Response & Recovery

Counties are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic response & recovery

Signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act includes $65.1 billion in direct, flexible aid to every county in America. The National Association of Counties (NACo) estimates that counties in Washington state will receive nearly $1.5 billion.

These funds will be available through December 31, 2024, and can be used for:

• Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Covering costs incurred from the public health emergency
• Replacing lost, related, or decreased revenues due to COVID-19
• Addressing the negative economic impacts on local businesses and nonprofits
• Making necessary investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure

The U.S. Department of the Treasury will oversee and administer these payments to state and local governments, and every county will be eligible to receive a direct allocation from Treasury. Counties will receive funds in two tranches – with 50 percent this year and the remaining 50 percent no earlier than 12 months from the first payment. The U.S. Treasury is required to pay the first tranche to counties no later than 60-days after enactment, and the second payment no earlier than 12 months after the first payment.

Counties run public health departments and so many other crucial on-the-scene services and programs. They are responsible for emergency operations centers, human services, jails, 911 services, veterans’ services, and more. All while continuing essential county functions like elections, land use and planning, road maintenance, transportation, and many more services we tend to take for granted.