RESTART Act (Cong. Rec., June 3, 2020)

Summary

Senate pages of the Congressional Record for June 3, 2020, beginning at page S2678, under the heading RESTART Act. Mr. Young describes his RESTART tour of Indiana and says the RESTART Act would extend the Paycheck Protection Program timeframe to 16 weeks for the hardest hit businesses and provide loans covering up to 6 months of payroll and fixed operating expenses. Mrs. Blackburn speaks about Tennessee under the heading Coronavirus and says the PPP program has brought $8.8 billion into the State. Mr. Braun speaks about reopening the American economy.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Cite this document

“RESTART Act (Cong. Rec., June 3, 2020).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-06-03-crec-2020-06-03-pt1-pgs2678-a480833083/, SHA-256 53e56f59d420ecc317a0bf54529a142c0fabb58a5f6d4a45b983ca25d49a47e4.

Full text

S2678 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 3, 2020
done. Even though the COVID is still substantial revenue hit during this there to meet needs. In Tennessee, as
with us, we must continue working to- coronavirus pandemic. My RESTART in many States, struggling commu-
gether and following the guidelines so initiative would provide needed funds nities depend on these nonprofit
we can protect both our economy and with the flexibility for employers to groups. This is why we fought so hard
our health. pay bills and to implement social to include eligibility for nonprofits in
I yield the floor. distancing measures, like with those the rescue funding packages.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Plexiglas dividers I have seen at so I will tell you that this is making a
ator from Indiana. many businesses. Most importantly, it difference in Tennessee for some of our
RESTART ACT would bring employees back to work, nonprofit organizations, like the East
Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, last which is exactly where they want to Tennessee-based Appalachia Service
week, I traveled around the great State be. Project. ASP teams travel throughout
of Indiana on my RESTART tour. Over the last several weeks, I have Central Appalachia. They repair homes
I visited small businesses up and spoken to more than 22,000 Hoosiers by for low-income families. Mayors in the
down the State—eight cities, in fact— using Zoom teleconferencing capabili- communities that ASP visit are run-
where we have seen so many Hoosiers ties, having conference calls, and other ning on tight budgets, and they depend
adversely impacted by this pandemic. means. I have to say I am truly in- on volunteers to fix up unsafe or un-
Like many other States, Indiana is spired by the way Hoosiers have come inhabitable homes. You can only imag-
starting to open up our economy, and I together to help one another during ine how it felt to the people at ASP to
know so many Hoosiers welcome that. this pandemic. Everyone has done his watch their funding evaporate, know-
Our Governor, Eric Holcomb, has been part. Hoosiers want to work, and busi- ing that the leaky roof that needed at-
implementing a five-stage plan for ness owners are eager to pay them. The tention over in Sneedville would end up
safely reopening Indiana’s economy. RESTART Act can help make sure this turning into a rotten floor and a moldy
The cities on my tour have busi- happens, and I hope my colleagues will wall and would be a safety hazard for
nesses that are in various stages of re- give it strong consideration in the the individuals who lived there. Fortu-
opening. Restaurants like Catablu coming days. nately, ASP was able to get an SBA
Grille in Fort Wayne, Arni’s in Lafay- I yield the floor. loan that gave it a little bit of breath-
ette, and Woody’s Library in Carmel The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- ing room. Although it has had to can-
are open at 50-percent capacity right ator from Tennessee. cel its volunteer program, its essential
now. The nonprofit Terre Haute Chil- Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I staff and contractors will be able to
dren’s Museum remains closed, unfor- ask unanimous consent that Senator continue working all through the sum-
tunately, and is struggling to pay its BRAUN and I be allowed to complete mer.
employees. I visited Zimmer Biomet our remarks prior to the rollcall votes. The various rescue programs that
Hibbard, which is a medical device The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Congress agreed to implement were not
company in Valparaiso. I enjoyed the objection, it is so ordered. perfect by any means, but did they
tour and visiting with the employees, CORONAVIRUS have a positive effect? From what we
but I discovered that its sales had Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I are hearing in Tennessee, they did, and
dropped 95 percent in March. Fortu- have to say that Tennesseans are en- they have been put to good use.
nately, it received a Paycheck Protec- joying being out and about. They are I yield the floor.
tion Program loan, and that enabled it so thrilled to see the restart of our The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
to keep all 23 of its employees on the economy. Whether you are going to ator from Indiana.
payroll. hair salons, restaurants, shopping cen- Mr. BRAUN. Mr. President, I am a
It is clear that we need to continue ters, office parks, or manufacturing fa- Main Street entrepreneur. I have spent
evaluating additional relief measures cilities, what we are hearing from Ten- my career building a little business
for small businesses and Indiana’s non- nesseans is: Thank goodness we can get into a large one over many years in my
profits. My RESTART Act is a viable back to work. They are grateful that hometown. My wife, as well, has oper-
approach to help keep our hardest hit they have had the PPP to help them ated a home accessory and gift store on
businesses and nonprofits going. The bridge from the shutdown to the re- Main Street, literally. I am elated to
RESTART Act is a bipartisan measure start. There has been $8.8 billion that see the American economy starting to
I introduced with Senator BENNET. The has made its way into our State get off to a smart restart.
effort here is to build upon the success through the PPP program, and our I addressed, in a couple of floor
of the Paycheck Protection Program. Governor, our Tennessee General As- speeches before we left in March, the
We have seen that more than 74,000 sembly, and our mayors are really question of how to reopen our econ-
Hoosier businesses have benefited from working diligently to be certain that omy. I believe businesses are dis-
PPP, with loans totaling nearly $9.4 our economy opens up, that people are ciplined and ready to pay attention to
billion in the State of Indiana. Just for at work safely, and that we continue to the rules—the new normal—to make
context, that is an average loan of defeat this COVID–19. sure their employees and their cus-
about $130,000. These are for small busi- Over the past few months, we have tomers stay safe. Business owners will
nesses like those that we see up and seen Congress push forward, putting follow the rules. It is in their own best
down our State. about $3 trillion into the economy for a interests to do so. They have much to
The Paycheck Protection Program restart, and State and local govern- lose from a new spike in the
requires funds to be spent in just 8 ments have already put over $139 bil- coronavirus. Businesses are always
weeks, but most restaurants, gyms, lion worth of aid to good use by sup- more adept, more agile than govern-
boutiques, and so many other busi- porting local healthcare, helping to ment, and I am heartened to see the in-
nesses were not permitted to be open rescue businesses, and keeping compa- novative approaches many businesses
during part or all of that 8-week pe- nies working and local payrolls going— are taking across our country to ad-
riod. So the first part of the RESTART keeping people on the job. dress this challenge.
Act merely extends the timeframe to 16 Our Governor and general assembly The virus does not affect all popu-
weeks for our Nation’s hardest hit in Tennessee have just announced a lations, industries, and areas of our
businesses. new program that they are doing in country in the same way. So, natu-
Secondly, we know that the PPP was conjunction with local businesses. rally, the reopening in Indianapolis
meant to be a bridge to reopening the Now, imagine for a moment what it will be different from that on Main
economy, but many small businesses was like to watch the economy tumble Street in Jasper, IN.

dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
have much longer bridges to cross. from the perspective of a community We should remember that although
That is why our new RESTART Pro- that was already struggling and trying this presents challenges, a one-size-
gram would provide loans that would to make ends meet. The pandemic fits-all is rarely the best policy course
cover up to 6 months of payroll and caused catastrophic damage to the tra- of action, and decisions that affect citi-
fixed operating expenses. That is just ditional economy and also to many of zens are best made by the level of gov-
for those businesses that have taken a the service organizations that were ernment closest to them—mayors,

VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:40 Jun 04, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G03JN6.035 S03JNPT1

File and source

File: CREC_crec-2020-06-03_crec-2020-06-03-pt1-pgs2678.pdf
Size: 205,625 bytes
SHA-256: 53e56f59d420ecc317a0bf54529a142c0fabb58a5f6d4a45b983ca25d49a47e4
Our copy: CREC_crec-2020-06-03_crec-2020-06-03-pt1-pgs2678.pdf
Original: www.govinfo.gov