The stimulus package has passed the Senate and is scheduled for a vote in the United State House of Representatives Friday, March 27. President Trump has signaled he will sign the bill.

 

●     Individuals set to receive $1,200

●     Married couples $2,400

●     Parents $500 for each child under 17

●     Phase out for individuals with adjusted gross incomes of more than $75,000.

●     Those making more than $99,000 won’t qualify.

●     The thresholds are double for couples.

 

●     The Department of Education will suspend payments of student loans without penalty through September 30.

 

●     The federally mandated identification that will be needed for passengers to board aircraft will be extended until at least September 2021.

●     This is one year past the current deadline.

 

●     Gives jobless workers an extra $600 per week for four months on top of current state benefits.

●     Additionally, U.S. lawmakers want to add up to 13 weeks of extended benefits.

 

$500 billion lending program for businesses across the United States which will flow through existing programs.

●     Provides $500 billion in loans, loan guarantees and investments.

 

●     Provides about $117 billion for hospitals.

●     Creates a $100 billion public health and social emergency fund to reimburse providers for expenses and lost revenues related to the coronavirus pandemic

 

●     Provides $450 million for the Emergency Food Assistance Program which supplies food banks.

●     $350 is to be used to buy additional food. $100 million will be used for distribution.

For more information regarding this bill, NCSL has provided an overview here.

 

The Federal Government has extended the 2019 tax year filing date from April 15 to July 15.

Oregon has also extended most tax filing deadlines.

If you have flu-like symptoms – such as fever, coughing, or mild shortness of breath – first stay away from other people and take precautions to avoid transmitting illness to others (even beyond the social distancing measures everyone should follow).

Then, the best person to decide whether you require a test for COVID-19 is your health care provider.

Health care providers can order tests for COVID-19 through commercial labs, just as they order tests for other medical conditions. The testing capacity at commercial labs is nearing 1,000 per day for Oregon and growing rapidly, but is not unlimited.

Even if you have symptoms, your health care provider still might not order a test. A key question for them is whether a positive test would actually change the care they provide. They might simply instruct you to stay home, recover, and take extra care not spread illness to other people – the very same instructions they would give if you did test positive.</div= >

I am not an alarmist, but the modeling and the data I see are concerning. This is not about people who can fight this virus, it is about those who cannot. It is not about the low death rate in healthy people. It is about those with compromised immune systems who struggle to fight this.