WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Austin Scott (GA-08) released the below statement upon voting in favor of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act:

“For weeks, Speaker Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have held hostage additional resources to support our nation’s small businesses who are struggling to keep their doors ‘open’ and provide employees with paychecks during this unprecedented public health emergency. While I am glad to see this package pass today to provide these additional funds to small businesses and hospitals in need, I am extremely disappointed in the slow-rolling relief and partisan gamesmanship our Democrat colleagues played with the livelihoods of millions of Americans,” said Rep. Scott.

Highlights of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act include:

• Small Businesses: Provides an additional $310 billion in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, $10 billion for Emergency Economic Injury Disaster grants, and appropriates an additional $50 billion for Disaster Loans Program Account.
  • Requires $60 billion of the PPP loans be run through small credit unions and banks, and through community financial institutions.
• Agricultural Producers: Allows agricultural enterprises as defined by section 18(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C 647(b)) with not more than 500 employees to receive Economic Injury Disaster Loans and lost revenue.
• Hospitals and Providers: Provides an additional $75 billion for reimbursement to hospitals and health care providers to support the need for COVID-19 related expenses and lost revenue.
• Vaccines and Testing: Provides $25 billion for necessary expenses to research, develop, validate, manufacture, purchase, administer, and expand capacity for COVID-19 tests, specifically:
  • $11 billion for states, localities, territories, and tribes to develop, purchase, administer, process, and analyze COVID-19 tests, scale-up laboratory capacity, trace contacts, and support employer testing. Funds are also made available to employers for testing.
  • $1 billion provided to CDC for surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory capacity expansion, contact tracing, public health data surveillance and analytics infrastructure modernization.
  • $1.8 billion provided to the National Institutes of Health to develop, validate, implement testing and associated technologies; to accelerate research, development, and implementation of point-of-care and other rapid testing; and for partnerships with governmental and non-governmental entities to research, develop, and implement the activities.
  • $1 billion for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority for advanced research, development, manufacturing, and related administrative activities.
  • $825 million for Community Health Centers and rural health clinics.
  • Up to $1 billion may be used to cover costs of testing for the uninsured.

Small business owners can click here to find information on how to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program.

-30-