Press Releases

(Honolulu, HI) - U.S. Congressman Ed Case (HI-01) joined his colleagues in the U.S. House in voting to pass H.R. 6074, an $8.3 billion emergency supplemental appropriations measure to combat the COVID-19 virus.

“The Congress has worked quickly to advance a robust response to this public health emergency,” said Case, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “While state and county governments and other entities in Hawai'i and throughout our country have been on the frontlines to date, this is clearly a national matter which requires the full mobilization and application of national resources across the board.”

Highlights of the emergency funding measure include:

• More than $3 billion for research and development of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics; 
• $2.2 billion in public health funding for prevention, preparedness, and response, $950 million of which is to support state & local health agencies; 
• Nearly $1 billion for procurement of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, to support healthcare preparedness and Community Health Centers, and to improve medical surge capacity; 
• $435 million to support health systems overseas to prevent, prepare and respond to the coronavirus; 
• $300 million to respond to humanitarian needs; 
• $61 million to facilitate the development and review of medical countermeasures, devices, therapies and vaccines, and to help mitigate potential supply chain interruptions; and 
• An estimated $7 billion in low-interest loans to affected small businesses.

The emergency supplemental also contains other strong provisions to ensure a full response and keep Americans safe. The bill:  

• Requires that funds are only used to fight coronavirus and other infectious diseases;
• Allows seniors to access telemedicine services for coronavirus treatment; 
• Helps ensure that vaccines and treatments for coronavirus are affordable; and 
• Ensures that state and local governments are reimbursed for costs incurred while assisting the federal response.

The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate which is expected to pass it expeditiously and send it the President for approval by the end of the week.

Case also noted that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing initial federal resources out of existing appropriations to a limited number of state and local jurisdictions on the frontlines of coronavirus prevention and containment to assist with their expenditures to date. Hawai'i is one of those jurisdictions and will receive an initial $2,750,000. Substantial additional support is expected once the emergency supplemental appropriations bill is signed into law by the President.

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