People and businesses are not the only recipients of federal funding through the CARES Act. Congress also doled out coronavirus relief funds directly to states. Here’s a look at how Virginia is spending its more than $3 billion allocation.
Unlike most other states, Virginia chose to hand over a large chunk of that money directly to localities.
“We’re allocating nearly 45-percent of it to local governments, roughly 1.3 billion dollars,” explained Governor Ralph Northam in a presentation to lawmakers last month. “We know that they are our partners and they need our help.”
Since then, Boards of Supervisors and City Councils have been making tough choices.
Roanoke County gave cash assistance directly to residents to help with rent and bills. Richmond City gave grants to small businesses. And Nelson County, in Central Virginia, is using the money to pay for high speed internet. Here’s Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Tommy Harvey.
“Well it’s life changing,” said Nelson County Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Tommy Harvey. “The kids, if they have to do their schooling at home, they have to have access to the internet. Moms and Dads can work at home on a lot of jobs with the internet.”
Virginia is still sitting on more than a billion dollars of its relief money. A spokesperson for the Governor says they’re finalizing plans to use much of it on COVID testing and contact tracing.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
