LOC News
Heroes Act Introduced This Week
This week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced the federal Heroes Act (HR 6800) with a $3 trillion price tag - this is clearly a big-ticket item for Congress.
For months, the National League of Cities (NLC) has been advocating for expanded relief of local governments. Although these efforts have not yet yielded funds that can be used as revenue replacement, the Heroes Act is now the path forward, with more than $1 trillion dedicated to state, local, territorial and tribal governments. The remaining infusion of funding will allow for: expanded testing ($75 billion); hazard pay for essential workers ($200 billion); direct payments for families, with up to $6,000 available for each household; extended unemployment benefits; and increasing housing assistance, with $175 billion in additional funding. For Oregon’s local governments, if this bill is passed, each city and county would receive direct funding for supplanting lost revenue and use in their communities.
The NLC’s Cities Are Essential campaign, which kicked off last week, will be an integral part of the effort to get this legislation passed, particularly given the opposition from Senate GOP leadership and President Trump. The website linked above provides some excellent resources for cities to use in their own contact with Oregon’s delegation.
Contact: Jim McCauley, Legislative Director - jmccauley@orcities.org
Last Updated 5/15/20