Here’s what’s in Congress’ aid bill

WASHINGTON

The House, just before 1 a.m. Saturday, passed an emergency relief package to address the sweeping effects of the coronavirus pandemic and cushion the economic blow to the most vulnerable Americans.

The legislation, the result of round-the-clock negotiations between Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, includes a series of measures intended to bolster the safety net for families and workers whose livelihoods and health are affected by the disease. With President Donald Trump weighing in late to voice his approval — in a tweet Friday evening, only hours before the vote — senators are expected to take up the package in the coming week when they return to Washington.

It is unclear how much the package will cost, because the Congressional Budget Office, the independent federal agency that assesses the revenue effects of legislation, did not have time to calculate a price tag.

Lawmakers from both parties have said that they plan to consider additional stimulus measures in future legislation that is already being discussed.

Here’s what’s in the package that passed the House:

It allows for free coronavirus testing for all, including the uninsured.

The final package includes a number of waivers to allow the costs of tests to be covered by insurance and federal government programs. It also includes a 6.2-percentage point increase in federal payments to Medicaid for states.

The measure gives some workers two weeks of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave, equal to no less than two-thirds of their pay. The provision is aimed at encouraging people to follow the advice of public health officials who have said the best way to contain the spread of the virus is to have anyone experiencing symptoms stay at home.

But those benefits only apply to employees of businesses with fewer than 500 employees, or the government, who are infected by the virus, quarantined, have a sick family member or are impacted by school closures.

Large employers are excluded. Those exemptions could potentially exclude nearly 20 million workers.

The bill also limits benefits to workers who are sick, subject to a quarantine or caring for a family member; it stops short of what some public health experts have called for — effectively paying any worker to stay home in order to reduce the spread of the virus.

Companies covered by the policy will not foot the bill for paid leave. The government is providing new tax credits to both help offset the costs of accommodating the new mandate and lessen the economic impact of the outbreak.

The provision would expire in a year, and exemptions are available for small businesses.

The bill includes about $1 billion for food security programs aimed at helping those who may struggle to get access to , including those who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, food banks, and free or reduced-price lunch at school.