The Senate's new COVID-19 bill doesn't include disability priorities! Senators need to hear from you now!

 

Yesterday, the Senate introduced a new “skinny” coronavirus relief bill, the Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools and Small Businesses Act. The bill is largely the same as a draft proposal of the same name circulated last month. A vote on the bill is expected as early as tomorrow, so we’re urging everyone to contact your Senators now. We’ve been waiting for coronavirus relief that actually meets the needs of disabled people for far too long, and we need the Senate to act now. Your advocacy matters-- even if you’ve called or emailed before, or shared your story on social media, we need you to contact your Senators again and tell them what we need can’t wait. Contact your Senators today! Click the button below to easily email and tweet your Senators directly. You can also find more information on contacting your Senators, including email and call scripts and sample social media, on our advocacy page.

 

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More on the Bill The Senate's new "skinny bill" doesn’t include any of the priorities critical to the disability community, particularly much needed additional funding for home and community-based services (HCBS), which was included in the HEROES Act passed by the House in May. HCBS funding is crucial to help people with disabilities and older adults stay in their own homes and avoid unnecessary placement in dangerous congregate settings, where there have been extremely high infection and death rates during the pandemic. The bill also retains the dangerous “liability shields” found in the HEALS Act, introduced by Senate Republicans in July. Those provisions would shield businesses, non-profits, schools, or medical providers from liability for harm caused related to COVID-19 in the vast majority of circumstances. This threatens the safety of people with disabilities and older adults in congregate settings, makes it easier for employers to escape liability for discrimination and safety violations in the workplace, and allows businesses to refuse to accommodate disabled people. For more on what priorities are and are not included in the Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools and Small Businesses Act, check out our summary here and for a quick comparison of the Senate’s recent coronavirus relief proposals and the HEROES Act passed by the House, click here.

 

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