Dear Friends,
Just because you’re going back to work, now’s not the time to quit taking commonsense precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19, so the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus.
The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person between people in close contact (within 6 feet); through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.
Studies have shown that wearing a face covering can greatly reduce the spread of diseases like COVID-19.
You can spread COVID-19 to others even if you do not feel sick. By wearing a mask, you are taking care of your neighbors.
Although masks are not mandatory in Arkansas, Governor Asa Hutchinson has encouraged everyone to wear a face covering when it is not possible to maintain six feet of space between yourself and other people, like when you're at the grocery store.
It is important to remember that while a face mask can help prevent the spread, it is not a substitute for social distancing and washing your hands. Also, cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under the age of 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
The Arkansas Department of Health published a helpful guide on how to sew your own mask at home, which can be found HERE.
Now is the time to come together and protect each other. We will overcome this virus as Arkansans and as Americans.
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| How the Paycheck protection program has helped Arkansas's Small Businesses |
Funds During Difficult Economic Challenges |
The Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, was included in the CARES Act and was intended to help small businesses around the country keep their employees on payroll during this extremely difficult economic period.
I wanted to share the stories of some central Arkansas small businesses that have benefitted from this program. To watch, click HERE or on the image below.
YGFBF Kitchen is a minority and women-owned catering business and restaurant located in Conway, AR. When COVID-19 hit Arkansas, MaryAnn Strange, the small business owner and entrepreneur, took a significant hit. However, with the help of the PPP and other small business grants, she was able to maintain her payroll and operations and avoid closure for her restaurant which she’s had for four years and built from the ground up.
In order to qualify for a PPP loan, businesses must have less than 500 employees. I, along with other members of Congress, wrote to The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Small Business Administration asking that university and college work-study students not be included as part of the 500-employee threshold, which they agreed to.
By doing so, one of our Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) here in central Arkansas, Shorter College, which was founded in 1886, was able to receive a PPP loan and ensured they can keep employees on payroll even during these incredibly challenging times facing higher learning.
My staff was able to answer questions for North Little Rock First United Methodist Church, which helped them secure a PPP loan allowing the church and daycare to remain operational even during quarantine.
The church's daycare staff of over 35 teachers continued to be fully employed even as the center was forced to close its doors for two weeks. The Children's Enrichment Center continues to offer childcare for over 80 families of first responders and essential employees.
I am glad that this successful program has helped Arkansans during this tough time.
| Congress should extend the PPP |
Joint Op-Ed with Southern Bancorp CEO Darrin Williams in The Hill |
To me, it is clear that the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) should be extended. Over 40,000 Arkansas small businesses have been able to keep countless Arkansans payrolls even as they suffer severe losses of revenue due to COVID-19.
This week, Darrin Williams, CEO of Southern Bancorp, and I joined together to write about why Congress should take action to extend the PPP and continue to provide our small businesses and communities much-needed support as we begin to reopen our economy.
Click HERE or on the image below to read our entire op-ed.
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APPLY FOR PPP LOAN FORGIVENESS
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New EZ Application Available |
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, has posted a revised, borrower-friendly Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness application. In addition to revising the full forgiveness application, the SBA also published a new EZ version of the forgiveness application that applies to borrowers that:
- Are self-employed and have no employees; OR
- Did not reduce the salaries or wages of their employees by more than 25%, and did not reduce the number or hours of their employees; OR
- Experienced reductions in business activity as a result of health directives related to COVID-19 and did not reduce the salaries or wages of their employees by more than 25%.
To access the EZ application, click HERE. To access the full forgiveness application, click HERE.
| Leading Call For Fair Reimbursements for Fire Fighters, EMS First Responders |
Supporting First Responders in our Community |
Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03), Rep. John Larson (CT-01), and I led a bipartisan letter seeking fair reimbursements for firefighters, emergency medical services (EMS), and other medical first responders.
Right now, firefighters and medical first responders are reimbursed by Medicare for supplies and services they provide ONLY if they transport a patient to a hospital.
This means that they are not reimbursed for these services when they are provided at the scene.
This policy of taking someone to the hospital no matter what is overburdening an already burdened emergency healthcare system, especially during the current public health crisis. It also means that first responders are put in the difficult position of transporting a patient or risk not being reimbursed for providing care.
This is not acceptable. I urge the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services to expand reimbursements to include care provided on the scene of an emergency, known as ‘treatment in place’ (TIP), and provide direct reimbursement for ambulance telehealth use.
Discussing Solutions for Telehealth and Rural Broadband |
I enjoyed discussing solutions for telehealth benefits, especially rural broadband connectivity, which impacts many rural Arkansans, with Jay Bir on KARK's Capitol View. Addressing these related challenges will provide lasting improvements for Arkansas beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Watch the interview by clicking HERE or on the image below.
It is my honor to represent you in Congress. Please contact me at (501) 324-5941 or Hill.House.Gov if I may be of service to you.
Sincerely,
Representative French Hill
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