Third Coronavirus Stimulus Checks: What To Expect In CT

WASHINGTON, DC — More aid for cash-strapped and pandemic-weary Connecticut residents could be on the way soon as the U.S. Senate this week prepares to debate its own version of a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package passed by the House of Representatives over the weekend.

Senate Democrats hope to unveil their version of the massive relief package and begin debate as early as Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.

The goal is to send the legislation, which aims to combat the pandemic and bolster the U.S. economy, to President Joe Biden by March 14 — the day emergency jobless benefits lawmakers approved in December expire.

Here's what we can expect in Connecticut as lawmakers in Washington, D.C., continue negotiations:

How Much Aid Can I Anticipate?

Most notably, the measure would provide $1,400 payments to individuals who meet certain income criteria.

The criteria for who would get a stimulus payment and when the payments would go out are similar to those used last year for the first and second rounds of stimulus checks.

The maximum amount for the third round of stimulus checks would be $1,400 for any eligible individual or $2,800 per eligible couple filing taxes jointly. Each eligible dependent — including adult dependents — also would qualify for a payment of $1,400. That means a family of four could receive as much as $5,600 in total.

Single adults who reported $75,000 or less in adjusted gross income on their 2019 or 2020 tax return would receive full $1,400 payments, as would heads of household who reported $112,500 or less. Couples filing jointly who earned $150,000 or less in adjusted gross income would receive the full $2,800.

The size of the payment is expected to gradually decrease for those who earned more than that. Eventually, payments would phase out for higher-income households.

If Congress moves quickly on the relief package, the third stimulus payments could begin to go out in late March, according to the American Association of Retired Persons.

Where Else Is The Money Going?

In addition to direct payments, the legislation would provide hundreds of billions of dollars for schools and colleges, COVID-19 vaccines and testing, mass transit systems, renters and small businesses. It also has money for child care, tax breaks for families with children, and assistance for states willing to expand Medicaid coverage for low-income residents.

The legislation is also expected to extend federal pandemic unemployment benefits, raising the weekly payments from $300 to $400.

In total, more than 19 million Americans are currently receiving jobless benefits, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Statewide, according to the Connecticut Labor Department, there were 139,900 residents out of work as of December 2020, or 7.5 percent of the labor force. Here's that broken down, town-by-town:

Finally, the House Oversight Committee in February approved a provision that would include in the overall package $350 billion in aid to state and local governments. It also published a breakdown of how much assistance local governments would receive. According to the data, Connecticut will receive $4.23 billion of that aid should the provision within the legislation remain intact.

Who Supports It In Connecticut? Who’s Against It?

The $1.9 trillion bill is by far Biden’s biggest early legislative priority, and many see it as a test of his ability to unite Democrats in the Senate. It also risks lasting damage to Biden’s influence should he fail, AP reported.

Republicans are strongly against the legislation and could unanimously oppose its passage in the Senate, as House GOP lawmakers did when that chamber approved the bill early Saturday.

Connecticut's delegation to the U.S. Senate is all in for the latest stimulus. Sen. Chris Murphy tweeted the proposed legislation would save "tens of thousands of small businesses," and Sen. Richard Blumenthal calls it a "bold, decisive rescue plan." Both men are Democrats.