GOP lawmakers in NC negotiating COVID-19 relief stimulus checks for parents
Republican state lawmakers are planning to propose stimulus checks of hundreds of dollars to North Carolina parents as relief from costs during the coronavirus pandemic.
Sources in the legislature confirmed to The News & Observer that budget writers from the Senate and House are spending the weekend negotiating the proposal aimed at giving parents money to offset costs related to child care and virtual learning needs.
The majority of public schools started the year on Aug. 17 with remote instruction. The state’s Plan B allows a mix of remote and in-person learning with restrictions. Most local education boards decided to start virtually.
Two legislative sources told the N&O that lawmakers are negotiating the amount of the checks but plans are for at least $200. They are also negotiating whether the money would be paid out as a flat check per household or by number of children. The funding would be from the remainder of the federal CARES Act funding the state must spend by Dec. 30.
The stimulus check for parents is expected to come up for a vote next week.
Lawmakers are due back Wednesday for a session that is expected to last just a few days. However when the General Assembly last adjourned in the pre-dawn hours of June 26, the Sept. 2 date was set on the assumption that Congress would have determined how much flexibility state lawmakers have in spending the more than $900 million left.
According to the legislature’s fiscal research division, $351.5 million in federal money cannot be spent unless Congress amends the CARES Act to help states with their budget shortfalls. State lawmakers will be able to spend between $552.4 million and $903.9 million, depending on what the federal government decides. So the legislature could return yet again this year to spend the remainder of the money.
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 5:07 PM with the headline "GOP lawmakers in NC negotiating COVID-19 relief stimulus checks for parents."
.jpg)