By Mary O’KEEFE

Congressman Adam Schiff will be holding a telephone town hall meeting today at 7 p.m. The congressman will be discussing COVID-19 and will be joined by Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, with joint appointments in the departments of Epidemiology and Community Health Sciences, and Victor Parker, district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration-Los Angeles Office. To access the town hall meeting, call (855) 962-1154.

There is a lot of concern of what the future will hold economically for the many who are out of work. In addition, small businesses, which are extremely dependent on their community, are now facing a frightening and unknown future. The federal government is working on getting help to individuals and businesses as quickly as possibly.

“With the designation of a state of emergency, the Small Business Administration is offering low-interest loans to small businesses and nonprofit organizations. We have shared that information though our Facebook page and our website, and will continue to do so throughout this crisis. Furthermore, the House-passed bill that awaits Senate action provides emergency paid sick leave along with paid family leave for individuals impacted by COVID-19. Employers can claim a 100% refundable tax credit against payroll taxes. There’s no question we will need to do more – a lot more – and I’m pushing for massive relief to small businesses and Americans who have had their finances devastated in just the span of the past few weeks,” Schiff said.

The State of California has extended the deadline to file tax returns for individuals, partnerships and LLCS to June 15; however, the federal tax filings are still due on April 15. Filings have not been extended but payments of taxes owed has been extended an extra three months.

“I support extending the deadline [for filing] for families and small businesses,” Schiff said. “Treasury Secretary Mnuchin has announced that, while they still should file on time, most individuals and businesses will be allowed to delay paying their 2019 tax bills without penalty for 90 days past the April 15 deadline. I would encourage individuals and businesses to continue checking with my office and we will provide more tax-related information once it is available.”

Many have been laid off due to the response to the coronavirus, with businesses shutting their doors and fewer workers needed in some offices.

“Individuals can apply for unemployment from the State of California and if they have been laid off they should do so immediately. At the federal level, the House passed a bill last Friday that would provide $1 billion in 2020 for emergency funding for processing and paying unemployment benefits, and $500 million of that money would be reserved for emergency grants to states which experience at least a 10% increase in unemployment. But it’s clear more will be necessary,” he said. “We’ve also heard from freelance and contract-based workers in the entertainment industry who have lost work due to coronavirus-related cancellations or postponements, and cannot access the same benefits because of the unique nature of their episodic work. I’m working with my colleagues to make sure provisions are included in the next stimulus to protect these workers, many of whom do not qualify for traditional unemployment benefits or paid emergency leave. We can’t afford to leave any of these groups behind.”

Schiff’s office is working with local chambers of commerce and small businesses, listening to their feedback as this ever-changing crisis continues. Tonight’s town hall will be the first of many; he understands the stress during these unprecedented times.

“We are going to get through this. [Our country] has been through difficult times in the past,” he said.

He added it is important that everyone practices social distancing and follows all the guidelines to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

“The more we do [to reduce the spread of coronavirus] the quicker we will get through it,” he said.

  Mary Okeefe