Relief bill becomes law, includes ‘Save Our Stages’
A mountain view from Cloudland Road in Pomfret, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
The American people will receive new direct stimulus payments from the government as part of the new COVID-19 relief bill. The big question today is how big those payments will be.
Late Sunday, President Donald Trump signed the $900 billion relief package into law and also approved a funding bill which averted a government shutdown. That came after a nearly week-long delay, during which the president repeatedly criticized the legislation, saying the $600 direct payments included should be $2,000 each. A proposal to make that change demanded by Trump is currently going through Congress.
One of the many important measures in the relief bill is the Save Our Stages Act, a bipartisan proposal that creates grant funding for independent performance venues. U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, of Vermont, authored and championed this proposal to ensure those venues, among the businesses hardest hit by the economic downturn, can survive the pandemic.
“The relief bill also includes my #SaveOurStages Act, which will create a $15 billion grant program to make sure that the wonderful venues that are the anchors of our downtowns will be there once we have all received the vaccine,” Welch said via Twitter on Monday.
Other efforts led by Welch were also in the bill, including:
Provisions from the Biomass Thermal Utilization (BTU) Act (H.R. 1479) to incentivize the use of energy efficient wood boilers, stoves and heaters through tax credits for capital costs incurred in residential installations.
Provisions to provide rebates for energy efficient motors and transformers, streamline energy efficiency programs and financing for schools, and reduce energy usage at data centers. These provisions come from the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (H.R. 3962) introduced by Welch this Congress.
The Energy Savings Through Public Private Partnership Act (H.R. 3079) to require federal agencies to implement previously identified energy efficiency upgrades and to use performance contracting to ensure energy savings and save taxpayer dollars.
Core parts of the Federal Energy and Water Management Performance Act (H.R. 5650), which authorizes, for the first time, the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) at $36 million through fiscal year 2025.
The Small Building Acceleration Act (H.R. 2044) to facilitate the transition to energy-saving smart buildings by supporting research and documenting the costs and benefits of emerging technologies in private and federal government buildings.
Provisions to develop a national plan for smart manufacturing technology development and deployment to improve domestic manufacturing sector productivity and efficiency. This is similar to parts of The Smart Manufacturing Leadership Act (H.R. 1633), introduced by Welch this Congress.
The Combined Heat and Power Support Act (H.R. 1480), which creates a Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership Program and encourages the deployment of CHP, waste heat to power, and efficient district energy.
Monday was another day of major news out of Washington, as the House passed a fast-tracked measure to increase the direct stimulus payments to $2,000. The matter goes to the Senate on Tuesday. In its current version, the relief bill sends $600 direct payments to every individual making up to $75,000 a year; it gives $1,200 to couples making up to $150,000 per year, plus $600 per child.
It’s unclear how soon the larger $2,000 payments would go out, if approved. But as things stand now, people who have provided direct deposit information to the IRS would likely see their payments first, according to CNBC. Those who have not done so can expect to receive a paper check or a prepaid debit card, which was the case with the CARES Act payments earlier this year. The fact that the IRS is preparing for tax filing season and has some staff on leave for the holidays may add delays for those payments that must be mailed, CNN reported.
In other news, the House also voted Monday to override Trump’s veto of the annual defense authorization bill. The override measure also heads to the Senate on Tuesday.
— Gareth Henderson
