North American Wetlands Conservation Extension Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill. And since House Democrats first passed the Heroes Act in May, congressional Republicans and administration officials have refused to advance any meaningful COVID-19 relief plan that would help our community survive this pandemic.

As a result, the American people are continuing to bear the brunt of an economic and public health crisis that is needlessly dragging on and getting worse.

State and local governments are still facing massive budget shortfalls. Without Federal support, these shortfalls will slash public education funding and other critical public services.

School districts are starting the new academic year without resources they need to open safely, keep their staff on payroll, operate high- quality programs remotely, and other things that they need to make sure that our students can become the best that they can be.

Millions of workers are still unemployed and can no longer access the enhanced unemployment benefits that kept them afloat before they expired in July. Those working during the pandemic are suffering from unsafe working conditions with little protection from COVID-19 infections.

Most significantly, more than 7 million Americans have been infected, and over 200,000 have lost their lives due to the pandemic, and we still do not have a coherent strategy to deal with COVID-19.

Moreover, far too many people still do not have access to affordable healthcare as the virus continues to accelerate in 32 States and in Puerto Rico, according to ABC News.

The updated Heroes Act offers us another chance to get meaningful relief into the hands of students, educators, workers, and families.

First, the updated Heroes Act dedicates over $400 billion to help State and local governments avert massive budget shortfalls. You cannot evaluate any relief package without first looking at what you are doing for State and local support. That is because if you don't have State and local support, there will be massive cuts.

For example, budget shortfalls projected right now for State and local governments suggest that education budgets for State and local governments will be cut by hundreds of billions of dollars.

This package protects and expands student access to quality education by increasing the relief for students, K-12 districts, and institutions of higher learning by more than $200 billion.

The updated Heroes Act also ensures that no Federal student loan borrower has to worry about loan payments, interest accrual, or collections through September of next year.

This package also invests $58 billion to save our childcare industry from collapse and ensures essential workers will be able to access affordable childcare and early learning options. The estimates are that, if we don't put $10 billion a month into the childcare industry, it will slowly dissolve.

The updated Heroes Act supports individuals and families hit by the economic downturn of this crisis by putting money directly into their pockets. The legislation includes a second round of stimulus checks and extends the $600 weekly enhanced unemployment benefits through next January, and it also helps in the housing crisis.

To protect workers who have to work during this pandemic, the legislation directs the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to finally issue enforceable Federal workplace standards that protect all workers from contracting COVID-19. Presently, in spite of all the problems in the meatpacking industries, prisons, nursing homes, and healthcare, there is still no enforceable standard to protect workers from COVID-19.

This legislation also puts the medical and family back into medical and family leave, like expanding access to emergency paid FMLA, family leave protections that were passed in previous relief bills.

The legislation also provides access to healthcare by creating a broad, open enrollment period so that individuals and families can obtain coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces and offers enhanced subsidies for many workers who have lost their jobs.

Regrettably, Mr. Speaker, in America, most workers who lose their jobs also lose their health insurance, and this is a safety net to help them maintain their health insurance coverage.

Finally, the legislation provides robust investments in some of our vital community programs such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, better known as LIHEAP, and the Older Americans Act programs like Meals on Wheels.

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. The House first passed the Heroes Act 4 months ago because we have a responsibility to help our constituents recover from this global health emergency. Since then, the need has only grown.

Instead of denying the consequences of this pandemic, we must put politics aside and pass this Heroes Act. The economists have told us, if we don't spend the money now, the economic downturn will be much worse in the future, and so we have to pass this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I urge the Senate to take it up immediately.

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