Aguilar, a Democrat from Redlands, hosted a telephone town hall meeting about the Rescue Plan for residents of California’s 31st Congressional District on Monday, Feb. 2. The House of Representatives passed the bill on Saturday, Feb. 27. According to Aguilar, the Senate will move to pass its own version of the bill and send it back to the House for a final vote, possibly early next week.

“It’s still just a proposal, but I wanted to hold this town hall to let everyone know what was in it,” said Aguilar. “I am optimistic that it will become law.”

Biden’s comprehensive COVID relief package achieves a couple of different goals.

“It puts money in people’s pockets, more vaccines in arms, and helps get kids back to school and people back to work,” said Aguilar.

One of the biggest components of the bill is the $1,400 stimulus checks for Americans.

Individuals who earn up to $75,000 annually and households that make up to $150,000 annually are eligible for the full $1,400. The bill includes children and dependents so that each household would receive $1,400 per person. Aguilar said families who don’t meet the income requirements would receive smaller checks.

The package also includes funding to help schools reopen.

“We want to make sure schools have the resources they need,” said Aguilar. “We want to make sure we are working with local schools because ultimately it is a local decision to reopen, and that is something I support. I support local control and its role in this process. School boards and superintendents are tasked with working with public health officials to open safely. The safety equipment needed to reopen is expensive, and we want to make sure cost isn’t a barrier for schools.”

The American Rescue Plan includes nearly $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments and more than $130 billion for city and county governments.