House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to unveil an economic relief package that would provide schools and universities with $40 billion to help them deal with the impact of the coronavirus and require mail-in voting in emergencies.
Pelosi released a statement Monday outlining the priorities Democrats will include in an economic aid package meant to rival a Senate version now under negotiation. The bill would provide free coronavirus treatment and guaranteed paid family and medical leave.
The House measure would provide:
- $30 billion directly provided to states to help them stabilize their funding for schools.
- $10 billion to help alleviate the harm caused by the coronavirus on higher education institutions, while providing them with added flexibility to continue operating during the crisis.
- The legislation also would help current borrowers with their student debt burden and GI Bill benefits.
In addition to the school funding, the measure would provide “billions in grant funding for states through the Election Assistance Commission and a national requirement for both 15 days of early voting and no-excuse absentee vote-by-mail, including mailing a ballot to all registered voters in an emergency.”
Democrats are demanding changes to the Senate bill, which includes $500 billion in loans to big corporations and $250 billion in cash payments to individuals and families, among other provisions.
