NYSAC Summary of the American Rescue Plan
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FEDERAL COVID RELIEF:
FUNDING FOR NY COUNTIES
Since
NYSAC Summary of the
American Rescue Plan
MAY 2021
HON. JOHN F. MARREN Counties Working For You
President
515 Broadway, Suite 402
HON. MARCUS MOLINARO Albany, NY 12207
NYSCEA President
www.nysac.org
STEPHEN J. ACQUARIO
518-465-1473
Executive Director
®
Since
Executive Summary
On March 11th 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. leaders throughout this pandemic, and recognized the
signed the American Rescue Plan. This $1.9 trillion unique challenges and the vital role that county leaders,
COVID-19 relief bill makes unprecedented investments local health officials, local social service departments
in the programs critical to ending the pandemic and and all essential county workers played in fighting the
aiding a nationwide recovery. pandemic, reducing its impact and helping to restore
local economies.
On May 10, 2021, the U.S. Treasury released guidance
for the State and Local Recovery Fund. This summary
includes details from the guidance and is designed Key Components of the
to help county leaders better understand how this
federal funding can be used to support local recovery. American Rescue Plan
This coronavirus stimulus package includes funding The American Rescue Plan is over 600 pages long, and
for a national COVID-19 vaccination program, food includes
assistance, emergency childcare, small businesses, $1.9 trillion dollars of appropriations impacting dozens
unemployment benefits, rental assistance, public of state and federal agencies. The central focus for
transit funding to help schools re-open safely. counties is the $350 billion included for state and local
Most notably, the American Rescue Plan provides assistance. The bill includes
$65 billion in direct aid to counties – $2.28 billion • $200 billion for states & territories – allocated based
for New York’s 57 counties based on population and on unemployment levels
$1.6 billion for New York City – out of $350 billion
in emergency funding for state, local and territorial • $130 billion for counties and all other municipalities
governments. New York City will receive another $4.2 • $65B for counties – allocated based on
billion through CDBG formula funding. population, $65B for all other municipalities –
Funding from the American Rescue Plan can be used allocated on a modified CDBG formula
to respond to the public health emergency caused • $20 billion for Native American tribes
by the coronavirus as well as address the economic
The U.S. Treasury has created a dedicated website to
devastation that came with it, including assistance
assist local governments with administering the “State
to households, small businesses and nonprofits, aid
and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund.” This main landing
to impacted industries such as tourism, travel and
page can be accessed here: https://home.treasury.gov/
hospitality.
policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-state-local-and-tribal-
The funding may also be used to assist governments governments/state-and-local-fiscal-recovery-funds
in providing services and making investment in water,
The website provides the ability to register to receive
sewer and broadband infrastructure.
immediate updates from Treasury on new guidance FAQ
The inclusion of this critical local funding would material as it becomes available. Register for updates
not have happened without the sustained efforts here: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USTREAS/
of New York Senator Charles Schumer, the Senate subscriber/new?topic_id=USTREAS_1141
Majority Leader. He worked closely with county
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Eligible Uses
The American
Rescue Plan
• Response to the public health emergency with
respect to COVID-19 or its negative economic
impacts, including assistance to households, small
businesses and nonprofits, or aid to impacted
provides $2.28
industries such as tourism, travel and hospitality
billion for the 57
• Respond to workers performing essential work
during the COVID 19 public health emergency by
counties of
providing premium pay to eligible workers of the
county that are performing such essential work,
New York State.
or by providing grants to eligible employers that
have eligible workers who perform essential work.
• Provision of government services to the extent • Payroll and covered benefits for public health,
of the reduction in revenue of such state/county/ healthcare, human services, and public safety
locality staff to the extent that they work on the
• Investment in water, sewer or broadband COVID-19 response
infrastructure REPLACE PUBLIC SECTOR REVENUE LOSS
In addition to the four core spending areas above, • Ensure continuity of vital government services
NYSAC has also included a list developed by U.S. by filling budget shortfalls
Treasury to help you navigate some of the other
• Revenue loss is calculated relative to a
eligible and ineligible uses of funds.
counterfactual trend beginning with the last full
fiscal year pre-pandemic and adjusted annually
SUPPORT PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSE
for growth
• Services to contain and mitigate the spread
• Recipients may re-calculate Revenue loss at
of COVID-19, including vaccination, medical
multiple points during the program, supporting
expenses, testing, contact tracing, quarantine
those entities that experience revenue loss with
costs, capacity enhancements, and many related
a lag
activities
• Behavioral Healthcare Services including mental WATER & SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE
health or substance misuse treatment, crisis • Includes improvements to infrastructure
intervention, and related services such as building or upgrading facilities and
transmission, distribution, and storage systems
• Eligible uses aligned to Environmental
Protection Agency project categories for the
Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking
Water State Revolving Fund
NYSAC SPRING 2021 | 3
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EQUITY-FOCUSED SERVICES BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE
• Additional flexibility for the hardest-hit • Focus on household and businesses without
communities and families to address health access to broadband and those with connections
disparities, invest in housing, address educational that do not provide minimally acceptable speeds
disparities, and promote healthy childhood
• Fund projects that deliver reliable service with
environment
minimum 100 Mbps download / 100 Mbps
• Broadly applicable to Qualified Census Tracts, upload speeds unless impracticable
other disproportionately impacted areas, and
• Compliment broadband investments made
when provided by tribal governments
through the Capital Projects Fund
ADDRESS NEGATIVE ECONOMIC IMPACTS
INELIGIBLE USES
• Deliver assistance to workers and families,
• Changes that reduce net tax revenue must not
including support for unemployed workers, aid to
be offset with American Rescue plan funds
households, and survivors’ benefits for families of
COVID-19 victims • Extraordinary payments into a pension fund are
apprehended use of this funding
• Support small businesses with loans, grants, in-
kind assistance, and counseling programs • Other restrictions apply to eligible users
• Speed the recovery of impacted industries The examples listed above are not exhaustive all
including the tourism, travel, and hospitality terms, and conditions associated with the use of this
sectors funding and do not describe all the restrictions on
use that may apply.
• Rebuild public sector capacity by rehiring staff
replenishing state unemployment insurance funds
and implementing economic relief programs
Requesting Funding
PREMIUM PAY FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS For counties to receive direct funding from U.S.
• Provide premium pay to essential workers Treasury, the county must submit your request via
both directly and through grants to third-party the following portal here: https://home.treasury.gov/
employers policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-state-local-and-
tribal-governments/state-and-local-fiscal-recovery-fund/
• Prioritize low-and moderate-income workers who request-funding
face the greatest mismatch between employment-
related health risks and compensation For questions about the Treasury Submission
Portal or for technical support, please e-mail
• Key sectors include healthcare, grocery and food covidreliefitsupport@treasury.gov
services, education, childcare, sanitation, and
transit For general questions about the program, please
e-mail SLFRP@treasury.gov.
• Must be fully additive to a workers wages
4 | NYSAC SPRING 2021
Additional Public Health ($96B)
Components of the • $92 billion, testing and tracing, research, etc.
Includes $7.7 billion for state and local public health
American Rescue departments.
Plan • $4 billion for mental health and substance abuse.
Payments to Individuals
The bill includes $790 billion in payments to Medicaid ($10B)
individuals, including: • $9.3 billion – increase FMAP by 7.35% for 4 quarters
• $242 billion for unemployment benefits – for home and community-based services (Funds
extends multiple unemployment compensation can be sued to supplement, but not supplant state
programs through September 6, 2021 (Pandemic funds).
Unemployment Assistance (PUA), regular UI
benefits, extended UI benefits, etc.) +$300 above
the state insured amount to be paid during the Housing ($39B)
March 15th through September 6th period. In • $19 billion for rental assistance
addition, the first $10,200 would be exempt from
• $10 billion for mortgage assistance
federal taxation for joint filers under $150,000;
• $4.5 billion for LIHEAP
• $400 billion in recovery rebates – $1,400 checks
per person, plus $1,400 per child Income • $5 billion for homelessness services and supports
completely phaseout at $80k for an individual
filer ($160K join filers). Also expands child tax
credit from $2,000 to $3,000 with similar income Agriculture ($16 billion)
thresholds;
• For a variety of existing agricultural programs
• $21 billion for an expansion of EITC – Expands
FEMA, Transportation and
the earned income tax credit eligibility in 2021
Infrastructure ($90 billion)
and makes other minor adjustments on a
permanent basis; • $50 billion for FEMA
• $43 billion for health insurance subsidies – • $30 billion for transit aid
COBRA (100% federal subsidy on premiums); and • $8 billion for airports
• $83 billion to support multiple employer pension
plans experiencing fiscal shortfalls.
Small Business ($50 billion)
• $25 billion for restaurants
Support for Education
($220B) • $15 billion for Economic Injury Disaster Loans
• $129 billion K-12 (est. of $9.6 billion for NYS). • $7.25 billion – expanding PPP to certain nonprofits
and digital media companies
• $40 billion higher education (est. $2.8 billion for
NYS). • $1.25 billion for live performance venue operators
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County-Level Breakdown of Funding
The 57 counties of New York State and New York City received a total of $8.08 billion in funding from the
American Rescue Plan
Albany County $59,340,959 Orleans County $7,837,903
Allegany County $8,952,636 Oswego County $22,749,964
Broome County $37,000,061 Otsego County $11,555,818
Cattaraugus County $14,784,835 Putnam County $19,097,507
Cayuga County $14,873,990 Rensselaer County $30,828,334
Chautauqua County $24,649,420 Rockland County $63,280,694
Chemung County $16,210,350 Saratoga County $44,648,193
Chenango County $9,169,406 Schenectady County $30,165,010
Clinton County $15,633,268 Schoharie County $6,021,192
Columbia County $11,549,602 Schuyler County $3,458,801
Cortland County $9,242,051 Seneca County $6,607,209
Delaware County $8,572,706 St. Lawrence County $20,927,232
Dutchess County $57,148,397 Steuben County $18,526,253
Erie County $178,447,094 Suffolk County $286,812,434
Essex County $7,164,479 Sullivan County $14,651,782
Franklin County $9,716,187 Tioga County $9,362,868
Fulton County $10,369,022 Tompkins County $19,847,267
Genesee County $11,125,969 Ulster County $34,491,474
Greene County $9,165,716 Warren County $12,420,372
Hamilton County $857,756 Washington County $11,888,160
Herkimer County $11,910,497 Wayne County $17,465,517
Jefferson County $21,333,967 Westchester County $187,926,698
Lewis County $5,107,690 Wyoming County $7,742,143
Livingston County $12,220,307 Yates County $4,839,058
Madison County $13,779,458 New York City $5,878,895,712
Monroe County $144,080,127
Montgomery County $9,560,602 * NYC Receives funding based on population as
Nassau County $385,003,440 well as the CDBG formula funding.
Niagara County $40,650,387
Oneida County $44,416,661
Onondaga County $89,452,165
Ontario County $21,322,895
Orange County $74,770,082
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Conclusion
For more than a year, counties have been on the front lines of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,
standing up testing, operating tracing and quarantining operations, providing PPE to first responders; working
with businesses to help the economy reopen safely; and distributing vaccines to essential workers and vulnerable
populations. Counties accomplished this while simultaneously facing an economic quadruple threat of:
1. Declining local revenues, especially sales tax, but also hotel occupancy taxes, mortgage recording taxes, gaming
revenues, among other local fees;
2. Higher spending necessary to respond to the health emergency;
3. The loss of state reimbursement; and
4. The potential of significant losses for small businesses on our main streets that threatened jobs and the property
tax base over the short to mid- term.
In response to this unprecedented economic threat, counties have been consistent in their call for direct federal aid.
The American Rescue Plan is a massive step forward in addressing the challenges that face counties as they work to
eliminate the pandemic and get their local economies moving again.
By investing $65 billion in local governments nationwide, and over $8 billion for the counties of New York, the
American Rescue Plan invests in the local leaders, local health workers, emergency responders and local essential
employees who put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe and who will lead our communities to a
brighter and stronger future.
NYSAC SPRING 2021 | 7
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Counties Working For You
515 Broadway, Suite 402
Albany, NY 12207
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