100% refundable tax credit for employers who providefamily leave, capped at $200 per day and $12,000 total.

Sec. 9642: Credit for Sick Leave For Certain Self-EmployedIndividuals

  • Allows self employed individuals to receive a tax credit forsick day related to COVID-19 from April 1, 2021 through September30, 2021, including getting tested, quarantining, illness, andgetting the vaccine. The number of days is capped at 10 and itscapped at $200 per day.

Sec. 9643: Credit For Family Leave For Certain Self-EmployedIndividuals

  • Allows self employed individuals to receive a refundable taxcredit for family leave for COVID-19 testing, illness, or vaccines.It's capped at 60 days and $200 per day.

Part 6 - Employee Retention Credit

Sec. 9651: Extension of Employee Retention Credit

  • Provides employers who had to partially or fully close during2021 with a refundable tax credit up to 70% of the wages they payto their employees capped at $10,000 per employee per quarter.

Part 7 - Premium Tax Credit

Sec. 9661: Improving Affordability by Expanding Premium Assistancefor Consumers

  • Increases the amount of money the government will pay towardsthe health insurance premium of low income individuals. People withincomes at or below 150% of the poverty level ($19,320 forindividuals) can get coverage with no monthly premiums. Lifts thecap on the income level of individuals eligible for subsides, sonow everyone is eligible and no one will pay more than 8.5% oftheir income towards health insurance premiums. This is onlyapplicable for 2021 and 2022.

Part 8 - Miscellaneous Provisions

Sec. 9671: Repeal of Election to Allocate Interest, Etc. onWorldwide Basis

  • Repeals a tax benefit for corporations that would have becomeeffective in 2021.

Sec. 9672: Tax Treatment of Targeted EIDL Advances

COVID relief money provided via the Small BusinessAdministration's program for restaurants will not count as grossincome for tax purposes.

Sec. 9673: Tax Treatment of Restaurant RevitalizationGrants

  • COVID relief money provided via the Small BusinessAdministration's program for small businesses, nonprofits, andvenues will not count as gross income for tax purposes.

Sec. 9675: Modification of Treatment of Student LoanForgiveness

  • Student loan forgiveness amounts will not be included in grossincome from 2021 through 2025.

SubtitleH - Pensions

Subtitle I - Child Care for Workers

Sec. 9801: Child Care Assistance

  • Appropriates over $3.5 billion for grants to states andterritories for child care assistance.

Subtitle J - Medicaid

Sec. 9811: Mandatory Coverage of COVID-19 Vaccines andAdministration and Treatment Under Medicaid

  • From March 11, 2021 until one year after the COVID emergency isdeclared over, Medicaid must pay for COVID testing, treatment, andvaccines free of out of pocket charges.

Subtitle K - Children's Health InsuranceProgram

Sec. 9821: Mandatory Coverage of COVID-19 Vaccines andAdministration and Treatment Under CHIP

  • From March 11, 2021 until the first day of the quarter afterthe one year anniversary of the COVID emergency being declaredover, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) must coverCOVID testing, treatment, and vaccines with no cost sharingrequirements. The Federal government will pay 100% of the costs tothe states.

Subtitle M - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal RecoveryFunds

Sec. 9901: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal RecoveryFunds

  • Appropriates $219.8 billion, available through the end of 2024,for states, territories, and tribal governments to "mitigate thefiscal effects stemming from the public health emergency withrespect to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)". The money can bespent on "assistance to households, small businesses, andnonprofits, or aid to impacted industries such as tourism, travel,and hospitality" and "premium pay (up to $13/hour, capped at$25,000) to eligible workers... performing such essential work" and"for the provision of government services to the extent of thereduction of revenue... due to the COVID-19 public healthemergency" and "to make necessary investments in water, sewer, orbroadband infrastructure." The money can NOT be used to offset areduction in revenue caused by a tax cut or to deposit into pensionfunds.
  • Appropriates over $130 billion, available through the end of2024 for metropolitan cities ($45.5 billion), nonentitlement unitsof local government ($19.5 billin), and counties ($65 billion) to"mitigate the fiscal effects stemming from the public healthemergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)" forthe same purposes with the same conditions placed upon the states(see above).
  • Appropriates $10 billion, available until fully spent, forstates, territories, and tribal governments to "carry out criticalcapital projects directly enabling work, education, and healthmonitoring, including remote options." Each state will get at least$100 million.
  • Appropriates $2 billion, available until September 30, 2023,for counties and tribal governments for "any governmental purposeother than a lobbying activity."

Subtitle N - Other Provisions

Sec. 9911: Funding For Providers Relating to COVID-19

  • Appropriates $8.5 billion, available until fully spent, forhealth care providers for "health care related expenses and lostrevenues that are attributable to COVID-19. Health care providersmust apply and can't double dip for the same expenses that havealready been reimbursed or are supposed to be reimbursed some otherway (for example, via insurance.)
  • The money can be used for expenses derived from newconstruction of temporary structures, leasing property, purchasingmedical supplies, hiring new workers and their training, andothers.

TITLE X - COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

Sec. 10003: Global Response

  • Appropriates over $8.6 billion, available until September 30,2022, for international health programs "to prevent, prepare for,and respond to coronavirus". $3.75 billion will go to the StateDepartment for "the prevention, treatment, and control of HIV/AIDS"in order to mitigate the impact on these programs from impacts ofthe coronavirus and support recovery from them. The vast majorityof this money will be for "a United States contribution to theGlobal Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria" $3.09 billionwill go to USAID for COVID-19 relief that "shall include supportfor international disaster relief, rehabilitation, andreconstruction, for health activities, and to meet emergency foodsecurity needs." $930 million will be for "activities to addresseconomic and stabilization requirements resulting from"coronavirus. $905 million will go to USAID and "shall include acontribution to a multilateral vaccine development partnership tosupport epidemic preparedness."

Sec. 10004: Humanitarian Response

  • Appropriates $500 million, available until September 30, 2022,to carry out the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, but themoney can't be used to resettle refugees in the United States.

Sec. 10005: Multilateral Assistance

  • Appropriates $580 billion, available until September 30, 2022,which "shall include support for the priorities and objectives ofthe United Nations Global Humanitarian Response Plan to COVID-19through voluntary contributions to international organization andprograms administered by such organizations."

TITLE XI - COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS

Sec. 11001: Indian Health Service

  • Appropriates over $6 billion for the Indian Health Service forCOVID-19 related expenses.

Sec. 11002: Bureau of Indian Affairs

  • Appropriates $900 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs fortribal housing improvements, welfare services and waterdeliveries.

Sec. 11003: Housing Assistance and Supportive Services Programs forNative Americans

  • Appropriates $750 million for housing assistance for nativeAmerican communities.

Sec. 11005: Bureau of Indian Education

  • Appropriates $850 million for the Bureau of Indian Education,available until fully spent.

Articles/Documents

Additional Resources

Sound Clip Sources

McConnell: I hopeEVERY REPUBLICAN votes against American Rescue Plan, Forbes,YouTube, March 3, 2021
Rep. Kurt Schrader explains his vote against $1.9T coronavirusrelief bill, KGW, March 1, 2021
"A Payoff ForPelosi": Kevin McCarthy Slams Spending Items In $1.9 TrillionAmerican Rescue Plan, Forbes, YouTube, May 1, 2021

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Music Presented in This Episode

Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found onMusic Alley by mevio)

Congressional Dish: CD232: American Rescue Plan (2024)
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