Heroes Act: Law Or Not?

The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, also known as the HEROES Act, was a bill introduced by the House of Representatives in May 2020 to provide short-term financial relief during the COVID-19 health crisis. The bill, which was worth $3 trillion, was expected to be passed by the House but faced opposition from Republicans in the Senate and the President. The HEROES Act included provisions such as stimulus checks for individuals, temporary relief from deportation for undocumented immigrants working in essential fields, and support for state and local governments, among others. Despite its aim to provide critical relief to those affected by the pandemic, the bill was deemed partisan and was not expected to become law.

Support for renters and homeowners

The HEROES Act (Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act) was introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on May 13, 2020, to provide support to renters and homeowners, among other things. The Act includes $200 billion of additional funding for housing and homelessness programs.

The HEROES Act proposes $100 billion in emergency rental assistance through the Emergency Rental Assistance Act and Rental Market Stabilization Act. It also includes $11.5 billion in Emergency Solutions Grants to aid those experiencing homelessness, and $1 billion for the first-year funding of 100,000 new emergency housing vouchers.

The Act also includes a $75 billion Homeowner Assistance Fund to help homeowners cover mortgage payments, property taxes, utility payments, and other housing payments.

The Act would extend the current 120-day eviction moratorium originally stipulated in the CARES Act. This would help renters in federally assisted properties with an incremental 12-month moratorium, and landlords would be required to provide a 30-day notice of eviction to tenants after the new moratorium expires.

Homeowners would be granted a 60-day mortgage forbearance automatically if their mortgage became 60 days delinquent between March 13 and the day the bill was enacted, and they had not already received forbearance. Multifamily property owners who receive forbearance would not be able to charge tenants late fees or penalties, report negative information to credit agencies, or evict tenants for non-payment of rent.

Aid to state, local, territorial and tribal governments

The HEROES Act (Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act) was a $3 trillion stimulus package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Act included $1 trillion in aid to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.

Of this $1 trillion, $500 billion was to be allocated to states, $375 billion to localities, $20 billion to tribal governments, and $20 billion to territories. The Act also included $9.6 billion for the Social Services Block Grant, requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to distribute the funds to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories within 45 days. States would be required to pass through at least 50% of the funds to county governments, local governments working in partnership with community-based organizations, or directly to community-based organizations with experience serving disadvantaged individuals or families.

Additionally, $400 million would be allocated to federally recognized Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations to fund emergency aid and services for disadvantaged individuals and families. These funds would be distributed based on population and could not be used for services that would be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Act also included $100 billion for an Emergency Rental Assistance program to help renters pay their rent and utility bills during the COVID-19 pandemic and help rental property owners of all sizes continue to cover their costs. Furthermore, $75 billion would be provided to states, territories, and tribes to address the needs of homeowners struggling to afford their housing due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including direct assistance with mortgage payments, property taxes, property insurance, utilities, and other housing-related costs.

The HEROES Act also included $3.6 billion in grants to states for contingency planning, preparation, and resilience of elections for federal office.

Direct payments to individuals and their dependents

The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act was passed by the House of Representatives on May 15, 2020, as the fourth and largest legislative rescue package proposed by the US Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The HEROES Act would provide direct payments of $1,200 to individuals, $2,400 for joint filers, and $1,200 for up to three dependents. This is a significant increase from the CARES Act, which limited dependent benefits to $500 per child under 18. The HEROES Act would also provide a second round of Economic Impact Payments (EIP) to individuals, allocating $650 billion for these payments, compared to the CARES Act's $292 billion.

The Act also supports families with $10.1 billion for childcare and other services, such as support for utilities for low-income families. It extends emergency family medical leave from December 2020 to December 2021 and provides over $14 billion in food aid, including $10 billion to support increased use of SNAP benefits, $3 billion for child nutrition programs, and $1.1 billion in food assistance for women, infants, and children.

The HEROES Act would also provide $100 billion in grants to low-income renters at risk of eviction and $75 billion for states, territories, and tribes to distribute to homeowners for mortgage assistance and other housing costs.

Support for the United States Postal Service

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has caused a dramatic loss of mail volume and revenue, resulting in a projected direct loss of $13 billion, with an additional loss of $54 billion expected over the next decade. The pandemic has also put the health and safety of postal employees at risk, with over 3,000 employees infected with the coronavirus as of late July 2020.

To address these challenges, the House of Representatives introduced and passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, H.R. 6800. This legislation includes provisions to support the USPS, such as:

• $25 billion in emergency funding to make up for lost revenue, with priority given to the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Removal of certain borrowing restrictions imposed on the Postal Service by the Department of Treasury.
• Hazard pay of an additional $13.00 an hour for essential postal employees, acknowledging the increased risk they face during the pandemic.

The HEROES Act faced opposition in the Republican-controlled Senate, with some arguing that it was a "liberal wish list" that included items not directly related to COVID-19. Despite this opposition, supporters of the Act urged Senators to understand the vital importance of the Postal Service and its impact on every American household.

Support for transportation

The HEROES Act (Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act) includes support for transportation in the form of:

• $32 billion for the transit industry, including $18.5 billion in Urbanized Area Formula Funds, $2.5 billion for Capital Investment Grants program recipients, $750 million for Rural Area Formula grants, $250 million for Enhanced Mobility (paratransit) grants, and $10 billion in emergency relief grants.
• $2.4 billion for Amtrak to support the operation of passenger service on the Northeast Corridor, state-supported and long-distance routes. This funding would also protect Amtrak workers from furloughs and prevent long-distance route reductions in service.
• $30 billion to support transportation, including highways and support for transit agencies to maintain basic services.

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