 | |
| Long title | Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools Act |
|---|---|
| Acronyms (colloquial) | HEALS |
| Announced in | the 116th United States Congress |
| Codification | |
| Appropriations | US$1.1 trillion |
| Legislative history | |
| |
The Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act was a $1 trillion economic stimulus bill introduced in 2020 by the United States Senate during the COVID-19 pandemic, to supplement the earlier CARES Act. [2] [3] [4]
In early July, congressional Republicans were discussing the possibility of another stimulus package to be passed by both houses of congress before the 2020 August recess. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell was conducting discussions with Republican senators, with his general priorities being a price tag under $1 trillion, and a bill that included liability protections for businesses. [5] McConnell delayed unveiling the proposal several times due to a lack of consensus. [6] Senators Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Ron Johnson all sharply criticized the package for its financial costs. [7] The package was formally unveiled on July 27, as a legislative package including several individual bills. [8]
After the package was introduced, disagreements remained between Senate Republicans and the president. McConnell voiced opposition to the package's inclusion of funding for an FBI building in Washington, D.C. [9] Trump has stated that he was willing to sign a bill without the business liability protections which are a priority for McConnell. [10]
The HEALS Act includes a second round of stimulus checks at the same $1,200 amount as in the CARES act, along with a "sequel" to the Paycheck Protection Program to mitigate layoffs. It also includes increased funding for schools, higher learning institutions, and hospitals. The HEALS Act would fund supplemental unemployment benefits at $200 per week, a reduction compared to the CARES Act's benefit of $600 per week. [11] [12] However, the bill provides a payroll tax credit to businesses equal to 50% of COVID expenses. [13] [14]
The Congressional Budget Office has not issued an official estimate of the cost of the bill, but the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has estimated the bill would cost $1.1 trillion. [15]
The HEALS Act is the combination of eight bills: [16] [17]
The HEALS Act has often been compared to the HEROES Act, a piece of proposed legislation passed by the United States House of Representatives on May 15, 2020, that provides $3 trillion in additional COVID-19 pandemic funding. [33] Whereas the HEALS Act is made up of bills with Republican sponsors, the HEROES Act passed the house with largely Democratic support.
A major difference between the proposals concerns state and local governments. The HEALS Act provides no additional funding, while the HEROES Act allocates $1 trillion in additional aid to state and local governments. [34] Another difference is on evictions and foreclosure, which were forbidden in certain cases under the CARES Act. The HEALS Act lets the provisions expire, while the HEROES Act extends it for up to another year and expands the moratorium to cover all renters and homeowners, instead of just the special cases covered in the CARES Act. [35]
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