The AAPD and the Organized Dentistry Coalition (of which AAPD is a founding member) support the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (H.R. 7010) which was recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives by a 417-1 vote. The bill extends the ability to use the Small Business Administration (SBA) loans from 8 weeks to 24 weeks and changes the deadline for rehiring workers to June 30. The bill would also allow businesses to repay any non-forgiven balance over five years, instead of two, reducing the size of each payment. The original bill, H.R. 6886, was slated to remove the requirement that 75 percent of the loan must be spent on payroll, but Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin objected to a cut saying that it should stay at 75 percent. On May 27, 2020, House Republicans and Democrats negotiated a new bill language lowering the ratio to 60 percent that would be required to be used for payroll.  With the passage of the House version, it is expected that the House and Senate will be able to reach a deal on how small businesses can use the loan program when the Senate returns. Click here to see the thank you letter to House sponsors, and click here to view the thank you letters to Senate sponsors of S. 3833. The Senate bill would also allow PPP to be used for PPE (personal protective equipment). For further information contact Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel C. Scott Litch at slitch@aapd.org.