States, cities and counties can begin to tap their share of the $350 billion in federal funds intended to spur a national recovery from the economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, White House officials announced Monday. The Biden administration said the much-anticipated money, which was included in the massive relief law enacted earlier this year, can aid governments of all sizes in paying for a wide range of costs related to the pandemic response. … The uses for it could include running vaccination clinics and buying personal protective equipment; paying the salaries of government employees involved in battling COVID-19; or helping speed the recovery of industries, like hospitality, that have been devastated during the past year. Guidance issued Monday by the U.S. Treasury details a list of specific ways that states and local governments can use the money — and some ways they cannot, like using it to offset new tax cuts. States and localities will have even more flexibility for using any dollars deemed to be replacing revenue lost last year. … The White House fact sheet listed seven categories of uses for the state and local stimulus dollars:
- Services and programs to contain and mitigate the spread of COVID-19;
- Addressing negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, including aid to families; recovery support for businesses and industries; and rehiring public sector staff;
- Addressing disproportionate public health and economic impacts of the crisis on the hardest-hit communities, including educational disparities;
- Increasing pay for essential workers, such as workers at nursing homes, child care centers and grocery stores;
- Rebuilding water and sewer infrastructure;
- Expanding broadband infrastructure;
- Replacing lost public sector revenue, to provide government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue experienced due to the pandemic.
Source: Kansas Reflector