As all American citizens and small businesses continue to struggle to meet their everyday financial commitments during the coronavirus pandemic, several members of Congress are proposing ways to ease the burden. Their proposals would go beyond the relief which is being provided by the CARES Act, which as you know, is a one-time cash payment for taxpayers.
With many Americans still waiting for those stimulus checks to arrive, the fear is that that money will not do nearly enough to help people who have become unemployed, or businesses which have been forced to shut their doors during this COVID-19 crisis.
Two, separate proposals are currently on the board for consideration by Congress.
The first proposal is the Emergency Money for the People Act. In a nutshell, it calls for anyone over the age of 15 to receive a $2,000 monthly stimulus check for a period up to twelve months. It is being sponsored by Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) and Ro Khanna (D-CA). If enacted into law, it would give qualifying Americans additional money if they have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to this proposed legislation, this would include people who did not, and will not, receive CARES Act funding, such as high school and college students or adults with disabilities who are listed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return, making them ineligible.
To be eligible to receive this monthly, $2,000 payment or more, Americans must:
- make less than $130,000 annually
- be older than 15
- if married, earn less than $260,000 annually, you’d receive at least $4,000 monthly
- families with children that qualify would get an extra $500 per child, up to three children
- if you were unemployed, had no income, or are now unemployed, you would be eligible for the stimulus check even if you had not filed a tax return
Under this proposal, monthly stimulus checks would be easier to receive, even if you do not have a bank account or a home address. Money would be forwarded to Americans through direct deposit, check, pre-paid debit card, or via Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal.
The second Congressional proposal is called the Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act. It has been introduced by Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota). If approved into law, it would allow for the cancellation of rent payments, as well as home mortgage payments, nationwide, through the length of the COVID-19 pandemic, or up to one year. This would strictly be for a person’s primary residence.
There would be no accumulation of debt on either rent or mortgage payments, nor would a person’s credit rating be effected. Landlords and mortgage holders would have losses covered through the creation of a relief fund. Finally, an optional fund would be established that could finance private, rental property purchases.
This second proposed bill would be retroactive, if it became law, to March 13, 2020. If a homeowner or a renter had already made their April payment, they would be reimbursed.
Again, these proposals have yet to be considered by Congress.
The details of these two proposals were first reported by Forbes.