Rep. Maloney Votes to Pass Legislation to Support America's Families Facing COVID-19

WASHINGTON, March 16 -- Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York, issued the following news release:

Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) voted to pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act which provides needed support for families across the country during this pandemic.

"As our nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to make sure that families across this country have the resources they need to take care of themselves and their loved ones. We need to make paid leave available so that employees aren't faced with the impossible decision to give up a paycheck or go into work while sick and we need to make sure that we are looking after American's financial wellbeing, in addition to their health.

"That is why I was proud to support and vote for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to provide paid sick leave, paid family and medical leave, and free coronavirus testing to everyone who needs it, to enhance unemployment insurance, to strengthen food security initiatives, and to increase funding for the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP). I urge the Senate to send this bill to the President's desk immediately."

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act provides:

* Free testing for coronavirus: The Families First Coronavirus Response Act ensures that all individuals who need a test, including those with private insurance, Medicare Advantage or Original Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, VA, FEHBP, and TRICARE, as well as the uninsured, will have access at no cost.

* Economic security:

* Paid emergency leave: The Families First Coronavirus Response Act provides two weeks of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave.

* Enhanced Unemployment Insurance: The Families First Coronavirus Response Act gives states the resources and flexibility to provide unemployment benefits to laid off and furloughed workers, as well as to those workers who exhaust their allotted paid leave. This measure also provides additional funding to help the hardest-hit states immediately and in the future if conditions worsen.

* Food security: The Families First Coronavirus Response Act includes more than $1 billion to provide food to low-income pregnant women and mothers with young children, help local food banks, and feed low-income seniors. It ensures that students who depend on schools and child care for free and reduce-priced meals continue to have access to nutritious foods during closures. And it provides women, infants, and children with the flexibility to access food and infant formula without having to make unnecessary or unsafe visits to clinics.

* Health security: The Families First Coronavirus Response Act increases the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), which the federal government provides to state and territorial Medicaid programs. This will prevent states from cutting benefits, reducing their Medicaid rolls, or imposing greater costs on enrollees.