Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, a key part of the relief package was the tribal government stabilization fund. This fund would be used by tribal governments to offset the dramatic losses they are facing at this time. This funding would be used to help them continue to do the right thing and keep their employees on the job--paid, and supported--as our nation responds to, and recovers from the pandemic.

Title VI, Sec. 601(c)(7) provides $8,000,000,000 in relief to tribal governments for losses of revenues and increased expenditures associated with COVID-19. The bill provides:

[T]he amount paid under this section for fiscal year 2020 to a Tribal government shall be the amount the Secretary shall determine, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and Indian Tribes, that is based on increased expenditures of each such Tribal government (or a tribally- owned entity of such Tribal government) relative to aggregate expenditures in fiscal year 2019 by the Tribal government (or tribally-owned entity) and determined in such manner as the Secretary determines appropriate to ensure that all amounts available under subsection (a)(2)(B) for fiscal year 2020 are distributed to Tribal governments.

Tribal governments or tribally-owned entities can demonstrate ``increased expenditures'' relative to 2019 by listing expenditures associated with the closure or diminished operation of business and government facilities, including payments made to employees or other entities while businesses or government operations are closed or operating in a limited capacity, as well as the difference in revenues transferred to tribal government accounts in 2020 versus the same period in 2019.

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