FLC Analysis of Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021
In the final days of 2020, Congress passed and the President signed into law the latest coronavirus relief package that was attached to the omnibus spending bill for the federal government. Click here for the bill text and additional summaries from Capitol Hill; see below for select highlights.
Podcast: Week in Washington – Special Edition December 22, 2020
GFOA FLC staff offer highlights and initial reactions to the massive spending and coronavirus relief package passed by Congress on December 21. LISTEN
Legislation Highlights
Issue Area | Location in Bill Text | Provision/Section Summary | Agency Responsible for Oversight/Administration |
|---|---|---|---|
Additional funding for state and local governments to address revenue losses | NOT INCLUDED IN THE FINAL BILL | ||
Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) Spend Extension | Division N, Title X, Sec. 1001 | Spend date extended until December 31, 2021 | U.S. Treasury (CRF FAQs, Guidance) U.S. Treasury Office of the Inspector General (Reporting and Record-keeping) |
Education Funding (Schools) | Division M, Title III, Sec. 311 | Total funding = $82 billion, funding highlights:
| U.S. Department of Education (Education Stabilization Fund) |
Employee Retention Tax Credit | Division EE, Title II, Sec. 207 | Extends credit until July 1, 2021 and includes higher education and hospitals as eligible | Internal Revenue Service (General Information and FAQs) |
Federal paid leave requirement on all employers originally included in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) | The FFRCA imposed the first-ever temporary paid federal leave requirement for all employers, including public employers. The mandate expired on December 31, 2020 and the relief package DOES NOT extend the paid leave mandate. | ||
Transportation | Division N, Title IV, Beginning Sec. 401 | Total funding = $45 billion, funding highlights:
| Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Transportation Administration |
Stimulus Payments | Division N, Subtitle B, Sec. 272-273 | Total funding included = $166 billion, $600 per person earning up to $75k a year and $1,200 for couples earning up to $150,000 a year. | U.S. Treasury |
Unemployment Insurance | Division N, Title II, Sub. A, Beginning Sec. 200 | Total funding = $120 billion, resulting in an additional $300 per week through March 14, 2021 | Administered through state agencies |
Small Business Assistance | DIVISION N, Title III, Beginning Sec. 301 |
| Small Business Administration, U.S. Treasury Click HERE for the SBA/Treasury Announcement of PPP Re-opening and links to new guidance. |
Shuttered Venue Operators *Click HERE for additional analysis | Division N, Title III, Sec. 324 | $15 billion for shuttered entertainment venues | Associate Administrator for the Office of Disaster Assistance of the Small Business Administration |
Emergency Rental Assistance *Click HERE for additional analysis | Division N, Title V, Beginning Sec. 501 | Total funding = $25 billion (ERA 1)
| U.S. Treasury (General Information) |
Health Care COVID Relief Spending | Division M, Title III | Total funding included = $69 billion, funding highlights:
| Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health |
Broadband | Division N, Title IX, Sec. 901-903 | Total funding included = $7 billion, funding highlights:
| Federal Communications Commission |
Municipal Liquidity Facility | Division N, Title X, Sec. 1005 | Federal Reserve retains the ability to create emergency lending facilities under Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act. The Federal Reserve is prohibited from re-starting the Municipal Liquidity Facility (MLF) but retains the authority of the Board of Governors, in “unusual and exigent circumstances” and under other conditions, to authorize Reserve Banks to extend credit to individuals, partnerships, and governments. | Federal Reserve |
Water | Division H, Title II, Sec. 503 | Low-income Water Utility Bill Assistance ($638 million) - provides grants to states and tribes who in turn will provide funds to owners or operators of public water systems or treatment works to reduce arrearages and rates to low-income households. Three percent of funds will be set aside for tribes. | Department of Labor/HHS |
Disaster Assistance | Division M, Title II, Beginning Sec. 201 | Total funding included = $2 billion, allocated to Disaster Relief Fund and activates FEMA's Disaster Funeral Assistance program which provides financial aid to those who have lost someone to COVID through the end of 2020. | Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) |