IRONTON, OH – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) hosted a conference call with elected officials and community leaders from Lawrence County to discuss how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the county. Brown will address Lawrence County priorities in Washington as he continues his efforts to put the needs of Ohioans first.

“I’ve had countless calls with leaders across the state, from school superintendents to restaurant owners to mayors and county commissioners. I am amazed by how creative so many have been in finding new ways to fulfill their mission, but I know that more federal help is needed,” said Brown. “I’m working to get resources to Ohio quickly – but I can’t do that if I’m not listening to local officials and leaders who know, first hand, what is needed.”

Brown has long fought to include Ohio’s priorities in Senate coronavirus relief. Some of his recent actions include:

In April, Brown released a plan to keep Ohioans safe, protect workers and reopen the economy safely. Brown wrote to President Trump calling on the Administration to increase testing capacity, facilitate intensive contact tracing, enact enforceable worker safety protections, and support effective isolation and quarantine methods in advance of any attempts to relax social distancing guidelines or reopen the economy.

Brown also recently announced a plan to provide local governments with direct federal relief that can be used to pay for essential services and offset lost revenues and increased costs from the COVID-19 emergency. This local assistance would be a complement to critical relief that states also require in this crisis.

Brown also continues to push for pandemic premium pay to be included in any future stimulus package. Brown recently unveiled his ‘Heroes Fund’ proposal. Which would help reward, retain and recruit essential workers who are on the frontlines of this pandemic.

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