When will the HEALS Act be voted on in the Senate?
Since the Senate returned to work on 20 July the discussion surrounding the fourth and final stimulus relief package has continued amid the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.
The negotiations of the second stimulus check began on 20 July and one day later Senate Leader Mitch McConnell said that there will be a second round of direct payments very similar to the requirements of the CARES Act. On Monday 27 July the Republican-controlled Senate proposed the HEALS Act but it has not been passed yet.
This bill could be approved and signed as early as August because the goal is to approve the next stimulus package on or before 8 August when Congress goes on summer break returning on 8 September.
People who earned $75,000 or less per year according to their most recent tax returns qualified for the entire $1,200 stimulus check. Married people, or joint filers, who earn under $150,000 per year were eligible for $2,400. Those who earn more, up to $100,000 per year, received a prorated amount.
Also the Senate’s next stimulus proposal will reduce federal unemployment benefits to just $200 per week according to CNN reports, but that will continue for just two months. Now the Senate needs to vote on the bill and earn the majority approval. Then, the president gets to take a look at it and will decide where to sign off the bill.
There's pressure to get the new stimulus bill passed, and not just from the government. With enhanced unemployment benefits due to expire at the end of this month, millions of laid off workers are likely worried about what comes next.