This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio As Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I applauded the agreement of a $325 billion small business relief package, which includes nearly $285 billion for a second round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to help the hardest-hit small businesses. The package includes a higher PPP forgivable loan calculation for restaurants, hotels, and other businesses in related services, and increased assistance for live venues in order to aid industries that have been severely impacted by state and local restrictions. The legislation also includes enhancements and a direct infusion of working capital in SBA’s lending programs, PPP set-asides for the smallest businesses and community lenders, and extension of debt forbearance in order to help minority-owned and underserved borrowers access grants and the working capital they need. Read more here.  I released a list of provisions in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 omnibus appropriations bill that will be critical to the State of Florida in the months and years to come. The provisions will make improvements to a variety of key Florida sectors, including environmental protection and restoration, school safety, space, agriculture, military readiness, transportation, broadband access, virus research, and the Coast Guard. Read more here.  I applauded the passage of the Suppressing Looming Invasive Threats Harming Everglades Restoration (SLITHER) Act , which was included in the FY 2021 omnibus appropriations bill. The SLITHER Act authorizes and directs the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force to develop innovative technologies and approaches to identify, target, and eliminate invasive animal and plant species that threaten Everglades restoration. Read more here.  I released a statement after the Senate passed my bipartisan Restoring Resilient Reefs Act, which would reauthorize and modernize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, strengthen NOAA’s Coral Reef program, and give innovative new tools and resources to the non-federal partners who are closest to the crisis in American coral reefs: states, territories, and local communities. Read more here.  Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and I applauded the inclusion of our legislation, The American Citizen Coronavirus Relief Act , in the coronavirus relief package. This measure will ensure that a U.S. citizen is eligible to receive an Economic Impact Payment (EIP) if he or she is married to a foreign national who is not currently a citizen of the United States. Read more here.  As Vice Chairman and Acting Chairman, respectively, of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and I applauded the passage of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (IAA) as part of the bipartisan, targeted COVID-19 relief package. The bill authorizes funding, provides legal authorities, and enhances Congressional oversight for the U.S. Intelligence Community. Read more here.  I continued to build upon my legislative record securing critical provisions and funding related to China in the FY 2021 omnibus appropriations bill. Among the provisions was language from my bipartisan and bicameral Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act that requires the Secretary of State to determine, within 90 days after enactment, whether the persecution of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and members of other Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region constitutes atrocities. Additionally, the package included my Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2019 , telecommunications security funding to counter China’s state-directed Huawei, and funding to counter malign Chinese influence. Read more here.  I applauded the House passage of legislation to extend 25 temporary bankruptcy judgeships across the country – including two in Florida – for five years. I joined Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Chris Coons (D-DE) in introducing the bill earlier this month. The bill previously passed in the Senate on December 9, 2020, and it will now head to the President for signature. Read more here.  I welcomed the inclusion of multiple Western Hemisphere initiatives in the FY 2021 omnibus appropriations bill. As Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations’ Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere and as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, I helped secure key funding to advance economic and rural development initiatives in Latin America, in addition to securing funding for the support of democracy in Cuba and Venezuela, as well as for the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB). The bill also included my required report language on Cuba’s use of foreign medical missions, which constitute a form of modern day slavery. Read more here.  I joined Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in releasing statements after the passage of the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act , which was included in the FY 2021 omnibus appropriations bill. Read more here.  On Tuesday, Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX) and I urged Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to strengthen rules regarding the Entity Listing for Semiconductor Manufacturing International Company (SMIC)—a company with strong ties to the military of the Chinese Communist Party. We expressed concern that the current rules will not effectively cut SMIC off from U.S. technology and innovation, risking our national security. Read more here.  On Sunday, I released a statement on the 36th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong in Beijing. This United Nations-registered treaty committed the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to afford Hong Kong with “a high degree of autonomy,” allow local elections, and provide legal protections for the rights and freedoms of all residents. Read more here.  In Case You Missed It...“Florida’s senior U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who chairs the Senate Small Business Committee and was pivotal in crafting the renewed $284 billion PPP, praised the new stimulus package.” (Jobless Floridians could receive federal assistance by year's end, The Center Square, 12/22/20) “The long-awaited stimulus package approved by Congress Monday night includes $250 million for Everglades restoration. The state’s top Republican leaders — including Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott — had urged President Donald Trump for the spending.” (Stimulus Includes $250 Million For Everglades Restoration, WMFE, 12/22/20) “Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis ‘applauded’ the inclusion of mixed families in their legislation Monday evening.” (Mixed-status immigrant families eligible for $600 stimulus checks in COVID bill, Miami Herald, 12/21/20) “Rubio says America needs to retaliate for cyberattack” (Fox News, 12/19/20) “Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul of Texas, on Monday asked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to rewrite the SMIC restrictions to close “dangerous loopholes” that would allow the Chinese company to continue operating without any interruption.” (Blacklisting of China’s Top Chip Maker SMIC Comes With Exceptions, Wall Street Journal, 12/22/20) “Senators Cruz, Rubio warn Pacific ally on Chinese bid for undersea cable project” (Reuters, 12/23/20) | 
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