Yesterday was April 1, April Fools Day. My grandfather loved April Fools Day and invested much time into thinking what he might do to surprise my grandmother. Always in good fun, and always good for some laughs. I suspect we could all use some good laughs right now. Instead of celebrating as a new month begins, our community remains locked in a pitched battle to beat back the coronavirus. We are all praying for the health and welfare of our loved ones, our neighbors and all people threatened by this pandemic. At the same time, we must remain grateful for those working the front lines of the battle—our health workers, grocery workers, delivery workers, police and fire fighters, and everyone else dutifully showing up every day for all of us. Though I am working from home, I continue to stay in frequent contact with colleagues as we develop additional legislation to address the crisis. I am also keeping in touch with our community, including calls this week with local hospital leaders, with local companies producing and distributing testing, PPE, and medical equipment, including ventilators, with local businesses struggling to manage through this crisis, elected officials, and with people throughout the district to hear their stories and collect their ideas. Last Thursday, we hosted another telephone town hall and once more had more than 8.000 people listen in. In the past week our office also received more than 5,000 emails, calls, and letters – many times our normal amount. And on Tuesday I took to Facebook Live to answer some of the questions from people who have reach out. In addition to our outreach, our casework team also remains hard at work on your behalf. This past week we celebrated some nice victories as we helped constituents stranded overseas finally secure safe passage home. Remember, if you, a family member, neighbor or coworker need assistance with a federal agency, related to COVID-19 or not, please get in touch at (847) 383-4870 or on our website: / Please keep reading for more information about congressional action on COVID-19 related relief. CARES ACT CORONAVIRUS RELIEF PACKAGE BUILDS ON SCHNEIDER LEGISLATION As you likely know by now, the House and Senate passed last week and the President signed into law a massive $2 trillion relief package providing desperately needed assistance for our healthcare system, for our workers and their families, for Main Street businesses, and for state and local governments severely affected by this crisis. I shared some of my thoughts on the legislation in a video recorded just before the vote last Friday. I sent an update email on Tuesday about what this legislation means for you, including information on the direct financial assistance payments for most Americans, expanded unemployment insurance, and support for small businesses. You can read that newsletter on our website. More information on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security CARES Act, including how to access the expanded unemployment benefits and support for small businesses, is also available on our coronavirus page: /covid-19 I am particularly pleased that legislation I previously introduced and championed throughout the negotiation process was included in the final package that was signed into law. Strengthening the reporting requirements on medical devices will help the FDA anticipate and mitigate shortages in the supply chain, including for devices in critical need like ventilators. Allowing small businesses to use a five-year carryback period for net operating losses offers Main Street businesses the tax flexibility to withstand and recover from the challenges created by coronavirus. Finally, temporarily waiving some requirements for Women Business Centers ensures these programs can continue serving our communities during this time of need. More information on these provisions is available on our website. URGENT NEED FOR "SUPPLY CHAIN CZAR" 
Ensuring a supply of critical medical equipment, including ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) is one of the most pressing challenges during this crisis. But instead of leading on medical device supply chain issues, the President has been blaming Governors and pitting states against each other in bidding wars. The lack of leadership from the Administration to address this scarcity has forced states to compete with each other to meet demand. This chaos is driving up prices, as well as subjecting hospitals to price-gouging tactics from suppliers looking to profit off the pandemic. Manufacturers are similarly left to decide between competing orders with minimal federal direction, possible fraudulent orders, and limited to no ability to increase production. I'm calling for the Administration to create a single "supply chain czar" to oversee this problem and ensure we are producing, procuring, and distributing these critical supplies to our communities in need. Earlier this week, I sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi to urge the inclusion of language creating this position in the next coronavirus relief package, and I'm building support from my colleagues for this solution. Read my letter on our website. PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM FOR SMALL BUSINESS OPENS TOMORROW! Included in the CARES Act stimulus is the Paycheck Protection Program, designed to help small business owners cover their employees payroll and benefits during the crisis. This program also applies to non-profits, veteran organizations, sole proprietorships, the self-employed, and independent contractors. These loans will be forgiven so long as proceeds are used to cover payroll costs and benefits, and employee compensation levels are maintained (capped at $100,000). Applications open tomorrow, April 3 for small businesses and sole proprietorships, while applications are open for independent contractors and the self-employed starting April 10. You can find more guidance on how to apply at the Department of the Treasury's website. YESTERDAY WAS ALSO CENSUS DAY! It can be easy to miss with everything else in the news, but yesterday, April 1st marks Census Day! Have you participated in the #2020Census yet? We need every single resident, regardless of citizenship, to participate to guarantee Illinois receives vital funding for our roads, schools, health care services, and more. It takes less than 10 min to complete at: https://my2020census.gov/ CONTINUING TO PUSH EPA TO ACT ON ETHYLENE OXIDE Earlier this week, I convened a call with bipartisan members of the Congressional EtO Task Force and EPA Administrator Wheeler to discuss continued concerns about Ethylene Oxide (EtO). Foremost is our concern that EPA is not doing enough to inform communities about the risk of EtO. The EPA is in the process of enacting two EtO-related regulations, and I pressed the Administrator to ensure the rule is science-drive and public health-focused, including ambient air monitoring and public engagement throughout the rulemaking process. The EPA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) also recently released a report on the EPA's failure to keep communities informed about EtO. The Task Force will be holding the EPA accountable for its failure to properly communicate risk to EtO-affected communities and will be following up to ensure the Agency follows the recommendations laid out in the OIG report. LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE Back to where I started, my grandfather's love of April Fools Day. As hard as it is to be in this fight right now, we still need to find reasons to laugh. Don't take my word for it, read this article from the Mayo Clinic on how laughter reduces stress And if reading's not your thing (which would be ironic since you've made it this far down the newsletter), you can watch Ellen DeGeneris here: STAY HOME, STAY STRONG AND STAY HEALTHY Finally, thank you again for all you and your loved ones are doing during these unprecedented times. Practicing social distancing and adhering to the Governor's stay at home order can be challenging, but it is critical we do so to overcome the virus. Together we will make it through this. Please keep in touch!
Sincerely,
Bradley S. Schneider
Member of Congress
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