President Biden recently signed a two-month extension of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which offers loans for small businesses to help keep their workforce employed while grappling with economic upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The application deadline for the program was extended to May 31 with H.R. 1799, or the “PPP Extension Act of 2021.” The bill also extends the PPP authorization through June 30 to provide the Small Business Administration (SBA) additional time to process applications received by the application deadline.
The House approved the extension on a 415-to-3 vote earlier this month, and the Senate on March 25 cleared the legislation on a 92-7 margin.
The federal relief loan program was first established in the $2.2 trillion stimulus law passed last March under President Trump. In December, Congress restarted the program and added more funding. Around 3.5 million borrowers have received forgivable loans this year, taking the program’s total lending to $734 billion.
The Biden administration overhauled the program in late February, prompting the smallest businesses and self-employed people to rush to take advantage of newly freed-up aid. The extension by lawmakers gave small businesses, as well as lenders, more time to adjust to the overhaul.
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Additional information about the PPP, including getting matched with a lender in your area, is available on the SBA’s website.
This article originally appeared on our sister publication Security Sales & Integration‘s website.
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