A retired Ripon College economist says unemployment aid and small business loans are two of the major highlights in the latest pandemic relief package. Economist Paul Schoofs says the new bipartisan bill adds $284 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program for small business forgivable loans as a way to help cover worker wages. Schoofs says it should work even better than the first rollout of the PPP last spring. The bill would target aid for businesses especially hard hit by closures, including non profits, restaurants and live venues. Schoofs says the $600 direct payment to most Americans will help people who have been struggling.
