Dr. Ruiz Votes for Heroes Act to Bring Financial Relief

Washington, D.C. - Today Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) voted for the Heroes Act, coronavirus relief legislation to provide desperately needed support for families and essential workers, fund testing and contact tracing measures, and bring funds to cities and tribal governments.

"We need an unprecedented response to this unprecedented crisis," said Dr. Ruiz. "That's why I support the Heroes Act, which includes my priorities for free COVID19-related treatment, environmental justice grant funding, and tribal health care funds. The bill also includes funding for firefighters, law enforcement, paramedics, and other essential workers employed by cities. The Heroes Act provides support for families, workers, hospitals, and cities in my district as we work together to mitigate the spread of the virus, save lives, and responsibly reopen our economy.

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Dr. Ruiz Speaks in Favor of Heroes Act

The Heroes Act also includes three of Dr. Ruiz's legislative priorities:

• Care for COVID-19 2.0 – Which require health plans to cover treatment related to COVID-19, at no cost to the patient. Also creates a special enrollment period through the exchange so that people without insurance can sign up for coverage, like the state of California has done.
• Environmental Justice COVID-19 – to provide $50 million for environmental justice grant programs to monitor pollution and investigate COVID-19's impact on environmental justice communities.
• Tribal Health Care Protection Fund – to provide the Indian Health Service, Tribal Health Programs, and Urban Indian Organizations relief funding to keep them financially viable and able to continue providing care.
  • Dr. Ruiz led 46 bipartisan Members in a letter to Speaker Pelosi pushing for this fund.

Background

The Heroes Act provides California governments and local communities on the frontlines of this crisis with robust, desperately needed funding to cover coronavirus-related outlays and revenue loss and pay health care workers, police, fire, transportation, EMS, teachers, and other vital workers who keep us safe and are in danger of losing their jobs.

In addition to resources for our state, local, tribal and territorial governments, the Heroes Act provides transformative, far-reaching support to protect the lives and livelihoods of the American people and the life of our democracy.

• Provides strong support for our heroes by establishing a $200 billion Heroes' fund to ensure that essential workers across the country receive hazard pay.
• Commits another $75 billion for the testing, tracing, and treatment we need in order to have a science-based path to safely reopen our country and help ensure that every American can access free coronavirus treatment.
• Puts money in the pockets of workers with a second round of $1200 direct payments to individuals (up to $6,000 per household), new payroll protection measures to keep 60 million workers connected with their jobs and extended the additional weekly $600 federal unemployment payments through next January.
• Supports small businesses by strengthening the Payroll Protection Program to ensure that it reaches underserved communities and nonprofits of all sizes and responds flexibly to small businesses by providing $10 billion for COVID-19 emergency grants through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.
• Ensures further support for Californians and all Americans, including for:
  • Health security – with COBRA subsidies and a special enrollment period in the ACA exchanges for those without insurance.
  • Workplace security – requiring OSHA to ensure that all workplaces develop science-based infection control plans and preventing employers from retaliating against workers who report problems.
  • Housing security – with $175 billion in new supports to assist renters and homeowners in making monthly rent, mortgage and utility payments and other housing-related costs.
  • Food security – with a 15 percent increase to the maximum SNAP benefit and additional funding for nutrition programs that help families put food on the table.
• Protects the life of our democracy with new resources to ensure safe elections, an accurate Census, and the preservation of the Postal Service.