December 23, 2020

Information current as of Wednesday, December 23, 2020 - 9:00 a.m.

Congress reaches deal on COVID-19 relief and FY21 funds

Congress has additional COVID-19 relief and appropriated Fiscal Year 2021 spending levels. This $2.3 trillion package, including $900 billion in coronavirus relief funds and $1.4 trillion to fund the government for FY21, has been negotiated over the past several months, and addresses many key areas:

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

• Reopening of the program upon enactment of the bill through March 31, 2021.

• Additional $284 billion in funding.

• Maximum loan amount was decreased from $10 million to $2 million.

• Added more eligible expenses (operations expenses, supplier costs).

• Allows for severely impacted organizations, based on revenue loss and employee count, to apply for a second PPP loan.

• Allows for organizations to deduct expenses they paid for with a PPP loan.

Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program

• Additional $20 billion in funding.

• Ability to reapply if full $10,000 EIDL grant was not awarded.

Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC)

• Allows for an organization to receive both a PPP loan and an ERTC.

• Extends the tax credit through June 30, 2021.

• Increases the value of the credit from 50% to 70%.

Other provisions and funding in the bill include:

• Extension of $300 in pandemic unemployment assistance through March 14, 2021, with a phased-out approach after that date.

• Up to $600 in direct individual payments per adult and per child.

• Extended timeline to spend money allocated to state and local governments through the CARES Act by one year to December 31, 2021.
• Extension of the eviction moratorium for one month to January 21, 2021.

The bill also includes $7 billion for broadband, $45 billion in transportation related assistance, $82 billion for K-12 and higher education, $25 billion for rental assistance, $69 billion for vaccine distribution and contact tracing, and more.
COVID-19 liability protections and additional aid for state and local governments were not included in the bill.