HEROES Act: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions
The HEROES Act will give states, schools and communities the funding they need to be able to address three ongoing emergencies: a public health crisis, a fight for racial justice, and an economic recession. Will you help?
The U.S. House passed the HEROES Act on May 15, 2020. The U.S. Senate has not taken it up, and does not intend to do so until perhaps late July, if ever. Sen. McConnell, the Majority Leader in the Senate has stated that the Act (or a Senate version) “will never come up for a vote.” President Trump has decreed the Act “DOA” (Dead On Arrival). But we can put pressure on our senators to ensure the HEROES Act comes to a vote. Please Take Action! Funding for K-12 and post-secondary education in Florida, including UF, depends on state and local parts of the Act, and on funds specifically targeted for education.
~Call your senators at this toll-free number (833) 868-8109
~Send a letter to your senators via this AFT tool
~Write an email directly to Sen. Rick Scott
~Write an email directly to Sen. Marco Rubio
Talking points
- Congress has not done nearly enough to provide state and local governments with the funding they need to continue to deliver quality public services.
- If we see massive layoffs because we don’t get state and local aid, there will be extreme cuts to public services with catastrophic effects. Entire communities will suffer both from a public health and economic perspective.
- We can’t fight this pandemic or reopen the economy without strong public services and public service workers to deliver critical services.
- We continue to put our lives on the line every day to serve our communities. We do it because we love our jobs and care about helping people, and I don’t think anyone believes we deserve to be laid off.
More resources
H.R. 6800, The Heroes Act Title-by-Title Summary
AFT “What you need to know about HEROES”