Name of Bill: The American Relief Act of 2021
Nickname (Optional): ARA
Senate Sponsors: Senator Arnold Wolf Jr (R-ID), Senator Jack Vichter (D-IA), Senator William Rogers III (D-MT)
House Sponsors: Representative Thomas Volker (R-MO-8), Representative Earl Tenson (R-MT-AL), Representative Gretchen Skarlatos (R-TN-7), Representative Diane Paulson (R-ME-2), Representative Frank Loloma (D-AZ-1)
Summary: The goal of this bill is to provide economic relief during the ongoing recession.
Section 1: Direct Stimulus Checks
A) Direct Checks worth $1,400 per individual, including child and non-child dependents up to age 17, for individuals up to the $75,000 income threshold level for individuals and $150,000 for households. Single Parents with at least one dependent and earn under $112,500 receive the full amount.
B) Income will be determined by the IRS based on the most recent adjusted gross income report in its system.
C) $403,000,000,000 is allocated for the purposes of this section
Section 2: Unemployment
A) Federal Unemployment enhancement of $300 a week is extended through September 6th, 2021. The first $10,200 of federal taxes on unemployment benefits received in 2020 are hereby waived.
B) $196,000,000,000 is allocated for the purposes of this section.
Section 3: Tax Credit Expansion
A) The Child Care Tax Credit is increased from $2,000 to $3,000 per child ages 6-17 and increased to $3,600 for children under the age of 6 for fiscal year 2021. The Child Tax Credit is fully refundable for fiscal year 2021 to all households making under $150,000.
B) The Earned Income Tax Credit for Childless Workers is increased from $540 to $1,500 and the income cap is increased from $16,000 to $21,000. The age limit for workers without children is lowered to 19, and people over the age of 65 are now eligible.
C) The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit is now fully refundable for fiscal year 2021. The expenses on taxpayer’s with one qualifying individual is increased from $3,000 to $8,000. Taxpayer’s with two or more qualifying individuals are increased from $6,000 to $16,000.
D) Payments will be made in four installments in fiscal year 2021 by the IRS and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service to individuals eligible for these tax credits and will not have to wait to file in 2022. Tax Credits in this section are extended to Puerto Rico and all US Territories.
Section 4: Childcare & Eldercare
A) An Additional $15,000,000,000 is allocated to the Childcare & Development Block Grant program using the existing program.
B) $250,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to Title II Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention
C) $100,000,000 is in additional funding is allocated to Title I Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment States Grants
D) $1,400,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to Older Americans Act Programs.
E) $250,000,000 in additional funding is allocated for the Elder Justice Act Program.
D) $600,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to the Childcare Entitlements to States.
Section 5: Food & Nutrition
A) The SNAP Benefit increase of 15% is extended through September 30th, 2021. $3,500,000,000 is allocated for the purposes of this section.
B) $1,000,000,000 is allocated to awarding grants to state agencies administering SNAP. 75% of the funds allocated must be based on the share of each state of households that participate in SNAP and % based on the increase in the number of households that participate in SNAP.
C) $900,000,000 in emergency funding is allocated to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance for Women, Infants, Children program.
D) $1,000,000,000 is allocated for Nutrition Assistance programs to US Territories.
E) $40,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.
Section 6: Health Services
A) $1,000,000,000 is allocated for each fiscal year 2021-2025 to provide a block grant for community based mental health services for adults and children.
B) $500,000,000 is allocated to establish a pilot program for rural development of healthcare agencies in cooperation with the US Department of Agriculture.
C) $400,000,000 is allocated for the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Expansion Grant Program Expansion Grants program.
D) $20,000,000 is allocated to fund state and tribal youth suicide intervention and prevention programs.
E) $1,500,000 is allocated to provide block grants to county level initiatives focused on substance abuse prevention and treatment.
F) $30,000,000 is allocated to provide funding for grants to states, local, and tribal governments which support community based overdose prevention programs.
G) $50,000,000 is allocated for grants to state local and tribal governments to assist community behavioral health programs.
H) $7,000,000,000 is allocated to create and fund a grants program to federally qualified health centers.
I) $800,000,000 is allocated to the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program and the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program and state loan repayment program with respect to the health workforce.
J) $200,000,000 is allocated for each fiscal year 2021-2025 to fund the federal loan repayment and scholarship programs for nurses.
K) $200,000,000 is allocated for each fiscal year 2021-2025 as block grants to qualified teaching health centers which operate graduate medical education programs.
L) $100,000,000 is allocated for each fiscal year 2021-2025 for states to expand pediatric healthcare and pediatric health access.
M) $20,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to Veterans Affairs.
N) $15,000,000,000 is allocated for each fiscal year 2021-2025 to establish a grant program for the construction of new hospitals and medical treatment facilities in states which do not possess Certificate of need laws by the beginning of fiscal year 2022.
Section 7: Economic Assistance
A) $7,500,000,000 is allocated in additional funding to the Paycheck Protection Program.
B) $10,000,000,000 annually every year for the next 5 years is allocated in additional funding for the State Small Business Credit Initiative.
C) The Loan Guaranty Program of the Small Business Administration is modified by waiving borrower and lender fees, increasing the maximum loan value to $10,000,000, and waiving any repayment for new loans for one year.
D) $15,000,000,000 is allocated in additional funding for the SBA’s economic injury disaster loans.
E) $10,000,000,000 for each fiscal year 2021 through 2025 is allocated to the Small Business Administration to establish the Innovation Voucher Grant Program to aid small businesses in carrying out research, development, or commercialization of new or innovative products and services. Grants must be made in amounts not less than $15,000 and not more than $75,000.
F) The full and immediate expensing provision of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is made permanent for any business classified as a small business and buying equipment made in the United States of America.
G) $5,000,000,000 is allocated for each fiscal year 2021-2025 in creating a grant program for the establishment of manufacturing facilities in the United States by Small Businesses.
H) $5,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to the Economic Development Assistance Program.
I) $1,000,000,000 is additional funding allocated to SBA cyber training block grant programs.
J) $1,000,000,000 is allocated for each fiscal year 2021-2025 in creating a grant program for the establishment of Small Businesses in the field of Aerospace in the United States.
K) $1,000,000,000 is allocated for each fiscal year 2021-2025 in creating a grant program for the establishment of Small Businesses in the field of Agriculture in the United States.
L) $1,000,000,000 is allocated for each fiscal year 2021-2025 in creating a grant program for the establishment of Small Businesses in the field of Electronics in the United States.
M) $1,000,000,000 is allocated for each fiscal year 2021-2025 in creating a grant program for the establishment of Small Businesses in the field of Telecommunications in the United States.
N) The number of Federal Qualified Opportunity Zones created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is to be increased from 8,700 to 10,000.
O) $1,000,000,000 every fiscal year 2021-2025 in additional funding is allocated to the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund
P) The IRA Contribution limit for individuals is increased to $12,000 per year for individuals without a retirement plan at work and the yearly IRA Contribution Limit for individuals at least 50 years of age and who don’t have a retirement plan is raised to $15,000.
Section 8: Government Services
A) $200,000,000,000 is allocated to State governments for the purposes of making up budget shortfalls distributed based on population and the severity of the shortfall versus estimated revenue for fiscal years 2020 and 2021.
B) $2,000,000,000 is allocated to Tribal Governments and Public Land Counties for the purposes of making up budget shortfalls distributed based on population and the severity of the shortfall versus estimated revenue for fiscal years 2020 and 2021.
C) $120,000,000,000 is allocated to county governments and city governments distributed based on population and the severity of the shortfall versus estimated revenue for fiscal years 2020 and 2021
D) $500,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to state, local, and tribal Emergency Management Performance Grants
E) $1,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to the Department of Justice to combat fraud to government programs in this act
F) $2,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to the Department of Justice to establish a grant program for state governments to combat fraud to government programs in this act
Section 9: Housing
A) $5,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated for housing choice vouchers.
B) $5,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated for Rental Assistance, Affordable Housing Development and the acquisition of non-congregate shelter units.
C) $10,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to the Homeowner Assistance Fund
D) $25,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program
E) $200,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to the Rural Housing Assistance Program
F) $500,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to the Low Income Household Drinking Water and Wastewater Assistance program,
G) $5,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
H) $400,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, and an additional $110,000,000 to the supplemental humanitarian program.
Section 10: Education
A) $1,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to state Head Start agencies according to their share of total enrolled children.
B) $1,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated for each fiscal year 2021-2025 Vocational and Technical School Grant programs.
C) $10,000,000,000 for each fiscal year 2021 through 2025 is allocated to the Department of Education for School Construction and Maintenance Grants.
D) $10,000,000,000 for each fiscal year 2021 through 2025 is allocated to the Department of Education for the creation of a 529 Plan Grant Matching program. The program will match up to $500 in annual contributions.
E) The annual spending limit for 529 accounts is increased from $10,000 a year for elementary and secondary-age schooling to $20,000.
Section 11: Infrastructure
A) $10,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund
B) $30,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated to the Department of Transportation to address the current infrastructure backlog.
C) $5,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated for to the Airport Improvement Program
D) $5,000,000,000 in additional funding for each fiscal year 2021 through 2025 is allocated to the US International Development Finance Corporation to provide capital investments as a part of the Blue Dot Network.
E) $8,750,000,000 in additional funding for each fiscal year 2021 through 2024 is allocated to the development of Rural Infrastructure.
F) $5,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated for grants to universities doing R&D on Alternative Energy.
G) $5,000,000,000 in additional funding is allocated towards grants constructing Alternative Energy Facilities.
Section 12: Summary
A) The total spending allocated for this legislation is $1,466,050,000,000 between fiscal years 2021 and 2025.