The General Assembly was in session Wednesday through Saturday to begin appropriating money from the CARES Act. They’ll be back May 18 to possibly distribute more of the $3.5 billion slated for state government from the Coronavirus Relief Fund. Another $500 million will go directly to Wake County, Mecklenburg County and Charlotte, and Guilford County. Early indications are that the state will funnel another $1–$1.5 billion to other local governments, leaving roughly $2 billion for state government. For comparison, combined General Fund and state transportation funding is $27 billion
The legislature has designated $1.6 billion so far:
- $150 million for local governments to be defined later
- $470 million contingent on receiving flexibility from Congress to offset lost tax revenues:
- $150 to local governments
- $300 million to the Department of Transportation (mostly gas tax)
- $20 million for receipt-supported agencies
Of the other $1 billion:
- $230 million for K-12 schools, $75 million of that for school nutrition
- $89 million for community colleges, public universities, and private colleges/universities for the transition to online-education
- $110 million for vaccine development and antibody testing, mostly through public and private universities
- $95 million for hospitals
- $125 million for small business loans through a grant-making nonprofit first established to distribute tobacco settlement money
- $180 million in other new COVID-19 expenditures
Here is the legislation, which split policy changes from budget allocations, and a spreadsheet comparing the bills
Policy provisions
Money provisions
Policy provisions
Money provisions