Aloha, Friend:

As we continue to work together through the public health and economic crisis of COVID-19, I remain completely committed not only to delivering desperately needed federal resources to critical needs of Hawaii’s families and communities but to guiding you to those resources and answering your questions.

To that end, please note first that my staff and I in both DC and Hawai‘i remain fully on the job and fully available to you for your questions and needs. You can contact us at us https://case.house.gov/contact  or (808) 650-6688.

Also please note that I have a full resource page on my website at https://case.house.gov where I have provided information on a broad range of federal resources available to combat the severe public health and economic consequences of COVID-19. If there is any information you would like us to obtain and post, please let me know.

With enactment just four days ago of Congress’ $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to go with our two other emergency assistance laws from earlier this month, those federal emergency resources are now available to get us through the worst of this crisis in virtually all areas of our government.

However, the details of too many programs are still not set and there is confusion on their full implementation. What I’d like to do here is answer a few of the most common questions I’m getting now based on the best information I have:

-Payments to Businesses to Retain Employees. We funded over $500 billion to our nation’s businesses expressly to retain their employees. If you are an employer or are employed by an employer who has laid off or is considering laying off employees, you should be sure that you have first reviewed your options for federal funding to keep employees on the payroll. Some general information is on my webpage https://case.house.gov/coronavirus and we can get you further details.

-Assistance to Small Businesses. We funded over $375 billion in loans and grants to our nation’s small businesses (generally 500 employees, the vast majority of Hawai‘i employers), to include sole proprietors, independent contractors, others not in a traditional employer-employee relationship and nonprofits). Most of this assistance comes through two programs:

-Economic Injury Disaster Loans. These are currently available direct loans, with some express loans, which can convert into outright grants, directly from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), to address immediate needs. Because SBA has been flooded with requests, the rollout of this program has been very frustrating and confusing. In response to Congress’ concerns, last weekend the SBA revamped its website, simplified its application https://covid19relief.sba.gov/# and increased its information resources and processing. Please go to my webpage https://case.house.gov/coronavirus for assistance right here in Hawai‘i, or to https://www.sba.gov, or call the SBA’s hotline 1-800-659-2955 24/7 (suggested in late afternoon/evening when most of the rest of the U.S. is offline).

-Paycheck Protection Program. This is by far the major program, under which small businesses can obtain substantial loans to keep their employees on the payroll or rehire them. If they do retain their employees for enough time the loans are forgiven. This $349 billion program https://bit.ly/2QYVi6Q will roll out in the next few days and will be administered through participating local lenders. Here https://bit.ly/2WZEXmg is a list of current Hawai‘i SBA lenders; we are trying to expand this list to cover more Hawai‘i financial institutions. If you are a small business with an established relationship within one of these lenders, you should be taking already with your lender to set up your application; if you don’t, SBA’s advice is that you contact one now for assistance.

-Unemployment Benefits. Our CARES Act and earlier measures substantially boosted both the amount and length of unemployment benefits for those who are losing their jobs or whose income is being reduced as a result of COVID-19. Like the SBA, the State of Hawai‘i, which administers and pays these benefits with federal help, has been overwhelmed with claims and has upgraded both its website and processing capacity. Information/claims access is here https://huiclaims2020.hawaii.gov/initial-claim. The State’s best advice is to keep trying until you get your claim in and processed.

-Direct Cash Payments (Rebates). Our CARES Act funded direct payments to most Americans starting for lower incomes at $1,200 per person, $2,400 per couple filing jointly, $500 per dependent child under 17 years old, and phasing down as incomes increase until the payments phase out altogether at incomes of $99,000 per person, $198,000 per couple filing jointly. The program will largely be administered through our federal tax system and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). For most eligible Americans, if you filed a federal tax return in 2018 or 2019 you won’t need to do anything further and the payment will be made to you. For others the IRS is still figuring out how you should apply and I will get that information out as soon as I have it. Here https://bit.ly/3bHhwCp is an IRS FAQ summary of answers to questions. Unfortunately and frustratingly, the IRS stated yesterday that it estimates about three weeks until payments start being made.

I know there are many more questions and want to answer them wherever and whenever I can. To that end, I am joining Radio KUMU 94.7FM’s RISE and Drive with Devon and Esme TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1ST, 8-9AM, to talk story on federal assistance and answer your questions live. Our talk story will also be streamed live off my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RepEdCase. You can send your questions by mailto:case.house.gov or posting them on Facebook during our event.

Also, save the date: I will be hosting my own LIVE DISTRICT-WIDE COVID-19 TELE-TALK STORY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8TH, 6:30PM. You will be able to call in for an update and to ask your questions. More information coming.

There is so much more information to share with you daily. Please watch my webpage https://case.house.gov/coronavirus for frequent updates and additional information.

For now, let me say how grateful my office and I are for your many questions and input. I want you to know that we all fully understand the tremendous responsibility of serving you and our Hawai‘i in Congress at this truly critical time for us all, and will continue to do everything in our power to contribute with you and so many others to the best way through this crisis and back to better times.

Mahalo, and be well.