IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE COVID-19 RESPONSE BILL

We know many of you might have questions around all of the provisions within the response bill and how it will impact you, your businesses, and the communities you serve. We decided to create a list of key elements to assist you in understanding the implications of this unprecedented $2 trillion infusion of resources. Congress has passed the third coronavirus response bill and there are ongoing discussions about a fourth response bill. Additional legislative action will likely be needed as the impact of COVID-19 becomes clearer. Highlights of these bills to date include:

UPDATE MAY 1, 2020

SMALL BUSINESS & NONPROFITS

Paycheck Protection Program

$310 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program, the SBA’s short-term forgivable loan program for small businesses and nonprofits with less than 500 employees. Of the $310 billion total:

• $30 billion for loans made by Insured Depository Institutions and Credit Unions that have assets between $10 billion and $50 billion; and

• $30 billion for loans made by Community Financial Institutions (including CDFIs and Minority Depository Institutions), Small Insured Depository Institutions, and Credit Unions with assets less than $10 billion.

Economic Injury Disaster Loan program

$50 billion for EIDL loans, administered directly by the Small Business Administration.
$10 billion for Emergency EIDL Grants of up to $10,000 each.
The legislation authorizes agricultural enterprises with 500 or fewer employees to apply for EIDL loans and grants.

Administrative costs

$11.3 billion for administrative costs, including fees paid to lenders participating in the program
$2.1 billion for SBA salaries and expenses.*

* Source: The Raben Group

PANDEMIC EBT

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 provides the Secretary of Agriculture authority to approve state agency plans for temporary emergency standards of eligibility and levels of benefits under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. Children who would receive free or reduced price meals under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act if not for the school closure are eligible under this provision. State agencies may submit plans in any case in which a school is closed for at least 5 consecutive days during a public health emergency designation during which the school would otherwise be in session. To see if your state has been approved to operate a Pandemic EBT program, visit https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/state-guidance-coronavirus-pandemic-ebt-pebt.

EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION

Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefits will be available for eligible California families soon. Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), children who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals at school will get extra food benefits. P-EBT benefits help families in California buy food when schools are closed because of the coronavirus emergency. Families will get up to $365 per eligible child on their P-EBT card to use on food and groceries. Families with children who get CalFresh, Medi-Cal or Foster Care benefits do not need to apply. P-EBT cards will begin arriving by mail in May, 2020. Families with children who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals and who do not get their P-EBT card in the mail, must apply online before June 30, 2020. The online application will launch in late May.

* source: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/home/pandemic-ebt

EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION:

• $3.5 billion for the Child Care Development Block Grant to provide child care assistance to health care sector employees, emergency responders, sanitation workers, and other workers deemed essential during the response to the coronavirus;

• $750 million for Head Start to meet emergency staffing needs.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE:

• Full Paycheck Replacement: $600 increase for every American, which equates to 100 percent of wages for the average American without a paycheck;

• Extension of benefits: An additional 13 weeks of federally-funded unemployment insurance benefits;

• Expanding Access: Allow part-time, self-employed, and gig economy workers to access UI benefits.

  • Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) are eligible;

  • DACA, TPS, and those with asylum visas who have a SSN are eligible;

  • Undocumented individuals are not eligible.

SMALL BUSINESS (AND NONPROFIT) RESCUE:

• $350 billion in loan forgiveness grants to small businesses and nonprofits to maintain existing workforce and help pay for other expenses like rent, mortgage, and utilities;

• $10 billion for SBA emergency grants of up to $10,000 to provide immediate relief for small business operating costs;

• $17 billion for SBA to cover 6 months of payments for small businesses with existing SBA loans.

DIRECT PAYMENTS TO WORKERS:

• Provides direct payments to lower- and middle-income Americans of $1,200 for each adult, as well as $500 for each child;

• The full payment is available for individuals making up to $75,000 (individual) and $150,000 (married). The value begins decreasing and then phases out completely for those making over the full payment income cap.

  • Anyone in a tax filing unit (family) that is undocumented disqualifies the entire family from getting the cash assistance. Basically everyone has to have a legal SSN. So kids can’t get the $500 if their parents or parent is undocumented. If a married couple files together and one person is undocumented, it disqualifies both of them from asssitance;

  • LPRs are eligible;

  • DACA, TPS, and those with asylum visas who have a SSN are eligible;

  • Undocumented individuals are not eligible.

SNAP:

• SNAP Benefits for Kids: States can alter their SNAP programs to provide direct aid to households with children eligible for free or reduced price school meals, if a school is closed for at least five consecutive days because of the coronavirus;

• SNAP Work Requirements: The bill would waive federal work requirements for SNAP eligibility;

• $15.5 billion in additional funding for SNAP:

• $8.8 billion in additional funding for Child Nutrition Programs in order to ensure children receive meals while school is not in session.

PAID LEAVE:

• Emergency sick leave: Employers with fewer than 500 workers and government entities would have to provide employees with up to 10 days of paid sick time to self-quarantine, get tested for coronavirus, and care for family members with COVID-19;

• Emergency family leave: 12 weeks leave, of which the first 14 days unpaid, then paid at ⅔ regular pay. For private sector employers with fewer than 500 workers and government entities. Allowed where an employee can’t work or telework because his or her child’s school, day care, or child care is unavailable.

K-12 AND HIGHER EDUCATION:

The bill includes $30.750 billion for an Education Stabilization Fund for states, school districts and institutions of higher education for costs related to coronavirus, including:

• $13.5 billion for elementary and secondary education, distributed by formula to states, then 90% to districts using Title I formula;

• $14.25 billion will be available for higher education emergency relief for institutions of higher education to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus;

• Suspends student loan payments, including the accrual of interest, for up to six months;

• Provides the Secretary with the authority to waive certain provisions of ESSA related to assessments, accountability, and reporting requirements.

HOUSING ASSISTANCE:

• $7 billion for affordable housing and homelessness assistance programs to help low-income and working class Americans avoid evictions and provide additional assistance for people experiencing homelessness.

We will continue to monitor these bills and keep you updated as more information becomes readily available. We know many of you may have questions, and we are hoping to provide some guidance on a future webinar. We will make sure you are in the loop. For now, stay safe and healthy, and please let us know if we can assist with anything.