Latta Reacts to House Passage of Coronavirus Relief Act
Written by WKTN Staff on March 27, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH5) provided the following statement on the House passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act:
“The American people desperately need relief. The coronavirus pandemic has taken lives, burdened our country’s healthcare system, and is impacting our economy. Just before the pandemic hit, there were a million more job openings than Americans seeking work. Now, 3.3 million Americans have filed unemployment claims.
“The bill we passed today isn’t perfect. There are provisions I would have liked to see left out, but American families, workers, and businesses are in challenging situations through no fault of their own. The House of Representatives acted to deliver American families, workers, small business, and industries resources that will save lives, stabilize our economy, and protect people in every community against this invisible threat.
“Our country is strong. Our people are strong. The men and women on the front lines working to keep us safe – doctors, nurses, first responders, public safety officers, people who are volunteering to help their neighbors in need, and so many more – are heroes. United may we stand and together, we will get through this unprecedented time in our nation’s history.”
The CARES Act includes over-the-counter (OTC) drug monograph reform legislation, led by Congressman Latta, which allows new, safe products to come to market more quickly while addressing label changes and expanding consumer choice. This would allow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make scientific determinations for OTC ingredients through an administrative order process, which is much more efficient than the current rulemaking system.
The CARES Act includes major provisions to:
.Provide grants and loans to small businesses to meet payroll and pay rent.
.Temporarily expand unemployment insurance to provide a lifeline for those who have lost their jobs.
.Send direct checks to individual Americans of up to $1,200.
.Allow regulatory relief so banks can grant loan forbearance for otherwise healthy businesses struggling while business has been shut down.
.Provide Treasury and the Fed the ability to provide assistance to distressed industries, including airlines, through guaranteed loans while also including strong accountability protections.
.Rush resources to hospitals, doctors and other front-line providers.
.Expand the use of telehealth medicine to surge capacity to diagnose and treat patients in a safer and faster environment.
.Provide tax policy incentives, such as fixing key technical corrections from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including QIP and NOL.
.Provide liability protection for providers who volunteer (Good Samaritan).
.Allow HSAs to be used to purchase over-the-counter medicines.
.Extend expiring health extenders to November.
Congressman Latta encourages anyone who need assistance to contact his office in Bowling Green at 419-354-8700. Ohioans living in the Fifth Congressional District can also call 419-318-8925 to leave a message and Congressman Latta’s team will respond as soon as possible. For up-to-date information, visit Congressman Latta’s website at latta.house.gov.
