DeLauro Statement on House Democrats’ Third Coronavirus Response Bill

NEW HAVEN, CT —(March 23, 2020)Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, today released the following statement after House Democrats introduced the Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act, new legislation to help families, businesses, and communities deal with the public health and economic impacts of the coronavirus.

"House Democrats are stepping up to protect our frontline health workers, first responders, working people, and families as our nation deals with the coronavirus pandemic. Connecticut's healthcare workers and first responders will benefit from much-needed funding for our public health infrastructure, especially hospitals, personal protective equipment, and the Public Health Emergency Fund. This bill also contains strong provisions that will provide more working people and families with access to paid sick days, paid leave, increased food assistance, and an expanded and fully refundable Child Tax Credit and Young Child Tax Credit. These programs will provide economic security for those who are struggling to make ends meet as cities and states take evidence-based precautions to slow the spread of the coronavirus."

"I am particularly pleased that legislation I authored with others on paid sick days, paid family and medical leave, the Child Tax Credit, the Public Health Emergency Fund, and food stamps and nutrition programs are in this bill. I fully support this legislation and I look forward to passing it quickly."

Highlights within DeLauro's Labor, Health and Human, and Education Appropriations portion of the bill include:

Department of Labor

• $1.36 billion to support workers impacted by coronavirus, including older Americans, homeless veterans and Job Corps students;
• $30 million for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for workplace protection activities in response to coronavirus, including $10 million for Susan Harwood training grants that protect and educate workers; and,
• $10 million for enforcement and worker protection activities at the Wage and Hour Division and the Employee Benefits Security Administration, and $15 million for the Employment and Training Administration to administer unemployment insurance activities.

Department of Health and Human Services

• $5.5 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support federal, state, and local public health agencies to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus;
• $5 billion for the Public Health Emergency Fund to ensure the Department of Health and Human Services is able to respond to a broad range of public health threats and protect the American people—funding DeLauro has championed legislatively for years;
• $1.9 billion to support expanded health care services for underserved populations;
• $800 million to the National Institutes of Health to expand COVID-19-related research on the NIH campus and at academic institutions across the country, including on vaccines, treatments, diagnostics, and complications of the virus;
• $100 billion for hospitals to reimburse health care related expenses or lost revenue directly attributable to the public health emergency resulting from coronavirus;
• $4.5 billion to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs for expenses incurred to provide medical care to civilians;
• More than $6 billion for medical response efforts, including:
  • More than $3 billion for Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to support research and development of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics to prevent or treat the effects of coronavirus:
    • $1 billion for innovations in manufacturing platforms to support a U.S.-sourced supply chain of vaccines, therapeutics, and small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients. Given the U.S.'s increased reliance on foreign-based sources of API, this investment will help shift manufacturing back home

• More than $1.6 billion for the Strategic National Stockpile to procure pharmaceuticals, personal protective equipment (PPE), and other medical supplies, which can be distributed to State and local health agencies in areas with shortages;
• $435 million to increase mental health support during this challenging time, to support substance abuse treatment, and to offer increased outreach to homeless individuals
• $12.6 billion to provide supportive and social services for families and children through programs including:
  • $6 billion for Child Care and Development Block Grants;
  • $1 billion for Head Start;
  • $2.5 billion for Community Service Block Grants;
  • $1.4 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP);
  • $1.5 billion to support paying water bills for low income families;
  • $100 million for Family Violence Prevention and Services;
  • $100 million for Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs; and
  • $2 million for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

• $1.2 billion to provide direct services such as home-delivered and prepackaged meals, and supportive services for seniors and disabled individuals, and their caregivers.

Department of Education

• $50 billion for a State Fiscal Stabilization Fund for grants to States to support statewide and local funding for elementary and secondary schools and public postsecondary institutions;
• $9.5 billion to help alleviate burdens associated with the coronavirus for both colleges and students, including $1.5 billion for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions and $8 billion for other institutions of higher education; and,
• $75 million to support borrowers impacted by coronavirus and to ensure that they receive accurate and helpful information from the Department of Education and student loan servicers about their options.