HEROES Act passes in House

May 21, 2020

Last week, the House voted 208-199 to pass the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES Act), with 14 Democrats voting against and one Republican (Rep. Peter King) voting for the bill. The $3 trillion bill vote was along party lines, and it’s not clear what the path is for bipartisan agreement.

There are two provisions of interest to egg producers. The first gives the USDA Secretary the authority to make payments to livestock producers who have suffered market losses due to COVID-19. The second, Sec. 60102 of the HEROES Act, provides for indemnities at the fair market value of livestock and poultry that had to be euthanized due to lack of availability of processing. This section is intended mostly for cattle and hog producers who have had to euthanize large numbers of animals ready for market.  UEP members have been forced to euthanize laying hens due to the collapse of foodservice demand. UEP plans to work with Senators to further refine the possibility of assistance for laying hens and broiler chickens.

Staff and consultants will continue to keep members up to date as we work through the process.