Across the country. In response to the coronavirus pandemic. Sweeping our nation. Doctors and nurses are working endless hours and putting themselves at risk to care for the surge inpatients. Manufacturers including Many Companies in my state are working overtime and retooling their product lines to produce medical testing swabs, ventilators and personal protective equipment. All of which are vitally needed. Truckers are going above and beyond, missing time with their families know that they can deliver goods needed to reach restock depleted grocery shelves. People are looking out for their neighbors and in a safe way. Theyre checking on them. Theyre making personal sacrifices to help prevent the virus from spreading to the most vulnerable members of our society. Help is on the horizon for Small Businesses and their employees. Who are facing economic devastation through no fault of their own. Mister president , i have tried, talked to Small Business owners all across our state. Including small momandpop operations like a thirdgeneration diner operated and owned by the simones family in lewiston maine. For the first time ever, in three generations, they have had to close their doors. They had no choice. As linda simone us told me in tears earlier this week, weve never been unemployed. Our son is unemployed. Our friends who have worked with us this diner for years are unemployed. Mister president , the agreement and only reached today includes a 377 billion Small BusinessEconomic Relief plan that senator rubio, senator cardin, senator shaheen and i authored as members of the Small Business task force. It is intended to help workers send Small Business just like the one owned by the simones family and in lewiston. And our group worked day and night to get this bipartisan package included in the broader legislation. Dand i wanted to shout out to our staff because i dont think theyve been to bed before 4 am in the morning in any day in the last week. Thats how hard they work too. Under our bipartisan approach, Small Businesses would be eligible for a 100 percent federally guaranteed emergency loan to cover eight weeks of payroll as well as certain expenses like rent or mortgage payments and utilities. If these businesses keep their employees on the payroll, in other words if they keep issuing those paychecks, their loans would be completely forgiving. Heres how it would work. Small employers would with 500 employees or fewer would be eligible to apply for these federally loans. Eed the loans would be available immediately through existing Small BusinessAdministration Certified lenders including certain banks, Credit Unions and other financial institutions. In a streamlined process would be created to bring other additional lenders into the program. The loans would be tied to a formula based on the Small Businesses average monthly payroll lyand that would go back to february 15 and thats when the coronavirus really started to come to our country and have an impact. The maximum loan amount would be 10 million. So as long as these Small Businesses retained their employees and issued those paychecks which keep in mind also means in many cases that those employees will get their Health Insurance as well, the portion of the loan used to cover payroll and mortgage, interest, rent and utility would also be forgiven. Furthermore, and this is important to states like those of the presiding officer and mine which have large numbers of tourists accoming each year, employers with tipped employees would receive forgiveness for the additional wages paid to such employees. In addition id like to point out that workers who have already lost their jobs due to this crisis can be rehired and paid under our program and that should be our goal. Mister president , this vital assistance cannot come a moment too soon. There are so many Small Businesses that have already shut down or are on the verge of doing so. They are trying to hang on just a little longer to avoid avoid laying off their employees who are like members of their own family. In many cases, they are members of their own family. Without this package, we face an unemployment tsunami that could reach as high as 20 percent according to the secretary of the treasury. Not only would this cause tremendous harm to millions of families but it would also take a massive toll on the federal budget far exceeding the 377 billion that were using for this Small BusinessAssistance Program to keep workers paid and employed. What we want is to make sure those Small Businesses survive. That they are here when we transcended this crisis and that their employees are still able to come back to work for them. We dont want to break that link, that connection. We dont want those Small Businesses to give up and shudder their doors forever. Estimating downturns and causing permanent job loss for the workers that are so much a part of their business us. Now, larger businesses that are facing cash flow issues would be eligible for certain loans so that they can avoid laying off their workers. However, unlike the Small Business assistance Assistance Program, which would have their loans forgiven as long as they keep theirworkers employed , be larger businesses would be required to repay these loans in full. And i want to make clear, that these Large Businesses would be barred from stock buybacks and increasing executive pay. For the duration of the loan and i fully support those restrictions. Of course, many of those Small Businesses dont have shareholders so the idea of a stock buyback doesnt exist. Some of them have asked me, but many of them do not. Im also pleased to say that we would cover the sole proprietor, the independent contractor, those many individuals who we rely upon to make our economy work. Mister president , following my advocacy along with members from other coastal states, and that the bill includes 300 million to assist workers and businesses in our nation fisheries. With support thousands of jobs in the great state of maine. With this legislation, harvesters, Fishing Community , agriculture operations and other fishery related businesses will be eligible for this 300 million in the system which may include some direct relief payment. This helps protect our lighting. This targeted relief will help ensure that the families and coastal communities that depend on our fisheries can emerge from this crisis. Similar assistance is provided to our farmers as well. Mister president , this bill also provides more than 30 billion for states, school districts, colleges and universities to help them meet the unexpected expense that has flowed from the coronavirus rices. Our schools, our k12 schools will have access to 13. 5 billion which will help them support Remote Learning and meeting the needs of their students and i want to take a moment to recognize the dedication of those teachers, administrators, School Food Service workers and bus drivers who are not only making sure that students have access to Remote Learning but are making sure students have access to meals on site. This bill provides funding to help them provide those meals and in creative but unfortunately more costly ways such as delivery, prepackaged meals along bus routes or directly to students in their homes so that they wont be hungry. We all know how important this School Breakfast and lu School Lunch Programs are to our low income families. When colleges and universities make the very position to send students ehome for the semester, i spoke with several president s in maine and they told me about the steps they were taking to make sure that their students can still receive a quality education t, albeit online or remotely. They were also taking thats as well they should reimburse students and their families or room and board and may shorten travel studies programs. Theyre investing in the software and hardware infrastructure to bring Classes Online quickly. Theyre doing even more than that, mister president. The university of maine has partnered with the state to prepare its dorms and its facilities for emergency uses it necessary. So the eight colleges and universities is needed to help these institutions offset these some revenue losses and an extended costs. Theres also temporary flexibility applied to student aid. From Student Loans that also will be very helpful. This agreement after president is not only a lifeline for workers, Small Businesses and schools, it builds on the previous 2 packages, has passed to promote the health and safety of americans. It makes substantial investment in our Nations Health system, Biomedical Research and education, including a 1 billion fusion for our hospitals and Healthcare Providers that are struggling to cope with this influx of patients and it provides 20 billion for Additional Resources for veterans healthcare. Authorizes 11 billion dollars for the development of effective vaccine therapeutics effective treatment for those struck by this virus. It provides 1 billion for Community Services block grant sto brooke support critical social service programs. 4 million of low income individuals. The centers for Disease Control additional funding to enhance vital work. Assist communities responding to Greater Services with an increase of 5 Million Community involvement block grants come from the subcommittee that i care. It helps with transit systems as widespread help for those who are homeless to remind some of the most vulnerable in our population. It strengthens low income home heating Assistance Program. Something reads and i have long Work Together on. We dont want families and seniors making impossible choices between feeding their homes and buying food or medicine. This package also contains 2 additional pieces of legislation that i introduced and championed. First it contains provisions from the mitigating emergency drug shortages or medevac, legislation author that will help prevent a shortage of vital medication. I was shocked mister president to learn that 72 percent of the facilities that make vital, active pharmaceutical ingredients for our market here in america are located overseas. 13 percent of these facilities in china. We just cant have that and we need far greater visibility ntinto that supply system. It also contained a bill that i have long advocated for. Home healthcare planning improvement act. It will allow nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other certified patients as needing home health services. Now its just a position that can do it, even though a physician might not be the primary care provider particularly in rural areas. So that will remove needless to lay in getting medicare patients the Home Healthcare that they need. Thats a critical improvement at a time when our Healthcare System is being put to the test. And when people are being told they need to stay in their own homes. To avoid spread of the virus. So the list of benefits that will be felt in communities across the country goes on and on and mister president , its imperative that we pass this bill tonight. Every day, more Small Businesses are forced to close their doors. Every day, americans are losing their jobs and their income. Every day, medical professionals are increasingly overwhelmed by the exponential rise in cases. The package we are voting on to advance tonight will bolster our Healthcare System , infuse funds into Biomedical Research that will ultimately produce a vaccine and a history, short of our economy and our business. Support those who are unemployed, strengthen the length between employers and their employees, save millions of jobs for those employed by Small Businesses, and help prevent a devastating recession, perhaps even a depression in this country. Let us not squander this momentum when we are so close to getting this done for the american people. I heard my colleagues to join me in passing this critical legislation. Thankyou madame president. During times of disaster, i am never fail to be inspired by the generosity of americans. Including both in my home state of texas area i think about how we came together in the wake of hurricane party. A lead search and rescue operations, clear debris and rebuild communities and allies. We saw strangers forming human chains to rescue a driver trapped in a car