Senate passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill on Saturday brought the massive legislation one step closer to law.
But first, the bill has to go back to the other side of the Capitol, where the House — which already passed its own version of the bill — is scheduled to vote Tuesday to approve the changes made in the Senate. That vote is expected to succeed on a party line, as it did in the Senate, with a narrow Democratic majority.
Only after the House passes the Senate version would it land on Biden’s desk.
After that, the turnaround time — between it being a more than 600-page bill and money in people’s pockets — could be relatively quick. People could start seeing the $1,400 stimulus payments hit their bank accounts within days of Biden signing the bill — which is expected to happen soon after the House votes on Tuesday.
For the previous pandemic stimulus bill, the Internal Revenue Service started sending out the second round of payments — that were worth up to $600 — three days after then-President Donald Trump signed that bill in late December. But it’s possible that tax filing season, which is currently underway, could slow down the process this time.
The payments do not go all out at once. Those whose bank information is on file with the IRS would likely get the money first because it would be directly deposited into their accounts. Others may receive paper checks or prepaid debit cards in the mail.
