State and Federal Relations

Amid State Hospital Closures, a Federal Funding Plan to Shore Up Mental Health Staffing

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam proposed a $485 million spending package to increase high turnover and vacancies at state-run behavioral hospitals, which have struggled during the pandemic.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Federal Relief Funds Can Ensure Equitable Recovery for Small Businesses

Government officials can leverage federal dollars to help locally owned companies that were impacted by the pandemic, including those owned by women and minorities, a panel said Thursday at Route Fifty’s Future Cities event.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

White House Says CDC Eviction Ban Will Expire Saturday

President Biden said he would have supported an extension of the moratorium but the administration was bound by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

  • By Andrea Noble

Senate Lawmakers Reach Agreement on Infrastructure Package

The proposal has cleared a key procedural vote, which will allow it to advance.

  • By Andrea Noble

Students and Staff Should Mask Up in Schools, CDC Recommends

The CDC revised mask wearing guidance on Tuesday to help contain the spread of Covid-19. But nine states ban school districts from enacting mask mandates.

  • By Andrea Noble

Community Colleges Begin Using Federal Coronavirus Funding to Erase Student Debt

The money, from the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act, is available for students who have struggled financially as a result of the pandemic.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Federal Court Lifts CDC Cruise Ship Restrictions

The order reverses an earlier decision that allowed the restrictions to remain in place. The ruling affects only ships sailing in and out of Florida.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

States, Localities Distributing Rental Aid at a Quicker Pace

Emergency rental assistance programs have distributed about $3 billion since January, but that accounts for just 6% of the overall aid approved by Congress.

  • By Andrea Noble

Infrastructure Proposal Faces Key Vote Wednesday

Sen. Chuck Schumer scheduled a procedural vote on the bipartisan infrastructure framework even as lawmakers scurry to finish a draft of the legislation.

  • By Andrea Noble

How Localities and States Can Prepare for Broadband Expansion

Governments can use American Rescue Plan Act funding to pay for broadband infrastructure. Experts say local governments are in the best position to know what initiatives will work to connect residents.

  • By Andrea Noble

Judge Declines to Block ARPA Tax Cut Mandate Before Case is Heard

At least six lawsuits are challenging the legality of a provision included in the American Rescue Plan Act that prevents states from using federal relief funds to offset tax cuts.

  • By Andrea Noble

Judge Blocks Maryland from Cutting Federal Unemployment

Twenty-six states plan to stop providing supplemental $300-a-week unemployment payments before the program ends in September. Jobless workers in five states have challenged the decisions.

  • By Andrea Noble
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Colorado Becomes Fourth State to Give Residents Control of Their Online Data

The Colorado Privacy Act allows residents to opt out of data collection and gain access to more insight about how their information is collected and used.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Pandemic Growth Led This State to Slash Taxes, Issue Rebates

Tax policy experts and state officials believe Idaho’s rapid economic growth will offset the tax cuts, making them feasible under federal funding rules.  

  • By Andrea Noble

How One State Plans to Use Federal Relief Money to Shore Up Child Care Options

Montana will leverage more than $31 million to establish grants for child care centers to increase pay, expand capacity and offset tuition rates.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Financing Plan for Infrastructure Agreement Called into Question

Finance experts say the plan to pay for the infrastructure proposal, in part by clawing back unspent Covid relief funds, is unlikely to cover the full cost.

  • By Andrea Noble

How Governments Can Leverage Federal Funds to Partner With Local Nonprofits

The American Rescue Plan allows states and localities to funnel federal relief dollars to nonprofit organizations, which the National Council of Nonprofits says could be key to local economic recovery.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

This Week in Federal Funding

In the June 29 edition we give an update on the Treasury Department guidance for the American Rescue Plan Act aid to states and localities.

  • By Bill Lucia

Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan, Supported by State and Local Governments, Back on Track

President’s Biden walked back comments that he would not sign an infrastructure bill without a second Democrat-backed proposal. That irked Republicans who threatened to derail the agreement.

  • By Andrea Noble

Indiana Must Continue Federal Unemployment Payments, Judge Rules

The ruling is the latest development in a lawsuit over Gov. Eric Holcomb’s decision to prematurely curtail the state’s participation in the expanded benefits. More than two dozen states have made similar moves.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

More than $20M in Federal Funds Available for State-Based Insurance Marketplaces to Make Improvements

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services funding will help improve access and update systems to reflect new eligibility thresholds, state officials said.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram