Active Covid-19 Calls to Action
Fifth COVID-19 Federal Relief: State and Local Government Funding
The federal government has taken steps to provide economic relief in response to COVID-19. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 relief packages that have been signed into law to date provide limited opportunity for special districts to benefit and essential needs remain unresolved. Special districts need access to critical funding to continue operations and well-serve their communities in these unprecedented times.
Senator Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced S.4308, a Senate companion to H.R. 7073, the Special Districts Provide Essential Services Act. Senator Kamala Harris is an original cosponsor and was moved forward with the support of Senator Dianne Feinstein.
The bill uses text of H.R. 7073, but adds greater flexibility for states with less reliance on special districts within their communities and offers states guidance on how to distribute the 5 percent they must direct of future Coronavirus Relief Fund appropriations. Overall, the bill would:
- Would require states to distribute 5 percent of future Coronavirus Relief Fund allocations to special districts within their respective state within 60 days of receiving funds from the U.S. Treasury.
- Special districts applying for funding would submit information to their state demonstrating the degree to which they have experienced or anticipate they will experience COVID-19-related revenue loss, grant/inter-governmental revenue loss, or increased COVID-19-releated expenditures.
- Limits allocations such that a special district may not receive funding that exceeds the amount the district expended in any quarter of 2019. Special districts providing services the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency deems to be within a “critical infrastructure sector” would be exempt from limitations.
- Provides flexibility for states with excess funds reserved for special districts that make a good faith effort to distribute funds to districts within the state. States file a waiver with U.S. Treasury after 60 days demonstrating how the state distributed its special districts funding. If approved, the state may use the balance of the funds for other COVID-19 response purposes.
- “Special district” would be defined as a “political subdivision of a State, formed pursuant to general law or special act of the State, for the purpose of performing one or more governmental or proprietary functions.”
- Would direct the U.S. Department of Treasury to consider special districts as eligible issuers to take advantage of the Municipal Liquidity Facility, as established in the CARES Act, for access to capital during the current financial downturn.
CSDA will continue working with the National Special Districts Coalition and a group of California and national special districts stakeholders to advocate for the Senate legislation to be included in the Senate’s COVID-19 relief package, which would likely be negotiated with the House of Representative’s HEROES Act. CSDA joined 44 other special districts organizations from across the country in a letter (linked to PDF) to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schmer, D-N.Y., in support of S. 4308 and to convey urgency for its inclusion in the impending COVID-19 relief bill for local governments.
H.R. 7073 the “Special Districts Provide Essential Services Act
This is a stand-alone U.S. House bill that would allow special districts’ access to federal COVID-19 resources.
HR 7073 is a direct result of special districts’ COVID-19 advocacy. Congressman John Garamendi began collaborating with CSDA on the “Special Districts Provide Services Act” in late April after his constituent special districts reached out with great concerns regarding financial hardships. Now, all special districts are asked to build on this support
Bill overview:
- Provides special districts access to the Coronavirus Relief Fund: States would be required to direct 5 percent of future appropriations made under Section 601 of the Social Security Act (established in CARES as the Coronavirus Relief Fund). The state would have 60 days from the time the U.S. Treasury releases the fund to transfer the funds to special districts. The state would grant the funds at its discretion.
- This 5 percent is not intended to subtract from cities and county’s portion of the funding, but rather 5 percent from the state’s allocation under Section 601.
- Special districts would be determined “eligible issuers” for the Federal Reserve’s Municipal Liquidity Facilities Program.
- “Special District” would be defined. There currently is no federal statute defining the term.
- The term ‘special district’ means a political subdivision, formed pursuant to general law or special act of a State, for the purpose of performing one or more governmental or proprietary functions.’’