AFSCME Legislative Fact Sheet

The Congress adopted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act on March 27, 2020. The adopted bill is an improvement upon the initial bill proposed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Specifically, it provides $150 billion to state and local governments to fund response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This third infusion of needed support to communities and Americans impacted by the health crisis and economic fallout from COVID-19 is important, but Congress must still address the significant unmet needs created by COVID-19, especially fiscal issues that will soon confront governments at all levels as the economic effects of the pandemic are fully realized.
Among the additional needs Congress must address include:

• Significant increases in direct federal support for states and localities straining under increased demands for public services and huge reductions in revenues.
  
• Flexibility in the use of those funds to mitigate the severe economic impact of the coronavirus response on state and local government services.
  
• Addressing the shortage of personal protective equipment and medical supplies and the absence of an OSHA temporary emergency standard for infectious disease.
  

Click here to view AFSCME legislative fact sheet for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (H.R. 748)