Dear Friends,

As you well know, last week marked the first reports of coronavirus (COVID-19) in our Capital Region. Since then, public health officials have confirmed cases in Saratoga, Albany and Schenectady counties.

Last week, Congress took critical action to tackle this pandemic by passing an $8.3 billion coronavirus emergency response package, which was signed into law by the President on Friday, March 6^th. However, additional efforts to confront this growing public health crisis, that has and will continue to impact daily life for all Americans, is essential. That is why, very early this morning, the House of Representatives voted to advance H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which provides direct support for America’s families, who must be our number one priority in this emergency. This robust response includes: 

• Free coronavirus testing for everyone who needs a test, including the uninsured;
• Paid emergency leave with both 14 days of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave;
• Enhanced Unemployment Insurance, a first step that will extend protections to furloughed workers;
• Strengthened food security initiatives, including SNAP, student meals, seniors’ nutrition and food banks; and
• Increased federal funds for Medicaid, as states face increased costs. 
  

We cannot fight coronavirus effectively unless everyone in our country who needs to be tested knows they can get their test free of charge. We cannot hope to slow this outbreak when workers are faced with the impossible decision of staying home to avoid spreading illness or collecting the paycheck their family can’t afford to lose. 

Our health care workers are on the frontlines of this crisis, putting their lives on the line every day to protect our communities. H.R. 6201 includes a provision that I authored to increase access to critically needed N95 respirators for our frontline healthcare workers by adding NIOSH-certified respirators as a covered countermeasure for purposes of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act for the duration of the current coronavirus outbreak.

The provision is based off my previous legislation, H.R. 4982, the Health Care Workforce Protection Act.  This measure ensures that manufacturers have the certainty they need to serve the market with N95 respirators during the current coronavirus crisis by providing limited liability protections to respirator manufacturers during a declared PREP Act emergency in which respirators are an essential part of the public health response.

These bills are essential to stopping the spread of coronavirus and saving countless lives. There are also a number of measures we all can all take to help safeguard our families, friends and communities.

I urge everyone to follow the recommendations of CDC and remain informed and updated about coronavirus.

For general questions, call the New York State Coronavirus Hotline: 1-888-364-3065

Additional information and resources can also be found on my website: Tonko.house.gov/coronavirus.

I will continue to coordinate with federal, state and local public health officials on how best to address this national emergency. Also, my staff and I remain committed to serving our Capital Region and beyond and are accessible through my website and by phone. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office. My team and I stand ready to assist.

I wish you and yours strength and health. The critical efforts and choices we make in the coming days and weeks can affect the lives of countless others.