Evans School-Repair Plan Passes House in Infrastructure Package; More Poverty-Busters Also Pass House

Too many Philadelphia schools have had dangerous problems like asbestos, lead or mold, and hazards like those are a concern in many schools across the country. That's why I have been focused on making sure the House would pass my school-repair plan, the Rehabilitation of Historic Schools Act, and another one that I strongly support as part of a sweeping infrastructure package, the Moving Forward Act (H.R. 2). And this week, the House passed this package!

My legislation would allow schools to be repaired using the same federal historic rehabilitation tax credit President Trump used to renovate an old post office building into his upscale Washington hotel.

I believe that if this credit is good enough for a Trump project, it's good enough for our kids, teachers and support staff, who deserve safe places to learn, teach and work!

The bill also includes a plan I have advocated for, the $130 billion Reopen and Rebuild America's Schools Act, which would be targeted to high-poverty schools -- and would create more than 2 million jobs to help Americans get back to work.

I'm also pleased the infrastructure bill includes a significant investment in public transit and affordable housing. All of these would be important new tools in the toolbox to fight poverty!

More poverty-busters

This week, the House also passed other bills that I believe would act as poverty-busters:

• The Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act, which includes $100 billion for an emergency rental assistance fund that would help renters cover their rent and utility bills, including any unpaid bills; would help renters and landlords by extending the eviction moratorium to March 27, 2021 and expand it to protect all renters; and would extend the foreclosure moratorium for 6 months from enactment and expand it to protect all homeowners.

It would also provide $11.5 billion for homeless assistance grants to help ensure that people experiencing homelessness are able to follow social distancing guidance and have access to necessary services.

• The Protecting Your Credit Score Act, which would ensure that consumer reporting agencies are providing fair and accurate information in consumer reports and create a central online portal that would allow consumers to access free credit reports and credit scores, dispute errors, and place or lift security freezes. This is also important for some small business owners, whose credit scores have caused them difficulty in receiving federal assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Legislation to reverse actions the Trump Administration has taken with regard to the civil rights protections in the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which requires banks to serve the credit needs of low- and moderate-income communities.
• The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act, a bill that would lower costs, further secure protections for people with pre-existing conditions, negotiate lower drug prices and expand coverage.
• Legislation to extend the deadline to Aug. 8 for small businesses to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program.

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