Negotiations on COVID-19 Relief Legislation Remain at a Standstill as Latest Senate GOP Proposal Falters

A $500 billion dollar Senate GOP COVID relief bill hit a procedural roadblock in the Senate, leaving negotiations on a pandemic relief package at a standstill.

On September 8, 2020, Senate Republicans introduced the $500 billion Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools and Small Businesses Act (S. 178), a smaller COVID-19 relief package than their previous $1 trillion HEALS Act. Key provisions affecting education in the latest bill include:

• Increased institutional aid – Allocates $105 billion through an Education Stabilization Fund to help get students back to school and provide for the continued learning of all students in elementary and secondary education and higher education.
• Enhanced temporary universal charitable deduction – Doubles the universal, above-the-line charitable deduction included in the CARES Act from $300 to $600 for the remainder of 2020 and provides for a $1,200 above-the-line deduction for joint filers. Note that the proposal also includes new language around penalties for overstatements. See the Charitable Giving Coalition's statement on the provision.
• Modified Paycheck Protection Program – Provides an additional $257.7 billion for a second round of loans for businesses and nonprofit organizations that have 300 or fewer employees and are able to show a 35% revenue loss this year relative to the same quarter in 2019 (a change from the 50% required in the previous proposal.) The bill would also simplify the loan forgiveness application process for current and future PPP borrowers if they have a loan of $150,000 or less.

On charitable giving incentives, the inclusion of an enhanced temporary universal charitable deduction is a result of continued advocacy with our champions on the Hill. CASE has been working closely with Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Tim Scott (R-SC), members of the Senate Finance Committee, on expanding the charitable giving incentive. While the current package is stalled, we remain hopeful that the inclusion of an expanded universal charitable deduction at this stage bodes well if and when negotiations resume. It is unclear if Democrats and Republicans will be able to resolve significant differences to enact a COVID relief package prior to the November election.

To stay updated on the latest news and developments, visit CASE’s COVID-19 Response Legislation web page and subscribe to the CASE Advocacy Network.

Reminder to Participate in CASE’s First Advocacy Survey, Deadline Extended to October 30, 2020

The CASE survey on advocacy was launched in July 2020 to examine how public and private U.S. colleges and universities are engaging alumni, students, faculty, and others in their advocacy programs. For purposes of the survey, an advocacy program is defined as a formal program, activity, or initiative designed to engage or ask key constituents to weigh in with government officials.

Note the deadline to complete and submit the survey has been extended to Friday, October 30, 2020.

The survey’s findings and valuable benchmarking information will be presented to participating institutions in Fall 2020.

Visit CASE’s Alumni Advocacy Community to connect with colleagues and access additional advocacy resources. If you have any questions, please contact Mina Kato at mkato@case.org.