Lawmakers have introduced a bill that would help to deliver personal protective equipment (PPE) and rapid testing materials to small businesses and local governments.
Rep. Young Kim (R-California) and Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia) proposed The Getting Americans Safely Back to Work Act, a bill that, if approved, would create a $1 billion block grant program to buy items that would be administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state and local governments, reports CBS News. A quarter of those funds would be used to help small businesses to reopen after being shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to CBS News, Spanberger said that her constituents have told her that the cost of PPE and COVID-19 testing supplies have been a serious issue. She said these conversations included employers who believe that it’s important to invest in PPE and testing supplies because it helps keep their employees and the public safe.
A former small businesses owner turned freshman U.S. Representative, Kim said the distribution of PPE and rapid testing is an “urgent priority,” according to CBS News.
