THE PORT ANGELES GLOBE: 10/21/20

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Senator Murray Statement on Insufficient GOP Small Business Pandemic Relief Proposal.

Press release issued 10/20/20

https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=0A5A9E72-5FE4-473D-86C1-E07A91B0FD68

Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the statement below following a vote on the Senate floor to call up Senate Republicans’ legislation regarding the Paycheck Protection Program.

“These latest Republican proposals, just like their last, ignore the calls I’ve been hearing for months in Washington state: from families and communities struggling to feed themselves and make rent, schools straining to create a healthy learning experience, and from the many workers, restauranteurs, music venues proprietors, non-profit workers and small business owners who have been hurt by the economic downturn caused by COVID-19—all while dramatically shortchanging efforts to make tests faster and easier to get, doing nothing to address glaring health disparities, and without laying out the kind of comprehensive, national vaccines plan experts say is vital.

“It would be beyond shameful to bail out big businesses, but not small ones in my state and others that families and communities depend on so much—and we can’t protect corporations from liability if their workers or customers get sick while ignoring the need for emergency standards to protect workers on the job. We can’t leave behind the people and communities most in need in this crisis—but that’s what these deeply misguided, backward proposals would do.

“Let me be clear: at this very moment, there is absolutely nothing standing in the way of the serious COVID-19 relief families and communities need except Majority Leader McConnell and the members of his party who won’t stand up to him and fight for their constituents like Democrats are fighting for ours. We can get this done as soon as they get serious about the depth of this crisis and putting families, communities, and small businesses first.”

Senator Murray has been working for months and pressing her Senate Republican colleagues to bring up robust legislation passed by the House—like the HEROES Act and HEROES 2.0—that more substantively addresses the health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, including for small businesses. To that end, earlier today Senator Murray joined her colleagues in introducing the “HEROES Small Business Lifeline Act”— a comprehensive package of measures that would provide over $370 billion of support to the hardest-hit, most vulnerable small businesses, including minority-owned businesses and very small businesses that have been left behind in this pandemic, as well as similarly-impacted industries, such as restaurants and live venues. The bill is nearly identical to the small business provisions of HEROES 2.0, which passed the House of Representatives on October 1.

Inslee issues proclamation establishing higher education safety guidelines.

Press release issued 10/20/20

https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-issues-proclamation-establishing-higher-education-safety-guidelines

Gov. Jay Inslee issued a proclamation today establishing safety guidelines for higher education institutions and living facilities.

Higher Education (20-12.2):

This proclamation builds on health guidance previously issued for institutions of higher education by adding additional safety measures to address significant increases in COVID-19 infections that have occurred particularly in congregate living areas, like Greek houses, and large social gatherings of students.

Examples of changes include:

Limitations on the number of residents who may share a sleeping area;

Limitations on the number of people in common areas;

Requirements for all people in common areas to wear a mask and remain socially distanced.

In addition, institutions of higher education must provide isolation and quarantine facilities to fraternity, sorority or other group houses, students who live in shared housing in close proximity to campus, students living in dorms, and personnel if they don’t have a place to go.

TODAY'S TOP NEWS HEADLINES...

World News:

UN chief calls for end to reported police brutality in Nigeria ---UN NEWS CENTER

The UN Secretary-General on Wednesday said he was closely following recent developments across Nigeria, in the wake of reports that protesters had been shot dead and wounded, and called for “an end to reported police brutality and abuses.”

UN urges people to #PledgetoPause before sharing information online.---UN NEWS CENTER

With the COVID-19 pandemic sparking a “communications emergency” caused by false information disseminated on social media, the UN Secretary-General is encouraging people everywhere to take a breath before sharing content online.

New UN gender study: Women ‘far from having an equal voice to men’

The COVID-19 pandemic is “interrupting efforts” to achieve gender equality and threatening to “reverse hard-won gains” over the past decades, a senior UN official said on Tuesday.

NATIONAL HEADLINES:

The Trump Administration Is Committed to Combating Human Trafficking and Protecting The Innocent.

COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING: President Donald J. Trump has prioritized fighting for the voiceless and ending the scourge of human trafficking across the Nation.

Attorney General William Barr Delivers Video Remarks for the Virtual National Law Enforcement Training on Child Exploitation--DOJ