WASHINGTON — U.S. Representatives Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, R-Bellefonte, and Madeleine Dean, D-Glenside, have introduced the Coronavirus Relief Fund Expansion Act, which will extend the deadline to spend COVID-19 relief funds by one year to Dec. 31, 2021.

The bill will also allow non-profit and emergency service organizations the ability to use funds to replace lost, delayed, or decreased revenues as a result of the global pandemic.

Emergency service organizations, including volunteer fire departments, have struggled to maintain operations during these unprecedented times. Volunteer fire departments rely heavily on fundraising activities to support their mission. Due to COVID-19, most of these organizations were forced to cancel in-person community events, which has resulted in significant losses.

“The economic impact of COVID-19 has been hardest on organizations that already operate on razor thin margins,” Thompson said. “Congress created a relief fund, which has yet to be exhausted. As a volunteer fire fighter, I know we must act immediately to provide more flexibility and extend these deadlines, otherwise volunteer organizations and non-profits will be left out in the cold.”