By Laura Walling, Senior Director of Government Relations, Goodwill Industries International
Inside the Capital Beltway, there has been a lot of focus in recent days on the year ahead, and understandably so. Newly elected members of the House are in town for orientation, President-elect Biden announced members of his transition team, and attention is being placed on the January 5 election in Georgia that will decide the control of the Senate. However, there is still work to be done this year.
In the remaining weeks of the 116th Congress, lawmakers have to pass a funding bill to avoid a government shutdown by December 11, and they should provide another COVID-19 stimulus package. Coronavirus cases are on the rise around the country, and some cities are reinstating restrictions that will once again impact workers, the economy, our communities and the nation’s charitable nonprofits — many of which have had an unmet need for congressional relief.
Goodwill Industries® continues to join other leaders in the charitable sector to keep our issues top of mind for lawmakers as nonprofits are faced with increased demand for our services and increased costs to keep operations going in order to fulfill our missions with limited resources. Contact your lawmakers via our Legislative Action Center and ask Congress to provide #Relief4Charities today.
Specifically, many within the charitable sector are seeking:
- Changes to the Paycheck Protection Program to allow organizations to seek an additional round of funding.
- Financial support for large organizations that have more than 500 employees because they may serve a large city or provide services to an entire state.
- Strengthened charitable giving incentives so all donors can receive a tax credit for giving.
- Reduced unemployment insurance costs so nonprofits can better allocate those funds.
- Increased and extended state and local funding, which trickles down to many nonprofits.
Funding provided to states and cities in the CARES Act expires at the end of year and was quickly spent. Local Goodwill organizations across the country utilized the CARES Act funds to provide care for homeless veterans, support programs for people with disabilities, job training, and subsidized employment programs, among other services. The funds went quickly and more support is needed to keep up the good work being done.
