The Nevada Legislature Building in Carson City on Tuesday, July 14, 2020.
Photo: David Calvert / The Nevada Independent
The legislative Interim Finance Committee on Wednesday approved a slew of work programs totaling just over $1 billion to spend the American Rescue Plan funding the state has received from the federal government.
The programs run the gamut from Early Childhood Education and mental health and disability services to modernizing the state’s unemployment insurance systems.
The total comes to just over $1.08 billion.
One of the largest pots of COVID cash through the American Rescue Plan Act is $373.4 million for unemployment compensation, and food security and related issues.
Another program commits $222.4 million to child assistance and development programs that will be run through the Children’s Cabinet and the Urban League to create a child care network for child care providers all the way from home-based providers to full scale child care businesses
IFC Chairman Sen. Chris Brooks, D-Las Vegas, praised the program saying: “One of the greatest obstacles to recovery is child care. I do not see how we have recovery until we have child care.”
Health and Human Service officials said many of those providers, including the tiny home care operations, are already registered and have attended town halls explaining how they can get funding, including money, to raise the pay of the health care workers they employ.
The Department of Education is receiving a number of chunks of the money including $53.5 million to address disruptions in learning caused by the pandemic. In addition, $8 million will fund projects individual teachers come up with to improve their students’ performance and $2.1 million to improve access to adult education and workforce development programs.
Funding to upgrade the unemployment insurance information systems totals $54 million.
The Low Income Energy Assistance program gets $6.72 million to expand the program that helps reduce energy bills for low-income households — primarily seniors.
IFC created a subcommittee to review spending of ARP Act funding and make sure it’s going to programs that are actually working.
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