Democrat Chris Pappas celebrates winning the New Hampshire U.S. House District One Congressional race at an election party in Manchester, N.H. Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/ Cheryl Senter)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-01) voted to pass the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which contains crucial provisions he has championed to provide New Hampshire families, businesses, and health providers the federal support that they need to address COVID-19.

“After nearly a year of dealing with the devastating economic and health impacts of this pandemic, it is clear from my conversations each and every day with Granite Staters that a robust and comprehensive relief package is needed to help us beat this virus and put the pandemic in our rearview mirror, “ said Congressman Pappas. “Our nation still faces an urgent crisis and this legislation addresses the scope and scale of the challenges before us. That is why I voted for this COVID-19 relief package that includes a significant ramp-up of our vaccination efforts, gets more direct aid in the pockets of families and individuals who are struggling, and supports cities, states, and counties to ensure vital services and support can continue. While we will likely see changes in the final package, this framework is the right set of tools to meet this moment to not just recover, but to rebuild and move forward. I urge my Senate colleagues to work swiftly to pass this legislation and send it to President Biden’s desk for signature. Americans are waiting for our help.”

This package includes numerous provisions to provide relief for Granite Staters:

Provides direct assistance to Americans in need with an additional $1,400 in direct assistance per person. This plan also extends federal supplemental unemployment benefits to provide support for some self-employed and pandemic-affected individuals who do not qualify for regular state unemployment benefits.

Supports our communities by providing $1.52 billion in funding to the State of New Hampshire and to counties, cities, and towns to ensure frontline health care workers, public safety officials, and first responders are able to continue providing critical services to Granite Staters.

Accelerates vaccine distribution by providing over $20 billion to establish a national COVID-19 vaccination program. Additionally, it will help scale up COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and mitigation to slow the spread of COVID-19. This legislation also includes Congressman Pappas’s bill to ensure that Medicaid beneficiaries can access COVID-19 treatment and vaccination for free.

Helps struggling small businesses by increasing the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding and expanding eligibility to ensure it reaches nonprofits of all sizes. It also supports small businesses by providing $15 billion for COVID-19 emergency grants through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program.

Revitalizes the restaurant industry with a $25 billion program to support struggling restaurants and bars with payroll, rent and mortgage, and operating expenses.

Supports schools to reopen safely by making nearly $130 billion available to states and school districts for immediate and long-term relief so they can work with public health experts to safely re-open schools.

Addresses growing food insecurity with key investments in SNAP, WIC, Pandemic EBT and other critical nutrition assistance.

Increases access to health care by improving subsidies for the ACA marketplace and subsidizing COBRA costs for laid-off employees who choose to maintain their health care plan.

Supports our nation’s veterans by providing more than $15 billion to improve the claims processing backlog, upgrade facilities at our state veterans homes, prohibit copayments on medical care during the COVID-19 emergency, and fund an additional 12 months of job retraining for veterans forced out of work due to the pandemic.

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