On Sunday, Dec. 20, U.S. Congress announced it had reached an agreement to pass a $900 billion stimulus plan to aid citizens and businesses in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Variety, the Save Our Stages act, which will provide $15 billion in relief to independent venues across the nation.

The starkly divided Congress took until the last minute to reach an agreement. Final votes on the stimulus plan are expected to occur today (Dec. 21), then the bill will be sent to President Trump.

The Save Our Stages act was cosponsored by Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas). The bill was advocated for by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), who initially launched a campaign of the same name this past July to raise awareness about the need for aid for venues and push Congress to act.

“Independent venues were some of the first establishments to close down and will likely be some of the last to open. I refuse to sit by and let the music die, which is why I was proud to introduce the bipartisan Save our Stages Act,” Klobuchar said (quote via Variety report). “This funding will get small entertainment venues the help they need to make ends meet and serve our communities for generations to come.”

“Texas’ historic and world-class entertainment venues were some of the first businesses to close, and many remain shuttered nine months later,” added Cornyn (quote via Variety report). “I’m proud to have led the charge in the Senate to ensure they have the resources to overcome lost revenue and mounting bills, and I urge the President to quickly sign this into law so Texans can enjoy their favorite artists at dance halls and live music venues for years to come.”

Exact specifics of the stimulus plan are still unavailable at the time of publication. For more information, read the full Variety report here.

Read Relix‘s recent feature on David Weingarden, who was heavily involved in NIVA and the Save Our Stages initiative.