7.23.2020. Cornerstone Government Affairs COVID-19 Legislative Update

Legislation
Supplemental IV
Timeline: After a couple fire drills between the White House and Senate Republicans, Leader McConnell said on the Senate floor today that Republicans will be releasing the bill early next week . He indicated that various Senate Chairs and other senators will be introducing their portions of the bill on Monday. McConnell had planned to roll out the bill this morning, after reportedly reaching an agreement with the White House last night. However, some last-minute disagreements caused a delay to next week. As there are some difficult sticking points that remain to be worked out between Democrats and Republicans, negotiations will not be quick and painless – there’s no guarantee that the bill is negotiated before the July 31 unemployment insurance expiration. Last week, House Majority Leader Hoyer told members to keep the first week of August open, though now there is talk of voting during the second week of August. The Paycheck Protection Program expires on August 8.
 
Politics/Process: Republicans have been working to reach consensus over the past week, but the past two days have shown the most volatility. There were reports of Leader McConnell proposing the extension of the enhanced unemployment insurance (UI) for four months at a lower rate of $450 per week, separate from a larger package. The White House reportedly rejected that idea. Severing the UI portion of the package would take significant pressure off lawmakers to get this done quickly. Late last night the White House and Senate Republicans had reportedly reached a deal and McConnell was set to roll it out at 9:30am this morning, but that plan was quickly changed and the roll out was delayed to next week. While the plan is to begin releasing the package in pieces on Monday, we could see another delay if consensus isn’t reached. Some committees had already finished drafting text, while others may still be in process. 
 
Until Republicans introduce a bill, Democrats are in no hurry to begin negotiating with themselves . Minority Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi have been in constant conversation and will likely remain so. As Republicans will need 60 votes to pass the bill through the Senate, Democrats will have significant leverage once negotiations begin. Senate Majority Whip John Thune has indicated that when this is all said and done, he may lose as many as 25 Republicans on the final vote.
 
Policy: While text has yet to be finalized and there could be significant changes from now until Monday , the following represents what the White House and Senate Republicans had agreed to as of last night (agreement here ):

  • Extension of the enhanced unemployment insurance , though there will be a transition period of beneficiaries receiving a flat amount (less than $600 per week) then moving to a different policy that disallows beneficiaries from receiving more in the benefit than their previous income.
  • Extension of the Paycheck Protection Program including:
    • A second round of PPP loans for business that have 1) fewer than 300 workers, OR 2) are within an SBA-designated size threshold for their industry and can show 50% or more in lost revenue.
    • Streamlined forgiveness for loans under $150k.
    • Forgiveness to include other costs like riot damage, supplier costs, and other expenses.
    • Working capital loan for businesses with fewer than 300 workers (as an alternative to PPP).
  • Liability protections for organizations that mandate plaintiffs show defendants were grossly negligent/engaged in willful misconduct AND violated public health guidelines.
  • No funding for state, local, tribal, or territorial governments , but states may use the funding to make up lost revenues. Limitations on what states can use funding for (no funds for pensions/rainy-day fund).
  • Tax provisions including,
    • Enhanced employee retention tax credit ,
    • Tax deductions for COVID-related expenses like testing and PPE,
    • Increasing the business meal deduction to 100 percent (from 50 percent).
  • $235 billion for health , including
    • $25 billion for testing,
    • $26 billion for vaccines,
    • $15.5 billion for NIH
    • $25 billion for provider relief fund
    • $15 billion for child chare
    • $4.5 billion for SAMHSA.
  • $105 billion for education including:
    • $29 billion for higher education institutions,
    • $70 billion for K-12 (with schools receiving it within 30 days of enactment, $30 billion of this will be available only to schools that physically reopen).
  • Another round of economic stimulus payment (eligibility and amount TBD).
  • Medicare and Medicaid provisions including:
    • Part B premium freeze until 2022,
    • Extension of telemedicine reimbursement through 2021,
    • Extended timeline for providers to repay Medicare Advances.
  • $302 billion for appropriations including:
    • $235 billion for Labor HHS (referenced above),
    • $20 billion Agriculture,
    • $21.3 billion for Defense ($11 billion for 3610 payments),
    • $13 billion for THUD,
    • ~$3 billion for Homeland (almost $1 billion for FEMA grants, $1.6 billion to CBP),
    • $5 billion for SFOPS.

Democrats have continued to roll out new proposals (Sen. Wyden and Leader Schumer proposal on unemployment insurance, white papers on health care and testing) and highlight various provisions from the Heroes Act. Beyond extending unemployment insurance, funding for state/local/tribes, and funding for education and health, Democrats have been highlighting many other issues, including rental assistance and supporting communities of color , which have been disproportionately impacted by the virus.
 
The House passed the Democrats’ opening bid for the next bill, the Heroes Act, on May 15. While it’s been over two months since House passage of the bill and the contours of the debate and which issues are most pressing have shifted slightly, it can still serve as a marker of what Senate Republicans will be responding to in their bill. Heroes Act text (as of 5/12/2020) here. Section by section here. One pager here. State and Local one pager here. NCAI’s summary on tribal provisions here. Manager’s amendment here. House Rules Committee report here.
 
Passed Legislation
Moving forward, this section will only include new information and guidance. For past information and guidance and legislation, please refer to the archives. For a summary of all supplementals, please see here.
 
New Implementation Information and Guidance

  • 7/21 – Treasury and SBA released new data on the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and EIDL Advance programs. PPP data here. EIDL data here. EIDL Advance data here.

Showcase Your Startup at the 2026 Georgia Life Sciences Summit

June 17, 2026
As part of the Georgia Life Sciences Summit (August 25–26), applications are now open for the Startup Showcase , sponsored by Johnson & Johnson , highlighting early-stage innovation across MedTech and Therapeutics . The Showcase will feature some of Georgia’s most innovative life science startups, giving emerging companies the opportunity to present groundbreaking technologies, products, and solutions to a distinguished audience of industry leaders, investors, researchers, and partners. Selected startups will present during the August 26 luncheon program and participate in a live investor Q&A session with John Gutierrez (Ascenta Capital), Emma Heckenberg, Ph.D. (Solas BioVentures), Patrick Jordan (NovaQuest Capital Management), and Emily Dinu (Numinous Capital) Members of the Johnson & Johnson external innovation team will also be onsite for the program and select companies will be scheduled for a 1:1 meeting to discuss strategic alignment and potential collaboration opportunities. If you or companies in your network are building in MedTech or Therapeutics, this is a strong opportunity to gain visibility, receive feedback on commercialization and growth strategy, and connect with key stakeholders. All applicants receive a complimentary Summit registration, and one selected company will also be invited to participate in the NewYorkBIO / New York Stock Exchange Life Sciences Showcase on December 10. If this is relevant to your work, it would be a strong opportunity to consider applying. If not, it may be worth sharing with companies in your network who are building in this space.

Georgia Life Sciences Educator Connection | June Newsletter

June 15, 2026
Workforce & Education Impact: Building Georgia's Future  Life Sciences Workforce - One Teacher at a Time June 16, 2026 - As Georgia Life Sciences concludes the 2025-2026 cycle of the Biotech Teacher Training Initiative (BTTI), the results reinforce the critical role educators play in building the state's future life sciences workforce. Since July of 2025, BTTI engaged 98 educators representing 40 schools across 23 school systems, reaching an estimated 5,375 students through hands-on biotechnology instruction, career-connected learning, and industry-relevant classroom experiences. The Georgia Life Sciences Equipment Depot further expanded the program's impact by supporting 238 teachers with access to laboratory equipment and materials that make authentic life sciences learning possible. Georgia Life Sciences is also pleased to report that funding for BTTI was maintained in the Georgia House version of the FY 2027 budget approved earlier this year. The upcoming 2026-2027 program cycle will mark an important evolution for BTTI. Building on feedback from industry partners and workforce trends across the life sciences sector, Georgia Life Sciences will expand the program's scope to better reflect the skills and competencies employers increasingly need. In addition to foundational biotechnology concepts, future programming will be organized around key industry domains, including Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC), Research & Development (R&D), MedTech, Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and Advanced Manufacturing. This expanded approach will provide educators with greater insight into the breadth of career opportunities available across Georgia's life sciences ecosystem while helping students develop awareness of the technologies and disciplines shaping the industry's future. The impact extends far beyond individual workshops, creating lasting connections between Georgia classrooms and the state's growing life sciences ecosystem while helping build the talent pipeline that will power Georgia's future innovation economy. "Before BTTI, I was hesitant to do biotech labs because they seemed too complex and expensive," shared Josephine Jeganathan of Stockbridge High School. "The program showed me how simplified it can be and provided the equipment and materials needed to successfully implement the Central Dogma Lab with all my classes." Teachers are also seeing increased student engagement through hands-on learning experiences. Tonie Curry of North Clayton High School used a chromatography lab to connect environmental science concepts to water pollution and sustainability. "Students were highly interested in seeing how substances separated and made strong connections to water pollution and environmental sustainability," Curry noted. "The hands-on nature of the lab encouraged curiosity and deeper understanding." For many educators, one of the most valuable aspects of the program is the connection between classroom learning and real-world careers. As Marshai Waiters of Marietta Middle School reflected: "Exposure is key. There are so many avenues to work in STEM, and they are all accessible with opportunity and knowledge. The insights gained from industry speakers will inform my teaching and create new opportunities for student exposure." When teachers are trained, equipped, and connected to industry, students gain more than a science lesson—they gain a window into Georgia's life sciences future.

PULSE Urges FTC, DOJ to Support Pro-Competitive Life Sciences Collaborations and M&A

June 10, 2026
In recent comments to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC), PULSE highlighted critical reforms to ensure that U.S. competition policies support – and do not impede – the pro-competitive mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and other collaborations that drive American life sciences innovation. PULSE submitted comments in response to two joint DOJ/FTC Requests related to Guidance on Collaborations Among Competitors and Improvements to the Premerger Notification and Report Form (HSR Form). Read below for key takeaways from PULSE’s comment letters: 1. Life Sciences Innovation Depends on Collaboration “At its core, life sciences innovation is overwhelmingly collaborative. The cutting-edge medicines and cures developed by America’s life sciences industry are rarely the result of just one sole actor. Instead, they more often emerge from a calibrated sequence of partnerships… that collectively usher a biomedical breakthrough from early-stage discovery to FDA approval and delivery to patients.” – PULSE, Comments on Guidance on Collaborations Among Competitors 2. Policies that Ignore the Fundamental Role of Life Sciences M&A Risk Chilling Innovation for Patients “Against the significant challenges and pressures inherent to life sciences innovation, such policies that needlessly delay pro-competitive transactions have significant ripple effects: eroded investment incentives, disruptions in the path to launch and, ultimately, slowed or stalled development of new treatments and cures for patients.” – PULSE, Comments on Improvements to the HSR Form 3. Clear, Predictable Standards Can Support Competition and Innovation in America’s Life Sciences Ecosystem “Preserving clear and workable pathways for collaboration is therefore essential to sustain the broader ecosystem that delivers innovation and sustains America’s status as the world leader in life sciences innovation.” – PULSE, Comments on Guidance on Collaborations Among Competitors Leading business and industry organizations echoed and reinforced these priorities. Their comments highlight the unique market dynamics of life sciences innovation and the importance of collaboration and M&A – particularly with respect to early-stage R&D. “Because drug development typically takes over a decade, and the vast majority of drugs in development never make it to market, the antitrust risks associated with R&D collaborations in this space may be less than with other R&D collaborations.” – ABA Antitrust Law Section, Comments on Guidance on Collaborations Among Competitors “In the biopharmaceutical sector, for instance, R&D ventures in the pre-clinical or Phase I stages should be presumed lawful. At these early stages, about 90% of drugs never make it to market, so these collaborations are far too distant from commercialization to pose a meaningful threat to competition.” – U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Comments on Guidance for Collaborations Among Competitors “Healthy M&A activity also aids company formation and capital raising earlier in a business’s life cycle, as entrepreneurs and early-stage investors often depend on M&A for an exit opportunity. Conversely, discouraging business combinations by imposing burdensome one-size-fits-all standards on all transactions, like those imposed by the 2024 amendments, would disincentivize early-stage innovation and slow down economic growth.” – National Association of Manufacturers, Comments on Improvements to the HSR Form The bottom line: A balanced approach to antitrust enforcement policy should support life sciences M&A and other collaborations, ensuring new medicines continue to reach patients, while preserving a diverse and collaborative ecosystem. PULSE urges the agencies to adopt clear, workable and predictable standards that companies can apply with confidence. That includes preserving enforcement safety zones for low-risk, pro-competitive collaborations, as well as ensuring the HSR Form facilitates a timely, focused and fit-for-purpose screening process for life sciences M&A deals. Click below to read PULSE’s full comments: PULSE Comments on Guidelines on Collaborations Among Competitors PULSE Comments on Improvements to the HSR Form Source: PULSE Urges FTC, DOJ to Support Pro-Competitive Life Sciences Collaborations and M&A - Partnership for the U.S. Life Science Ecosystem (PULSE)
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