Collins, Cassidy call SMART Act strong bipartisan compromise to help states, communities

A bill proposed by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) that would offset falling revenues for states and communities resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic became part of larger emergency relief funding legislation that failed to advance.

Sens. Collins and Cassidy on Sept. 10 filed the State and Municipal Assistance for Recovery and Transition (SMART) Act, S. 3752, as an amendment to the U.S. Senate pandemic funding relief package, which passed by a vote of 52-47, but failed to reach the 60 votes required to advance to the full chamber for consideration.

“State and local aid seems to be a main sticking point in negotiations,” Sen. Cassidy said. “The SMART Act strikes a balance between both sides’ demands, which increases the likelihood of a broader COVID relief bill passing. Our goal is to help those who need it. This is not the time for politics as usual.” 

Sens. Collins and Cassidy in May introduced S. 3572 with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to provide $500 billion for a Coronavirus Local Community Stabilization Fund that would address the economic effects of the pandemic on state, local and tribal budgets and would expand the uses of payments from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, among other provisions, according to the congressional record bill summary.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to devastate our public health and our economy,” said Sen. Collins, “towns and cities across our country are facing increasingly significant new challenges and plummeting revenues at the exact same time.”

Sen. Collins also noted that S. 3572 is a good example of how the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives should negotiate on a bipartisan basis.

“Let’s enact the SMART Act as part of the next coronavirus package to help prevent widespread furloughs of state and local public servants and avoid cuts to essential services at the worst possible time for working families,” she said.