Midland’s mayor and city manager have spoken to the U.S. House of Representatives on the Coronavirus Community Relief Act.

The bipartisan bill encourages the allocation of federal funding for smaller communities responding to the Coronavirus pandemic. Congress recently passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security (CARES) Act which provided direct funding to communities with populations over 500,000. It was signed into law May 27.

Mayor Maureen Donker and City Manager Brad Kaye pleaded the case for smaller communities. Donker says survival shouldn’t be the objective of local governments, which want to come out of the pandemic and be in a position to help their residents thrive. She says the Coronavirus Community Relief Act would “significantly help alleviate the economic shock by providing direct relief funds” to communities like Midland across the country.