HOUSTON — Lawmakers have made it clear they’re working to authorize another round of COVID-19 relief, and that includes more stimulus checks.
And the good news: those checks could get to your bank accounts sooner this time around.
“We’re staying right here until COVID relief is out the door," Sen. Mitch McConnell said.
Lawmakers on both sides are trying to reach a compromise.
“We need to complete this work, and we need to complete it right away," McConnell said.
If they do, that means a new round of checks could be sent out to Americans very soon. But instead of $1,200, most Americans can expect to get about half that.
And while the first round of payments took about three weeks to get out, a second round could come faster, as the IRS already has that system set up.
At this point, we’re just waiting on Congress and the president’s approval. Hopefully that means the checks could be out by early January.
“It will give venues like ourselves, across Houston or all over the country, a shot at surviving," said Andrew Youngblood, co-owner of The Secret Group.
But one group hoping to be included in that COVID-19 relief is venue owners.
“I don’t want to say we’re the hardest hit, but we’re definitely hurting," Youngblood said.
Youngblood said their doors have been closed since May. They’re finally hoping to open again in a few weeks, but they’ve had to make some changes.
“We’ve been trying to figure out how we can serve actual food and maybe become a restaurant/venue just be open," Youngblood said.
The Save Our Stages Act could give billions in federal assistance to venues shut down by the pandemic, which Youngblood said would be a lifeline.
“Even when bars and restaurants are back to normal, venues will still be waiting another 6 to 8 months until we get back to normal," Youngblood said.