Thompson Votes to Pass Updated Heroes Act

Washington – Today Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) voted to pass the updated Heroes Act, expansive legislation to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic and address the economic hardship that many working families and small businesses find themselves in as a result of the pandemic.

"Coronavirus continues to hit our nation hard – thousands more people are infected each day and millions are facing a tough economic burden as they lose jobs or are forced to close their businesses. The House acted over four months ago by passing the Heroes Act, and since then Republican leaders have stalled, refusing to even come to the table.

"This week, House Democrats again took action by introducing an updated Heroes Act in an offer we hope will bring Republican leadership to the table. The bill I voted to pass today includes strong funding for testing and treatment, so we can tackle the health crisis head on. The bill also supports working families through another round of stimulus checks, safeguards to protect employees, and a restoration of expanded unemployment benefits. It offers a lifeline to state and local governments that are at the tip of the spear in fighting this virus and it improves the Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses that are struggling.

"The updated Heroes Act also includes some of my legislation to help our district, including my bill to increase the Federal cost share of natural disaster response from 75 to 90 percent. It also includes the FEED Act, my bill that allows restaurants and non-profits to partner with family farmers to prepare nutritious meals for vulnerable populations, such as seniors and underprivileged children, during the pandemic. Finally, the bill includes the Restaurant Act, a bill to help restaurants pay for mortgage, rent, utilities and PPE. It's long past time – Leader McConnell needs to hold a vote immediately so we can help people across this nation."

You can click here for a summary of the provisions in the updated Heroes Act.

Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 5^th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties. He is a senior member of the House Committee on Ways and Means where he chairs the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures. Rep. Thompson is Chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. He is also Co-Chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus and a member of the fiscally-conservative Blue Dog Coalition.