Title: PPE Act
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:
Protecting Paychecks and Employees Act of 2020 or the PPE Act
This bill modifies allowable and forgivable uses of amounts received under the Paycheck Protection Program, established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), to encompass costs related to the provision of personal protective equipment or other equipment or supplies necessary to protect the health and safety of employees.
The bill also prohibits the Small Business Administration from limiting the non-payroll portion of a forgivable loan amount.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6973 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6973

    To amend the paycheck protection program of the Small Business 
 Administration to include costs related to the provision of personal 
  protective equipment as an allowable use of a covered loan, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2020

    Ms. Finkenauer (for herself and Mrs. Radewagen) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small Business

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the paycheck protection program of the Small Business 
 Administration to include costs related to the provision of personal 
  protective equipment as an allowable use of a covered loan, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Paychecks and Employees 
Act of 2020'' or the ``PPE Act''.

SEC. 2. INCLUSION OF COSTS RELATED TO THE PROVISION OF PERSONAL 
              PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT IN THE PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM.

    (a) Paycheck Protection Program.--Section 7(a)(36)(F)(i) of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)(36)(F)(i)) is amended--
            (1) in subclause (VI), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subclause (VII), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subclause:
                                    ``(VIII) costs related to the 
                                provision of personal protective 
                                equipment for employees or other 
                                equipment or supplies determined by the 
                                employer to be necessary to protect the 
                                health and safety of employees.''.
    (b) Forgiveness.--
            (1) Definition of expected forgiveness amount.--Section 
        1106(a)(7) of the CARES Act (Public Law 116-136) is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
                    ``(E) payments made for the provision of personal 
                protective equipment for employees or other equipment 
                or supplies determined by the employer to be necessary 
                to protect the health and safety of employees; and''.
            (2) Forgiveness.--Section 1106(b) of the CARES Act (Public 
        Law 116-136) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(5) Any payment made for the provision of personal 
        protective equipment for employees or other equipment or 
        supplies determined by the employer to be necessary to protect 
        the health and safety of employees.''.
            (3) Conforming amendments.--Section 1106 of the CARES Act 
        (Public Law 116-136) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (e)--
                            (i) in paragraph (2), by striking 
                        ``payments on covered mortgage obligations, 
                        payments on covered lease obligations, and 
                        covered utility payments'' and inserting 
                        ``payments described under subsection (b) 
                        (other than payroll costs)''; and
                            (ii) in paragraph (3)(B), by striking ``, 
                        make interest payments'' and all that follows 
                        through ``or make covered utility payments'' 
                        and inserting ``, make payments described under 
                        subsection (b)''; and
                    (B) in subsection (h), by striking ``payments for 
                payroll costs, payments on covered mortgage 
                obligations, payments on covered lease obligations, or 
                covered utility payments'' each place it appears and 
                inserting ``payments described under subsection (b)''.
    (c) Prohibition on Limiting Forgiveness.--Section 1106(d) of the 
CARES Act (Public Law 116-136) amended by adding at the end the 
following new paragraph:
            ``(7) No limitations.--In carrying out this section, the 
        Administrator may not limit the non-payroll portion of a 
        forgivable covered loan amount.''.
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