BATON ROUGE, La. (BRProud) – Democrats in the House of Representatives put forth a new $3.3 trillion coronavirus relief bill that includes a second round of $1,200 checks, or up to $6,000 per household.
Dubbed the HEROES Act, the second round of payments varies slightly than the first relief bill, commonly referred to as the CARES Act. The legislation includes $1,200 per individual who makes $75,000 or less annually, or $2,400 per married couple making double that with no dependents.
Dependents under the age of 17 however, would be increased to $1,200 per eligible child with a maximum of three children. The initial CARES Act allocated a payment of just $500 per eligible dependent.
The HEROES Act would also include immigrants and dependents age 17 and over.
The new legislation is less generous than some competing proposals. Americans would receive $2,000 per month during the pandemic, under a bill introduced by Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Ed Markey, (D-MA).
The HEROES Act would also extend the $600 per week unemployment benefit through January 2021, instead of July 2020 as the CARES Act currently has outlined. Self-employed, independent contractors and gig workers would also continue receiving benefits through March 2021, versus December of this year.
Democratic lawmakers also want to increase the maximum food stamp benefit by 15% with the HEROES Act, and provide additional money for nutrition programs for children.
Related: Stimulus checks: Will there be a second round in May?
Americans may actually never see any of the new, more generous payments, however. Senate Republican leaders have already said the new bill will stall on arrival, arguing that another round of payments is not needed considering states have taken the first steps to reopen.
