The initiative only attracted two borrowers, but experts say it helped to stabilize the municipal bond market following Covid-driven turmoil earlier this year.
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Kansas and Missouri plan to rely on the honor system to comply with priority distribution of coronavirus vaccines ... Employees in one Louisiana city will receive a one-time lump-sum hazard payment ... Indiana lawmakers hope to shield businesses from Covid-19 lawsuits.
State unemployment agencies have been demanding recipients repay thousands of dollars, even if the agency made the mistake and the money’s already been spent. After ProPublica investigated the practice, legislators are trying to end it.
When states reduce spending on the program it also means they lose federal matching funds. Meanwhile, a new report highlights the long-term importance of the health coverage for kids.
The Senate majority leader recommended passing a package with programs that Democrats and Republicans can agree on, while the Trump administration offered its own proposal.
Philadelphia this week announced a participatory budgeting program for a $1 million pot of money, as well as other initiatives geared toward reducing racial inequities with city spending.
Two surveys of state and local officials find that states and local governments are using up the money, but that restrictions on how it can be spent have been problematic.
COMMENTARY | At least 10 states have already tapped their emergency reserves, even as budget experts expect the worst revenue declines caused by the coronavirus pandemic to come in the months and years ahead.
Evaporating federal aid and uncertainty over what will happen next with the virus and the economic recovery are casting a long shadow over states’ finances.
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Hospital capacity concerns in Nebraska … ‘Ticking bomb’ septic tanks in Florida … Oklahoma jail workers charged after making inmates listen to ‘Baby Shark’.
Steven Mnuchin's remarks on Wednesday come as talks are restarting over the possibility of a coronavirus assistance package ahead of the upcoming election.
But there’s a chance it could help to revive stalled talks. House Democrats released their updated plan for a coronavirus assistance package on Monday.
State and local governments are up against a Dec. 30 deadline to use the coronavirus relief money, a timeframe that many local officials say should be extended.
Augusta, Maine has already resorted to layoffs and furloughs to slow spending. Looking ahead, there are still questions about what will happen with badly needed state aid and other revenues.
A June survey by the National Park and Recreation Association found that a majority of Americans consider parks an essential government service, but decreased revenue from the coronavirus pandemic is likely to threaten parks funding in the future.