WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) released the following statement following the Senate’s vote to pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. This bipartisan legislative package secures several important Rosen-led provisions to provide much-needed help and relief for hardworking Nevadans and our small businesses.
“Today’s vote is a step forward towards providing help and relief to Nevadans and the American people,” said Senator Rosen. “The COVID-19 relief included in this legislative package provides a much-needed lifeline to countless Nevadans who have been waiting for assistance. The relief plan includes direct payments to individuals, extended and enhanced unemployment insurance, increased flexibility for state and local spending, and support for our small business community, including $10,000 grants for businesses in low-income communities based on bipartisan legislation I introduced. Passage of this bill is a positive development, but we must do much more to help Nevada workers and businesses navigate this crisis. I will continue fighting so that all Nevadans receive the support they need as we move into the New Year.
“I’m also glad to see that Republicans and Democrats were able to come to the table and pass legislation that funds our government,” Senator Rosen continued. “This omnibus includes important Nevada priorities such as no funding for Yucca Mountain, a pay raise for our troops, and robust investment in infrastructure and broadband development. I’m also proud to say that funding for my Never Again Education Act and my Building Blocks of STEM Act, both signed into law in the past year, are part of this omnibus. These are important victories that will help improve lives, and I pledge to continue fighting for Nevadans and the American people.”
BACKGROUND: Senator Rosen led or co-led the efforts to secure the following provisions in the omnibus spending bill that funds the federal government for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2021:
- NO funding for nuclear waste disposal at Yucca Mountain
- Funding to implement Senator Rosen’s Building Blocks of STEM Act, which was signed into law last December
- $2 million to implement Senator Rosen’s Never Again Education Act, bipartisan Holocaust education legislation which was signed into law earlier this year
- $13 million for JROTC STEM training and education, the first time ever that this has had a dedicated funding stream
- $60 million for USDA telemedicine and distance learning grants
- $163 million for NeighborWorks affordable housing assistance
- $1 million for the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, doubling last year’s amount
- $2 million for U.S.-Israel Homeland Security Program
- $40 million for new HUD-VASH vouchers to help homeless veterans.
- Significant funding increase for the National Guard Youth Challenge Program
- $18 million for Emergency Medical Services for Children and $10 million for the Pediatric Mental Health Access Program
- $22 million to fund the Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking.
- Preservation of Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) funding
Key COVID relief provisions included in the package to benefit Nevada and our nation, broken up by key areas, include:
Small Businesses and our Workforce
- $284 Billion for Second Round of PPP for small businesses with 300 or fewer employees and that have had a 30% revenue loss year-over-year in any quarter of 2020 or 2021.
- $20 Billion for new EIDL Advance grants of $10,000 each for small businesses in low-income communities, if they have 300 or fewer employees and have had a 30% revenue loss year-over-year in any quarter of 2020 or 2021. Includes provision to guarantee full $10,000 grants and increase many past EIDL Advance grants to $10,000, based on Senator Rosen’s bipartisan legislation.
- $15 Billion for live event venues, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions such as museums that are experiencing significant revenue loss, based on bipartisan legislation Senator Rosen co-sponsored.
- Extends the Employee Retention Tax Credit to prevent layoffs.
- 11 weeks of enhanced unemployment insurance ($300 per week on top of state unemployment aid) through March 14, 2021.
- Extends PUA (gig worker aid) and PEUC (additional weeks of federally-funded UI when individuals exhaust state benefits).
- Extends the maximum number of weeks an individual may claim benefits through state UI – plus supplemental CARES Act programs – to 50 weeks.
- Provides an extra benefit of $100 per week for certain workers who have both wage and self-employment income (i.e., W-2 and 1099 income) but whose base UI benefit calculation doesn’t take their self-employment into account.
- $600 direct payment checks for individuals making up to $75,000 per year (phases out at $99,000 per year) and $1,200 for couples making up to $150,000 per years, plus a $600 per child dependent. Mixed-status immigrant households are now eligible for checks, with the change in law retroactive to CARES Act stimulus checks as well.
State and Local Spending
- Responding to Senator Rosen’s call to Congressional Leaders, extends by one year the deadline for states, local governments, Tribes, and their sub-recipients to spend money from the CARES Act’s Coronavirus Relief Fund.
Health Care
- $22 billion to states for testing, tracing, and COVID mitigation programs, with $2.5 billion set aside to target needs in underserved areas, including both communities of color and rural communities
- Nearly $9 billion to CDC and states for vaccine distribution
- $9 billion in support for health care providers
- $4.5 billion in mental health funding.
- Over $3 billion for the strategic national stockpile, including $300 million specifically directed to high risk and underserved areas for distribution, including communities of color
- More than $1 billion for NIH to research COVID-19
- $1 billion in direct funds to the Indian Health Service
- $100 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for Telehealth and Connected Care Program to purchase, maintain, and refresh devices and services to veterans for provision of access to telehealth services.
Housing
- $25 billion in rental assistance
- Extends the federal eviction ban through January
- Enhances the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
- $13 billion to increase SNAP benefits by 15%
- Funding for food banks and senior nutrition programs
Education
- Approximately $54 billion for public K-12 schools
- Approximately $23 billion for a higher education fund
Broadband
- $3.2 Billion in emergency funds for low-income families to access broadband, which Senator Rosen strongly supported
- $1 billion tribal broadband fund
- $300 million grant program to fund broadband in rural areas
- $250 million dollars in telehealth funding
Transportation
- $2 Billion for airports and airport concessionaries
- $10 Billion for State Departments of Transportation
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