Today, the North Carolina House of Representatives passed its first major COVID-19 response bill. “There are a lot of people and small businesses hurting right now,” said Rep. Garrison. “I am proud to support a relief package that will help.”
House Bill 1043 passed the NC House today. It now goes to the NC Senate for its consideration. The NC Senate yesterday passed a bill with much lower levels of support for public schools, public health, and assistance to local areas.
There are a lot of good parts to our relief package, but here are a few highlights:
- $75 million in small business assistance loans through Golden LEAF
- $50 million for Private Protective Equipment (PPE) and other COVID-19 supplies
- $25 million for expanded testing and tracing needed to get NC back to work
- $125 million for grants to North Carolina hospitals
- $80 million to help local schools with school nutrition
- $82 million for remote K-12 learning
- $25 million for North Carolina’s community colleges
- $350 million for local governments struggling with COVID-19 costs
- $25 million to public health departments and rural providers
- $40 million for COVID-19 Medicaid costs
- $6 million to food banks
- $25 million for domestic violence shelters, housing, and adult/child protective services
- $25 million for rural and underserved areas hard hit by the epidemic
“I am glad to work across party lines to support this bill,” said Rep. Garrison. “It is not perfect, but will do a lot of good. I will keep working on needed long-term fixes that we did not address today like Medicaid Expansion, strengthening the unemployment system for laid-off workers, and improved family leave.”
Image Information: Coronavirus and shopping concept. Medical breathing mask and toy shopping trolley on blue background. Coronavirus concept top view. Copy space