On August 24, the House voted along party lines to adopt a budget resolution (S Con Res 14) that would allow President Joe Biden’s economic agenda to move forward. Specifically, the resolution includes budget reconciliation instructions for a $3.5 trillion economic package embodying a significant portion of the president’s American Families Plan. If Senate Democrats stay united, the reconciliation process will allow them to bypass the 60-vote threshold in the chamber and approve the multi-trillion spending bill without Republican support. The County's federal advocate will provide further comments about this matter at the meeting.
In addition to the budget resolution, the House approved legislation – the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 (HR 4) – to overhaul voting laws in the United States. Pursuant to HR 4, federal approval would be required before changes to voting practices could be implemented in states and localities with a recent history of voter discrimination, or if the changes fall into several categories that would be presumed to be discriminatory. The bill creates a new coverage formula to determine which states and local governments would be subject to an approval process for voting changes, known as “preclearance” under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. While the partisan measure only required a simple majority to pass the House, it will need 60 votes to clear the Senate, an unlikely prospect at this time.
Biden Administration Announces 100% FEMA Funding for COVID Emergency Expenses
On August 18, the Biden Administration announced that it would continue to offer 100 percent FEMA reimbursement for COVID-related emergency expenses, including California’s Project Roomkey. Governor Newsom praised the news, stating “Now, with 100 percent reimbursement from the federal government, California can continue our efforts to protect people experiencing homelessness and reduce the spread of COVID and its variants.”
Federal Government’s Extension of 100% Reimbursement of Project Roomkey
The federal government announced on August 18 that they will fully reimburse states for housing of at-risk populations, as well as for services such as emergency medical care and vaccination response. Since the start of Project Roomkey in April 2020, over 42,000 of California’s most vulnerable residents have been sheltered and a recent study concluded that there was an 81 percent success rate in the isolation/quarantine course.
California Prepares for Unemployment Benefits to Expire in September
The Newsom Administration announced efforts to encourage Californians to apply for public benefit programs as federal unemployment benefits are slated to expire in September. The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), Covered California, the Department of Managed Health Care, the Employment Development Department (EDD), Housing and Community Development, the Department of Social Services, and other state agencies and departments are working together to proactively continue helping people.
On September 4, most federal unemployment benefits will expire, including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Unemployment Emergency Compensation, the $300 federal supplement under the Federal Additional Compensation (also known as Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation), and Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation. One week later, the Federal-State Extended Duration will end.
State departments are working with stakeholders, counties, and partners across the state to help get the word out on social media about the many other vital benefit programs using the hashtag #TogetherWeBenefit.
Contra Costa County's department of Employment and Human Services distributed the following information:
California unemployment benefits will continue to be available, for those who are eligible. In addition, EHSD wants our community members to know that they may qualify for several vital programs to help cover food, housing, utility, and health care expenses, especially since the pandemic has been tough on many workers and their families. Please see the links and resources below, and help share this information with our community members through your networks.
Resources
Contra Costa County residents can visit EHSD.org to apply for public benefit programs on the Apply for Services page at https://ehsd.org/apply-for-services/.
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) notes that new federal support makes connecting eligible Californians to benefits even more important. California families and individuals receiving CalFresh benefits will soon receive a significant increase in food benefits. The American Rescue Plan and California Comeback Plan have substantially expanded other vital benefits that continue to help eligible California families:
- Cash aid and services for families with children (CalWORKs), as well as CalFresh food assistance and free health insurance (Medi-Cal) for families and individuals via MyBenefitsCalWIN (for Contra Costa County).
- Over $234 per person per month for food via CalFresh (GetCalFresh.org or by phone at 1-877-847-3663), whether a person is working or not.
- Money for rent and utilities—including 100 percent rent and utilities—via Housing is Key (HousingIsKey.com or by phone at 1-833-430-2122).
- Free or low-cost health insurance through Covered California or Medi-Cal (CoveredCA.com or by phone at 1-800-300-1506). Californians who received unemployment insurance in 2021 may be eligible for Covered California’s best coverage for $1 per month.
- Golden State Stimulus payments for millions of qualified residents who file taxes, even if not required (by phone at 1-800-845-6500).
Individuals already enrolled in Medi-Cal or a Covered California health plan should report changes in unemployment benefits because this could lower their health coverage costs.
EDD has resources to help claimants find jobs and get job training on its Returning to Work webpage. That includes CalJOBS, a no-cost virtual job center that includes more than a million job listings from private job boards and recruitment sites.
You can find a fact sheet (English & Spanish attached) with information about the end of federal unemployment benefits and key benefit programs still available in California on the EDD Federal Provisions for Unemployment webpage (fact sheet is also available in Armenian, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Tagalog, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese).
September 4th is the expiration date for most federal unemployment benefits, including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Pandemic Unemployment Emergency Compensation (PEUC), the $300 Federal Additional Compensation (PAC) (also known as Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)) supplement, and Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC). September 11, 2021, is the end of the Federal-State Extended Duration (FED-ED) extension. According to CDSS, over three million workers are receiving notices about these changes, with links to the other vital benefit programs that continue.
Community Services Block Grant Reauthorization
On August 31, 2021, several members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Contra Costa County's Rep. Mark DeSaulnier introduced HR 5129: The Community Services Block Grant Modernization Act of 2021. This legislation is of vital interest to the Employment and Human Services Department.
HIGHLIGHTS OF HR 5129
- Reauthorizes the CSBG Act for 10 years – the longest reauthorization in CSBG history.
- Authorizes appropriations of $1 billion per year for the first five years and “such sums as necessary” for the next five years.
- Permanently requires all states to adopt 200% of poverty as the income eligibility level for CSBG.
- Raises minimum state allocation to ¾ of 1% (from ½ of 1%), to be triggered when funding reaches a level that no states are disadvantaged compared to current levels.
- Requires HHS and states to make timely grant awards; HHS to make funds available for expenditure by states within 30 days after a fiscal quarter begins, and states to make subgrants available for expenditure by eligible entities within 30 days of receiving their allocation from HHS.
- Requires states to make advance payments to eligible entities.
- Creates a federally administered Community Action Innovations Program to invigorate the network’s historic commitment to testing new approaches to reducing poverty.
- Authorizes Broadband Navigator Projects as a new federal discretionary program available exclusively to Community Action Agencies.
- Aligns voter registration provisions with Head Start; agencies may allow facilities to be used by nonpartisan organizations for federal voter registration activities.
- Requires HHS to promulgate regulations with formal public input on CSBG elements including state plans, community action plans, state monitoring of eligible entities and annual state reports to HHS.
- Streamlines and focuses state plans on essential elements of CSBG; requires states to submit state plans to HHS – for approval – at least 60 days before the fiscal year and requires HHS to notify states of approval or disapproval within 45 days of receiving the plan.
- Strengthens local control and responsiveness to local needs through agency-wide strategic plans that set goals for meeting needs identified in a comprehensive community needs assessment and community action plans that describe use of CSBG funds to meet identified needs.
- Strengthens tripartite boards through specified operations, duties and required expertise and clarifies that “remaining” board members (after low-income representatives and public officials) represent significant local private groups.
- Protects nonprofit nature of Community Action; prohibits new public agencies (grandfathers existing public agencies); provides for privatization of existing public agencies and for mergers of existing nonprofit agencies when communities would be better served.
- Targets federal and state training and technical assistance on activities to improve management, capacity and performance of network agencies and to support innovation; increases federal training and technical assistance resources available for network organizations, including national and state associations.
- Maintains strong focus on performance measurement and performance management; requires states and eligible entities to participate in a results-oriented performance measurement system that meets HHS requirements, and requires HHS to issue guidance on state and local performance measurement systems, which may include one or more model systems.
- Requires states to report to HHS on state and local performance, including how states and eligible entities implement results-oriented management; and requires HHS to report to Congress, including on the Department’s own performance in carrying out critical roles and responsibilities.
- Promotes accountability through federal evaluations of states and state monitoring of eligible entities, with corrective action requirements, technical assistance and enforcement provisions that allow withholding of funds to states and direct payment to eligible entities in case of state noncompliance, and withholding of funds and termination of designation in case of eligible entity noncompliance.
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