This afternoon the Senate passed a $484 billion aid package, which will provide relief for small businesses, as well as funding for hospitals and COVID-19 testing.
The House is expected to reconvene in Washington, DC and pass the legislation on Thursday.
As the push for a “Phase 4” coronavirus bill gains steam, the higher education community has come up with a set of requests for the still-developing package, some of which would augment provisions in “Phase 3” while others would create new sources of funding.
The broader higher education community is jointly advocating for this proposal, which would add approximately $47 billion to the Higher Education Fund that was created in the $2.2-trillion CARES Act. The request is based on a set of assumptions that the community made in order to craft a timely proposal.
The research university community is making another push for research funding in a Phase 4 package. In an effort to address a portion of the problems being caused by the pandemic, the group proposal calls for, among other items, $26 billion in the next legislative package to address the various needs in the research enterprise.
Late Wednesday night the Senate passed, by a unanimous vote, the $2 trillion COVID-19 relief package (CARES Act).
It now goes to the House where votes are expected on Friday. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has expressed support for the bill.
Analysis is forthcoming, however the full text of the bill is available here.
A third COVID-19 supplemental appropriations bill as been introduced in the House. Among other things, the bill includes funding for key social services, K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and provisions for federal student loans. The bill also expands unemployment insurance and provides greater protections for workers with regards to COVID-19.
Some key funds included in the bill:
This bill is a counter-proposal to the Senate bill which is currently being negotiated.
The full text of the Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act (HR 6379) is available here.