State gets $634M in COVID relief funds

CARSON CITY — A legislative committee Monday formally approved nearly $634 million in additional COVID-19 relief funds for Nevada, with nearly $509 million of it going to public and private schools across the state.

The balance, just less than $125 million, is targeted for statewide emergency rental assistance. Of the education funds, $477.3 million is general aid for K-12 public and charter schools and $31.4 million for school reopenings, technology and addressing learning loss. The allocation includes $19.4 million for non-public schools.

The federal aid comes in the second round of federal pandemic assistance approved in December. The Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee approved acceptance and allocation of all the funds unanimously Monday.

“This is $477 million that goes into our state’s education system, and at a time when we need it the most,” Sen. Chris Brooks, D-Las Vegas, the committee chair, said as lawmakers approved the largest allocation. “And just how flexible the purposes that we can use it for are — I mean, this is just an incredibly helpful to us at a time when we need it so greatly.”

Of the $477 million, nearly $346 million, or 81 percent, will go Clark County schools, the state’s largest district. Washoe County schools, the second largest, will receive nearly $35 million, or 8 percent. The state Public Charter School Authority will receive the third largest allocation of $22 million, or 5 percent.

The rental assistance funds are for those who demonstrate financial need to pay rent or utilities stemming from the pandemic and comes in addition to money received directly by housing agencies in Washoe and Clark counties. Clark County Social Services will receive $93.8 million of the new allocation, bringing its total to $162.7 million.

The Reno Housing Authority will receive $10 million, bringing its total to $24.3 million. The Nevada Rural Housing Authority will receive $14.8 million total.

With an additional $6.2 million allocated as contingency for additional costs, the total received by state housing entities directly or as a pass through from the state is $208 million.

Housing Division officials told lawmakers that the funds could help approximately 20,000 recipients.

Small business grants

The Assembly Committee on Ways and Means introduced a bill draft on Monday evening that would put another $50 million toward the state’s program to give grants to small businesses affected by the pandemic.

The state had previously put about $51 million into the program using federal COVID-19 relief dollars, which went to roughly 4,500 businesses and nonprofit organizations in the state.

Gov. Steve Sisolak announced the funding in his State of the State speech last month and called on lawmakers to take the funding up as one of the first pieces of legislation in the Legislature.

“Thousands of our small businesses need help, and they need it now. I look forward to ultimately signing this legislation so the State can work to get these funds directly into the hands of small business owners as quickly as possible,” Sisolak said in a statement.

Colton Lochhead contributed to this report.Contact Capital Bureau reporter Bill Dentzer at bdentzer@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DentzerNews on Twitter.