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.
Representatives from both parties, who met Tuesday and Wednesday, said major headway was made during negotiations on a roughly $900 billion relief package. But more direct help for state and local governments isn't included.
A $748 billion proposal would fund initiatives like unemployment insurance and the Paycheck Protection Program, while a separate $160 billion bill would provide state and local aid, but also a liability shield.
November was the first time in what has been dubbed the first female recession that men suffered greater losses than women. About 347,000 left the labor force.
Concerns highlighted by the Menino Survey of Mayors include possible deep cuts to local education and the changing economic landscape for local businesses.
A bipartisan group of senators and House members discussed their proposal Tuesday, but congressional leaders suggested they would be moving ahead with their own plans.
COMMENTARY | As firms adjust to the Covid-19 economic slowdown, the job market for new college graduates is expected to decline for the first time in more than a decade.
Illinois voters rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed the state to implement a graduated income tax. Campaigns for and against the initiative together raised more than $120 million.
State unemployment systems were overwhelmed by filings during the pandemic. A new report lays out basic steps states can take to make the claims process easier for users.