Seitz Supports $14.4 Million in Local COVID-19 Relief Funding
COLUMBUS – State Rep. Bill Seitz (R-Green Township) today announced House Bill 614 has been signed into law. The legislation provides $650 million of federal CARES Act funding to local communities across Ohio for COVID-19 pandemic-related expenses.
The funding will be made available to counties, municipalities, and townships for expenses incurred between March 1st and the end of 2020. The aid is being distributed on a per-capita basis.
“Over recent months, we’ve seen the coronavirus pandemic migrate from dense metropolitan areas to the most rural parts of our state,” said Seitz. “The per-capita formula the most fair and equitable way to distribute these much-needed funds to local governments.”
Ohio’s six jurisdictions with populations over 500,000, which includes Hamilton County, are excluded because they already qualify for direct payments from the CARES Act. However, municipalities and townships within the county are still eligible for the following funding appropriated in the bill:
- Cheviot City – $295,817
- Cincinnati City – $10,952,704
- Delhi Township – $1,074,045
- Green Township – $2,128,271
H.B. 614 will also improve Ohio’s unemployment compensation system by creating the Unemployment Compensation Modernization and Improvement Council to evaluate the claim filing process and technological infrastructure.
Under the bill, the Auditor of State is required to examine and make recommendations on the efficiency of the process, and the Director of Job and Family Services is required to create a constituent referral system and strategic staffing plan to better serve Ohioans.
The House passed H.B. 614 on September 23, 2020. Due to an emergency clause, the legislation became effective immediately.