Congress Passes Stimulus Deal Including Save Our Stages Act

The Save Our Stages bill has been passed by Congress, Variety reports. This is part of the $900 billion stimulus deal to aid the American citizens amidst the ongoing health crisis.

The Save Our Stages bill will provide approximately $10 billion in relief to independent music and live theater venues.

"We can finally report what our nation has needed to hear for a very long time," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. "More help is on the way."

The House is expected to finalize the deal on Sunday night, with the Senate following shortly after. Final votes are expected on Monday, then the bill will go to President Trump.

"We're thrilled that Congress has heard the call of shuttered independent venues across the country and provided us a crucial lifeline by including the Save Our Stages Act in the COVID-19 Relief Bill," said Dayna Frank, owner and CEO of Minneapolis legendary First Avenue concert venue and board president of the National Independent Venue Association. "We're also incredibly grateful that this bill provides Pandemic Unemployment Assistance which will help the millions of people who lost their jobs through no fault of their own during this economic crisis. We urge swift passage of this legislation, which will assist those in the greatest need and ensure the music lives on for generations to come."

Read more on Variety and learn more about Save Our Stages at https://www.saveourstages.com/.