Agriculture
Two Pennsylvania lawmakers want to protect farmers and their crops from not only the impact of the coronavirus, but a bigger bug you can see called the spotted lanternfly.
"It threatens our crops, it threatens our agricultural tourism industry and so it is estimated that the impact on just Pennsylvania's economy could be as much as 18 billion dollars," Pennsylvania Democrat Chrissy Houlahan said.
Houlahan, along with Pennsylvania Republican Glenn "GT" Thompson, are working to secure 16 million dollars from the USDA to combat the spotted lanternfly.
Bipartisan legislation, introduced by four congressmen, including Republican U.S. Reps. Glenn "G.T." Thompson and John Joyce, would expand the eligibility for farmers and ranchers to participate in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act's Paycheck Protection Program.
U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson and other lawmakers on Thursday introduced bipartisan legislation to expand access to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for farmers and ranchers.
The PPP was created by Congress under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in order to assist small businesses keep employees on payroll and cover other business-related expenses, helping them weather the economic damages caused by COVID-19.
On Thursday, Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., joined three other congressmen to introduce bipartisan legislation to expand access to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for farmers and ranchers.
The PPP was created by Congress under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in order to assist small businesses keep employees on payroll and cover other business related expenses, helping them weather the economic damages caused by COVID-19.
The Small Business Administration still accepting applications from farmers needing assistance during the Coronavirus pandemic.
One month ago, the S.B.A. made Economic Injury Disaster Loans – or "EIDL" – available to the agriculture industry for the first time. The administration's website on Friday shows those loans are still available.
The hard-working women and men stocking our shelves and staffing grocery checkouts are some of the most unsung heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic. In many cases, these frontline workers are even putting in overtime to sanitize, stock, and serve our communities to ensure we have the resources we need to weather this storm, including one of the most basic needs -- food. In times of crisis like these, we learn to fully appreciate these workers.
U.S. Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA) introduced a bipartisan bill last week to support food supply chain employees by providing tax relief for certain essential food and agriculture workers.