The check isn't in the mail just yet. But with any luck, more money could be coming, if a new stimulus bill passes in Congress.
The HEALS (Health, Economic Assistance, Liability
Protection and Schools) Act is an act that is intended to alleviate some of the
burden of COVID-19. According to The New Orleans Agenda, the Republicans
of the Senate have initiated this new plan to help those impacted by pandemic
to survive. It is a $1 trillion bill that would enable such assistance as stimulus
payments for Americans, additional unemployment benefits at a reduced level, a
second round of paycheck protection, program funding for businesses impacted by
the virus, and more.
The proposed bill is expected to include a second
round of stimulus payments, to the tune of $1,200 per person. The bill would also
provide additional payments to dependents, regardless of their age. In
addition, although the bill would allow for additional unemployment payments, the
weekly amount would nonetheless be reduced from $600 to $200. This is in the
hope that unemployment offices at the state level could put a system into
effect that would pay unemployed workers 70 percent of their previous salaries.
All these benefits would end by December 31 of this year.
Through the PPP program, a second round of paycheck
protection would provide funds to small businesses that demonstrate a great
need. It would only cover limited aid to companies with less than 300 employees
and those whose earnings were reduced by 50 percent in the first and second
quarters of the year.
Whether or not the HEALS Act passes, there are a
number of grants available to businesses in the state of Louisiana, including such
funds as the Main Street Recovery Grant Program, which provides grants of up to
$15,000 to small businesses.
