Congressional Hispanic Caucus Endorses Paycheck Guarantee Act

SAN ANTONIO — The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is proud to endorse the Paycheck Guarantee Act introduced by Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), which would help end mass layoffs, keep workers in their jobs and connected to their health care and other benefits, prevent employers of all sizes from being forced to close permanently, and ensure that the economy is ready to restart when the COVID-19 pandemic ends. A white paper on the bill is available here, and a one-page summary is available here.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that more than 20 million American, including over 4 million Latino workers, are unemployed with businesses shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States risks job losses on a level not experienced since the Great Depression and potential permanent damage to the American people. The Paycheck Guarantee Act would put the brakes on mass layoffs and economic decline to enable a speedier and smoother recovery once the crisis ends.

"Our response to this unprecedented crisis must address the mass unemployment not seen since the Great Depression, andthe Paycheck Guarantee Act is the best path forward. We need to do everything in our power to keep workers employed, businesses afloat, and lay the foundation for a rapid economic recovery," said Congressman Castro, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. "Many Latino workers and minority-owned businesses have not received financial assistance, and this bill would guarantee economic relief. This is a smart approach to prevent layoffs and the loss of employer-based health insurance while encouraging rehiring and supporting businesses in need."

"In order to put an end to historic mass unemployment that is disproportionately impacting black and brown workers across America, we need a proposal that matches the scale of this crisis and gets resources directly to businesses—including minority owned businesses that were left behind by the Paycheck Protection Program," said Congresswoman Jayapal, Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. "I'm proud to work alongside the Congressional Hispanic Caucus as we build strong coalitions throughout Congress to support the Paycheck Guarantee Act, a fierce proposal to stop mass unemployment, quickly get workers their paychecks, and ensure the businesses that so often anchor our communities aren't forced to shutter permanently."

"In the face of an unprecedented crisis, Congress must take bold action to address the devastating mass unemployment in our nation," said Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, Freshman Representative of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. "The Paycheck Guarantee Act provides critical, strategic and targeted investment intended to end mass unemployment and provide desperately-needed stability to families across the country, especially the most vulnerable."

The Paycheck Guarantee Act would:

• Cover 100% of wages for workers earning salaries up to $90,000 to ensure that employers keep workers paid and out of the unemployment line
• Keep workers enrolled in employer-sponsored benefits, including health care
• Encourage employers to rehire recently laid-off or furloughed workers by covering payroll retroactively to the start of the crisis
• Cover essential business expenses like rent, to ensure that businesses don't shutter completely and can re-open when the pandemic ends
• Get support to workers and employers as quickly as possible, using existing payroll tax infrastructure to facilitate delivery of payments
• Keep workers attached to the labor market and businesses ready to reopen, speeding up the economic recovery.

Other groups supporting the plan includes Americans for Financial Reform; the American Federation of Teachers; AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka; Asian Counseling and Referral Service; Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of Washington; Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO; CAIR Washington; Center for American Progress; Center for Economic Policy Research; Center for Popular Democracy/CDP Action; Climate Justice Alliance; Color of Change; Community Change Action; Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition; Economic Policy Institute; GSBA: Washington's LGBTQ Chamber; Indivisible; International Association of Machinists; International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; International Community Health Services; Main Street Alliance; MoveOn; National Domestic Workers Alliance; National Education Association; Pacific Northwest Ballet; People's Action; Seattle Aquarium; Seattle Children's Theatre; SEIU; Sierra Club; UAW Western States; UNITE HERE; Woodland Park Zoo; 350 Seattle; and other organizations.

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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), founded in December 1976, is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. The CHC is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics