IEDC is Advocating for Economic Developers in Washington D.C. During the COVID-19 Crisis

IEDC has been engaging Congress on the federal response to COVID-19 for weeks now and they have asked our members to reach out to their elected officials in Washington and at home. Your voices will continue to be essential as Congress and the administration debate what resources to deploy. It is important to note that Congress is moving at breakneck speeds, by any standard, and legislative directions are changing hourly. So far:

·         Two bills have been passed so far; funding for health and international programming, some small business loans, nutritional assistance, paid leave, and unemployment

·         A third bill is under consideration; tax breaks, cash payments to citizens, industry bailouts, and some agency money

·         A fourth bill is possible, potentially immediately after or concurrently with the third bill, to capture anything that wasn’t included previously — including funding for smaller agencies, dormant programs (a la SSBCI) or new initiatives (think medical equipment manufacturing)

IEDC will share a complete round-up from Washington early this week. We encourage everyone to continue to actively engage their elected officials/staff. They have a monumental task before them and can use your informed counsel. Remember: the federal response must be substantial, sustained and swift.

Finally, we have moved our in-person training courses from now through mid-June to online. Arm yourself with the latest knowledge and best practices in BRE, workforce, neighborhood development and more. Our popular webinar series continues in April, focusing on philanthropy in economic development.