The Heroes Act
Latest action. Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 116-517.
The Heroes Act
This bill responds to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) outbreak and its impact on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals, and businesses.
Among other things, the bill
provides FY2020 emergency supplemental appropriations to federal agencies;
provides payments and other assistance to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments;
provides additional direct payments of up to $1,200 per individual;
expands paid sick days, family and medical leave, unemployment compensation, nutrition and food assistance programs, housing assistance, and payments to farmers;
modifies and expands the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides loans and grants to small businesses and nonprofit organizations;
establishes a fund to award grants for employers to provide pandemic premium pay for essential workers;
expands several tax credits and deductions;
provides funding and establishes requirements for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing;
eliminates cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatments;
extends and expands the moratorium on certain evictions and foreclosures; and
requires employers to develop and implement infectious disease exposure control plans.
The bill also modifies or expands a wide range of other programs and policies, including those regarding
Medicare and Medicaid,
health insurance,
broadband service,
medical product supplies,
immigration,
student loans and financial aid,
the federal workforce,
prisons,
veterans benefits,
consumer protection requirements,
the U.S. Postal Service,
federal elections,
aviation and railroad workers, and
pension and retirement plans.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House" stage on May 15, 2020. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on July 23, 2020: Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 116-517.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 116th Congress (2019-20), 344 of the 14,345 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
NITA LOWEY (D-NY) introduced it on May 12, 2020, and 11 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 11 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 12, 2020, 2312 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2240 days ago, on July 23, 2020.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 116th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2021 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers