Yesterday, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled a $1 trillion next phase COVID-19 relief package. The Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act was developed largely within the Republican leadership in the Senate and with the White House. The bill will now need to be negotiated with Senate Democrats in order to gain the 60 votes that are necessary to advance to final consideration. An approved Senate bill would then need to be negotiated with the House of Representatives, which has already passed a $3.5 trillion Phase IV COVID-19 relief bill. 

The initial draft of the HEALS Act contains several provisions that would impact the higher education and research communities, including:

• $29.4 billion to institutions of higher education for coronavirus-related expenses;
• Temporary and limited coronavirus-related liability protections for institutions that make appropriate efforts to adhere to public health guidance;
• $15.5 billion to the National Institutes of Health, including $10.1 billion to offset costs related to reductions in lab productivity resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and $240 million for supplements to existing research training awards for extensions and other costs, as well as roughly $4 billion to support to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally;
• $16 billion for necessary expenses for testing, contact tracing, surveillance, containment and mitigation; and
• $4.5 billion to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

FSU and the higher education community will continue to work with the House and Senate to push for research grantee relief across the federal agencies as well as for assistance for state governments.

Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act

HEALS Act Summary

APLU Statement on Senate Republicans Proposal for Phase IV COVID-19 Emergency Relief