After weeks of back and forth between both chambers of Congress its official, the $1.9 Trillion Covid relief bill (also called the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021) has finally been signed by both the House and Senate. So, our next question is who gets what? To open things up, the $15 Minimum Wage Provision didn’t make it, but there’s a good number of other provisions in there that will help millions of people out. Let’s get into the breakdown.
Here's Who is Eligible for Stimulus Money.
Stimulus money coming as direct payments of $1400 will go to individuals who make less than $75,000 per year and $2800 will go to married couples who make less than $150,000 per year.
An extra $300 per week will be available for unemployment insurance for those who need it until September 6th, 2021.
To help with getting people vaccinated the bill appropriates over $70 Billion in aid which covers all things Covid-19 including testing, tracing, paying health workers, and other necessary services.
But there's more...
College Education
There has been over $40 Billion allocated for higher education but here are some standouts:
The Department of Education will have over $91 Million available to help students and borrowers along with providing extra tax credits to both students and parents for costs relating to education.
Howard University will have an extra $35 Million available until September 30th, 2023 for Coronavirus aid and for lost revenue, expenses, and other issues caused by Covid-19.
For the Kids
Over $125 billion has been allocated to help schools up to 12th grade. More specifically, Head Start programs across the country will receive $1 billion until September 30th, 2022 for grants to provide funds for children who are enrolled. There’s another $38 billion available for childcare grants on top of the Head Start Program grants.
On top of these education grants, parents will be eligible for an increased child tax credit which will now be $3000 for children between the ages of 6 and 17 years old and $3600 for children to 5 years old.
Survivors of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Child Abuse
For organizations focused on helping survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence the bill has appropriated over $49 million to help support culturally specific community-based organizations who perform this work and are trying to help address urgent needs resulting from Covid-19. There’s also another $198 million in grants available to support survivors of sexual assault. This money will go to help rape crisis centers that are moving to virtual services and providing other needs to survivors. There’s also another $250 million appropriated for Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment.
Housing
The bill has appropriated over $21 billion for those in need of rental assistance. Some of that money will be in the form of grants for those who are behind on rent, utilities, and other housing expenses. Another $5 billion has been appropriated for emergency housing vouchers alone. Over $5 billion has also been allocated to help the homeless. Almost $10 billion has been allocated to help people who are in trouble with their mortgages.
Small Business
Over $10 billion has been allocated and directed to states to specifically help businesses owned and controlled by "socially and economically disadvantaged" people. To qualify, a business (public or private) has to be at least 51% owned by one or more socially economically disadvantaged individuals.
Over $813 million has been made available for the Payment Protection Program (PPP) and over $15 billion has been made available to businesses applying for EIDL loans from the Small Business Administration.
For restaurant owners, over $28 billion has been allocated to help them stay open and make up for lost revenue due to Covid-19.
Those are the highlights but there’s so much more in there. Let’s see whether President Biden signs it.
