The Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus recently wrote a plan for spending the remaining $1.3 billion in federal CARES funding.
The federal government distributed the funds for COVID-19-related needs or state losses. Funding must be spent before the end of the year.
The plan includes $15 million for food security, $25 million for public safety, $75 million for child care, $100 million for hazard pay in existing programs and expanded programs for pharmacies, $125 million for high Medicaid hospitals, $125 million for individual and family relief with utility bill assistance, $141 million for higher education, $150 million for property tax relief, and $575 million for business assistance.
“When we passed our original spending plan for these dollars, we withheld a portion of our allocation to see where what would happen with COVID-19 through the summer and fall,” Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny County) said. “We waited for more assistance from the federal government that never came. Washington has failed, but here in PA, we have found that families, small businesses, and many other institutions need additional assistance for recovery. We’ve been allocated these funds to help with recovery; it’s time to spend them. Folks need help now. I urge our Republican colleagues to add this to the agenda for our session days next week.”