Senate reaches agreement on bipartisan COVID-19 supplemental legislation

-
BlogOn April 4, a group of senators unveiled a bipartisan, $10 billion COVID-19 supplemental appropriations bill to support the ongoing domestic response to the public health emergency.Senate reaches agreement on bipartisan COVID-19 supplemental legislation
- Bipartisan lawmakers reached an agreement on $10 billion COVID-19 supplemental spending bill
- COVID-19 supplemental includes S. 3011, which provides new flexibilities for counties to invest ARPA Recovery Funds
- Counties support passage of S. 3011/H.R.5735 to provide additional flexibilities for counties to invest Recovery Funds
-
Blog
Senate reaches agreement on bipartisan COVID-19 supplemental legislation
On April 4, a group of senators unveiled a bipartisan, $10 billion COVID-19 supplemental appropriations bill to support the ongoing domestic response to the public health emergency.
Update – April 7
Prospects for getting the pandemic aid package to President Biden’s desk before the two-week April recess is dwindling amid with new disagreements over certain provisions included in the bill.
The recently enacted Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 omnibus appropriations bill initially included $15.6 billion in supplemental spending for the domestic and international COVID-19 response. These provisions were ultimately removed from the final package that was enacted due to objections from House Democrats over spending offsets, including a rescission of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (Recovery Funds).
The final agreement would provide $10 billion to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the procurement of vaccines, therapeutics and testing capacity as well as funding for research and development of vaccines to protect against emerging COVID-19 variants. While the FY 2022 omnibus included an additional $5 billion to support the international response to the pandemic, the final agreement includes no international funding.
Of particular note, the final agreement includes the bipartisan State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act (S. 3011/H.R. 5735) that unanimously passed the Senate in October 2021 and would provide additional flexibilities for counties to invest ARPA Recovery Funds. In addition to the $10 million revenue loss standard allowance for the provision of government that was ultimately included in Treasury’s Final Rule, the bill would allow the greater of $10 million or 30 percent of a county’s total ARPA allocation to be for infrastructure-related activities, including surface transportation programs authorized under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and Community Development Blog Grant (CDBG) projects. Counties applaud the inclusion of this critical legislation and additional ARPA flexibility.
The $10 billion included in the bill for HHS is offset by a rescission of unobligated, previously appropriated pandemic spending included in ARPA and the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136), including a rescission of the $2 billion ARPA Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund. This fund was created to make formula-based payments based on economic conditions to revenue-sharing (I.e. public lands) counties, certain U.S. territories and tribal governments over FY 2022 and 2023. This rescission leaves revenue-sharing counties with approximately $826 million, an approximately 44 percent reduction from the initial $1.5 billion allocation.
Other rescissions included in the final COVID-19 supplemental agreement include unspent funds from the Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) Shuttered Venue Operators Grants and Economic Injury Disaster Loans, U.S. Department of Agriculture funding authorized under the ARPA and CARES Act, U.S. Department of Transportation’s Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Program and the U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund.
The package is currently pending a vote in the Senate, which is expected to happen this week. If passed, the bill will move to the House for a vote before going to President Biden's desk for his signature.
At NACo’s 2022 Legislative Conference in February 2022, the Finance, Pensions and Intergovernmental Affairs policy steering committee adopted an interim policy resolution urging the U.S. House to pass H.R. 5735 to provide counties with additional flexibilities to invest Recovery Funds and further augment local recovery efforts.
On April 4, a group of senators unveiled a bipartisan, $10 billion COVID-19 supplemental appropriations bill to support the ongoing domestic response to the public health emergency.2022-04-05Blog2022-04-08
On April 4, a group of senators unveiled a bipartisan, $10 billion COVID-19 supplemental appropriations bill to support the ongoing domestic response to the public health emergency.
Update – April 7
Prospects for getting the pandemic aid package to President Biden’s desk before the two-week April recess is dwindling amid with new disagreements over certain provisions included in the bill.
The recently enacted Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 omnibus appropriations bill initially included $15.6 billion in supplemental spending for the domestic and international COVID-19 response. These provisions were ultimately removed from the final package that was enacted due to objections from House Democrats over spending offsets, including a rescission of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (Recovery Funds).
The final agreement would provide $10 billion to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the procurement of vaccines, therapeutics and testing capacity as well as funding for research and development of vaccines to protect against emerging COVID-19 variants. While the FY 2022 omnibus included an additional $5 billion to support the international response to the pandemic, the final agreement includes no international funding.
Of particular note, the final agreement includes the bipartisan State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act (S. 3011/H.R. 5735) that unanimously passed the Senate in October 2021 and would provide additional flexibilities for counties to invest ARPA Recovery Funds. In addition to the $10 million revenue loss standard allowance for the provision of government that was ultimately included in Treasury’s Final Rule, the bill would allow the greater of $10 million or 30 percent of a county’s total ARPA allocation to be for infrastructure-related activities, including surface transportation programs authorized under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and Community Development Blog Grant (CDBG) projects. Counties applaud the inclusion of this critical legislation and additional ARPA flexibility.
The $10 billion included in the bill for HHS is offset by a rescission of unobligated, previously appropriated pandemic spending included in ARPA and the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136), including a rescission of the $2 billion ARPA Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund. This fund was created to make formula-based payments based on economic conditions to revenue-sharing (I.e. public lands) counties, certain U.S. territories and tribal governments over FY 2022 and 2023. This rescission leaves revenue-sharing counties with approximately $826 million, an approximately 44 percent reduction from the initial $1.5 billion allocation.
Other rescissions included in the final COVID-19 supplemental agreement include unspent funds from the Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) Shuttered Venue Operators Grants and Economic Injury Disaster Loans, U.S. Department of Agriculture funding authorized under the ARPA and CARES Act, U.S. Department of Transportation’s Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Program and the U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund.
The package is currently pending a vote in the Senate, which is expected to happen this week. If passed, the bill will move to the House for a vote before going to President Biden's desk for his signature.
At NACo’s 2022 Legislative Conference in February 2022, the Finance, Pensions and Intergovernmental Affairs policy steering committee adopted an interim policy resolution urging the U.S. House to pass H.R. 5735 to provide counties with additional flexibilities to invest Recovery Funds and further augment local recovery efforts.

About Paige Mellerio (Full Bio)
Associate Legislative Director – Finance, Pensions & Intergovernmental Affairs
Paige is NACo's associate legislative director for finance, pensions and intergovernmental affairs.More from Paige Mellerio
-
Blog
HUD announces proposed rule on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) mandate
On January 19, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced plans to publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to implement and “fulfill the promise of” the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing mandate, which was established under the 1968 Fair Housing Act. -
Blog
Treasury announces the reallocation of $690 million in Emergency Rental Assistance Funds
On January 24, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that 89 state and local grantees have been awarded $690 million in reallocated funds under the second round of Emergency Rental Assistance Program funding to assist renters facing financial hardship. -
Blog
What have we learned about governing during the pandemic era?
“We now have tools for county governments to continue to engage a larger constituency and improve service delivery to meet their needs, specifically considering using digital interface to engage with residents.” -
Webinar
Jump Right In: Where to Start in Your Coal Community
Jan. 26, 2023 , 3:00 pm – 4:00 pmRegister above for the BRECC National Network’s first virtual convening on Thursday, January 26th @ 3:00 pm EST. All coal community stakeholders are invited to participate, learn and connect with their peers. Jump right in: Where to start in your coal community. -
Webinar
County Strategies to Recruit and Retain a Strong Behavioral Health Workforce
Jan. 26, 2023 , 2:00 pm – 3:00 pmUnable to attend? Watch the recording here. -
Reports & Toolkits
County Funding Opportunities to Support Community Members Experiencing a Behavioral Health Crisis
County and local officials play a critical role in funding, implementing and coordinating a local continuum of care to support people during a behavioral health crisis.
-
Webinar
Reducing Jail Populations: Revisiting Technical Violations of Community Supervision to Decrease Jail Admissions and Length of Stay
February 2, 2023 , 2:00 pm – 3:00 pmReducing the number of people in jail for technical violations can help decrease jail populations and improve outcomes and compliance with supervision conditions. Counties can reduce this kind of incarceration by reducing case processing times and implementing specialized caseloads.02022:00 pm<p>Reducing the number of people in jail for technical violations can help decrease jail populations and improve outcomes and compliance with supervision conditions.
-
Webinar
Local Strategies for Reaching Families and Young Children Experiencing Homelessness
February 8, 2023 , 2:00 pm – 3:00 pmExperiencing homelessness in early childhood can have long-term impacts on health, education and well-being for both children and parents. Homelessness among young children is often hidden, making it harder to collect accurate data and ensure that these children are connected to the services and resources they need.02082:00 pm<p>Experiencing homelessness in early childhood can have long-term impacts on health, education and well-being for both children and parents.
-
Webinar
Reducing Jail Populations: Decreasing Bookings and/or Arrests through Diversion, Citations and Warrant Avoidance and Resolution
March 2, 2023 , 2:00 pm – 3:00 pmReducing the number of people arrested and booked into jails for low-level offenses and misdemeanors through diversion and citations, as well as outstanding warrants for failing to appear in court or not paying fines and fees, can help decrease jail populations by reserving detention beds for people who are a risk to public safety or a serious f03022:00 pm<p>Reducing the number of people arrested and booked into jails for low-level offenses and misdemeanors through diversion and citations, as well as outstanding warrants for failing to appear in court or not paying fines and fees, can h
-
Webinar
Reducing Jail Populations: Lowering Recidivism through Jail- and Community-Based Treatment and Services
April 6, 2023 , 2:00 pm – 3:00 pmReducing recidivism through effective jail- and community-based services can decrease jail admissions and populations and improve outcomes for people with criminal histories.04062:00 pm<p>Reducing recidivism through effective jail- and community-based services can decrease jail admissions and populations and improve outcomes for people with criminal histories.</p>
-
Basic page
The Stepping Up Initiative
In May 2015, NACo and partners at the CSG Justice Center and APA Foundation launched Stepping Up: A National Initiative to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jails.pagepagepage<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%" summary="call-out">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td> -
Reports & Toolkits
COVID-19 Recovery Clearinghouse
The COVID-19 Recovery Clearinghouse features timely resources for counties, including allocation estimations, examples of county programs using federal coronavirus relief funds, the latest news and more.Reports & Toolkitsdocument03127:15 pmReports & Toolkits<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%" summary="ad-block no-top-margin no-bullets">
<caption>Jump to Section</caption> -
Reports & Toolkits
State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Resource Hub
Explore NACo's resource hub for the ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund.Reports & Toolkitsdocument010512:15 pmReports & Toolkits<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:100%" summary="call-out transparent">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td> -
Basic page
Economic Mobility Leadership Network
The Economic Mobility Leadership Network (EMLN) is a NACo cohort of county leaders that facilitates and incubates county-specific discussion and problem-solving on issues of economic mobility and helps county leaders identify and assess their current barriers to mobility and share scalable and transferable programs across the country.pagepagepage<p>Economic mobility refers to changes in an individual’s economic status over a lifetime and across generations—usually measured in income.
-
Basic page
Resilient Counties Initiative
The NACo Resilient Counties Initiative builds leadership capacity to identify and manage risk, and prepare counties to become more flexible and responsive to system shocks and stresses. It has a holistic approach to resilience, examining social and economic resilience, sustainability and disaster management.pagepagepage<p>Hurricanes, wildfires, economic collapse, and other disasters can be natural or man-made, acute or long-term, foreseeable or unpredictable.
-
Basic page
Live Healthy U.S. Counties
The National Association of Counties (NACo) Live Healthy Prescription, Health & Dental Discount Program is a NO-COST program available to all member counties.pagepagepage<h1>With <a id="naco" name="naco">NACo</a>, Saving Feels Better</h1>
Contact
-
Associate Legislative Director – Finance, Pensions & Intergovernmental Affairs(202) 942-4272
Related Posts
-
BlogHUD announces proposed rule on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) mandateJan. 30, 2023
-
BlogTreasury announces the reallocation of $690 million in Emergency Rental Assistance FundsJan. 30, 2023
-
BlogWhat have we learned about governing during the pandemic era?Jan. 27, 2023
Related Resources
-
Reports & ToolkitsCounty Funding Opportunities to Support Community Members Experiencing a Behavioral Health CrisisJan. 24, 2023
-
DocumentTreatment and Recovery for Pregnant and Parenting PeopleJan. 23, 2023
-
DocumentSyringe Services ProgramsJan. 23, 2023
Related Events
-
2Feb2023Webinar
Reducing Jail Populations: Revisiting Technical Violations of Community Supervision to Decrease Jail Admissions and Length of Stay
Feb. 2, 2023 , 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm -
8Feb2023Webinar
Local Strategies for Reaching Families and Young Children Experiencing Homelessness
Feb. 8, 2023 , 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm -
2Mar2023Webinar
Reducing Jail Populations: Decreasing Bookings and/or Arrests through Diversion, Citations and Warrant Avoidance and Resolution
Mar. 2, 2023 , 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm -
6Apr2023Webinar
Reducing Jail Populations: Lowering Recidivism through Jail- and Community-Based Treatment and Services
Apr. 6, 2023 , 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm