Fellow Advocates -
Below is a message from United Way Worldwide regarding action needed to support the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. We urge you to call Louisiana Senators and ask them to pass this much-needed legislation!
We are calling on United Way leaders and advocates to call the Senate
TODAY, Monday, March 16
and urge Senators to pass comprehensive legislation to address the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The
Families First Coronavirus Response Act
passed the House of Representatives late last week. While the House must vote again due to a technical problem, we are expecting the Senate to vote quickly and possibly as soon as today.
We need you to
urge the Senate
to act quickly and ensure relief is provided to those who need it most.
If the Senate doesn't pass the bill today, call them again tomorrow!
The House bill included many provisions that will support families and communities that United Ways serve including helping people who rely on Medicaid and federal food programs. A list of the highlights is below. Due to the unprecedented nature of this crisis and urgent action required, we encourage you to
call your Senators now and ask them to “vote yes”.
This
link to call your Senators
will provide their office and share a sample script. Feel free to modify the script to highlight any of the provisions that are particularly important to your United Way or community. We encourage you to share this with your networks.
Key Provisions in
Families First Coronavirus Response Act
Nutrition Supports:
- Additional funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to provide nutrition assistance children and their mothers who have lost their jobs as a result of the outbreak.
- Waiver authority for the Department of Agriculture to allow flexibility for states in providing emergency food assistance and flexibility in how and where nutrition support is administered to accommodate for school, child care, and adult care centers closing.
- Suspension of work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the emergency.
- Supplemental funding for local food banks to meet the increased need in communities.
Health:
- Free coronavirus testing for all Americans regardless of insurance.
- Coverage of a provider visit to receive testing for Americans enrolled in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
- Increased funding for public health programs including Medicaid and CHIP by increasing states’ federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) during the emergency.
Unemployment and leave benefits:
- Immediate fully-paid sick leave for 14 days for those working for employers with under 500 employees when they are sick or two weeks of 2/3 pay to care for a family member.
- The ability to take up to three months of job-protected family and medical leave due to COVID-19 impacts.
- Emergency grants to states to meet the increased need for Unemployment Insurance benefits.
- Inclusion of nonprofits as an eligible employer to recoup costs related to emergency paid leave benefits.
A summary of all provisions can be found
here
.
