CARES ACT

The nation’s top financial regulators told Congress Friday that threats to financial stability remain elevated even though the country has recovered from the worst economic shocks stemming from the COVID pandemic.

Federal Reserve officials agreed at their last meeting that if the economy continued to improve, they could start reducing their monthly bond purchases as soon as next month and bring them to an end by the middle of 2022.

The Senate parliamentarian has told Democrats that their newest proposal for helping millions of immigrants stay in the U.S. permanently could not be included in their $3.5 trillion social and environment bill.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is defending the ultra-low interest rate policies he has pursued since the pandemic decimated the economy more than 18 months ago.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says that President Joe Biden’s spending proposals represent will address long-overdue U.S. infrastructure needs and prepare the country to meet future challenges.

Two Jacksonville residents are accused of defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program and then trying to cover their tracks afterward.

A rental crisis spurred by the pandemic prompted many states to make bold promises to help renters, but most failed to deliver on them after Congress passed the sweeping CARES Act in March 2020.

The Supreme Court ruled Friday that hundreds of millions of dollars in coronavirus relief money tied up in court should benefit Alaska Natives rather than be spread more broadly among Native American tribes around the U.S. The justices ruled 6-3 in the case, which involved the massive pandemic relief package passed last year and signed into law by then-President Donald Trump.

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Clay County has received $6.6 million from the Department of the Treasury through the CARES Act to provide rental assistance to eligible households negatively impacted due to COVID-19 and the resulting economic impact. Applicants for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program must meet all criteria to be considered. Applications for Emergency Rental Assistance can be submitted online beginning Monday, March 22. “The CARES Act has made a big impact in Clay County for individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations providing food assistance to residents. And now, we are pleased to be able to offer emergency rental assistance to those struggling to pay for rental housing and utilities during this year-long economic crisis.” Clay County Board of County Commission Chairman Mike Cella said.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A Florida House panel looking at public-school funding is asking the state Department of Education for answers on how federal CARES Act money is being spent, and if those expenditures are tied to COVID-19 recovery. The clock is ticking for the state to disburse districts’ shares of the “CARES Act 1.0” money, as Kelly called it. He told lawmakers that those federal funds must be obligated to districts by May of this year, and districts will have until September 2022 to spend the money. To do that, Kelly told the panel that districts had to “collapse funds around critical services.”“For those students, those schools were spending more money on food services. Florida expects to receive $2.8 billion in federal K-12 stimulus funding through a second round of CARES Act money, which officials anticipate could be spent through September 2023.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than $2 million in JaxCares grant money has been paid out to help keep Jacksonville businesses and renters from being evicted. But hundreds more say they’re waiting on their landlords to uphold their end of the deal. But there are 782 people waiting on their landlord or mortgage company to fill out their part of the JaxCares application. Barnett says a wrong email addresses is one reason why a landlord or tenant may not have responded to the request. Yet some of the individuals who have contacted News4Jax say their landlord or mortgage company refuses to participate in the program.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded the Jacksonville Housing Authority $740,400 through the CARES Act to provide 100 vouchers to help Jacksonville residents avoid losing their homes. The CARES Act allowed HUD to allocate vouchers to public housing agencies like JHA to help them prevent, prepare for and respond to coronavirus in their communities. The Housing Authority says it plans to apply for more vouchers because of the need that exists in the city. There wasn’t enough housing, there’s not enough affordable housing to go around,” she said. The vouchers will fund residents with safe and sanitary housing for those facing homelessness.

The holdups mean a weekend session now appears virtually certain, and a top lawmaker warned that a government shutdown this weekend can't be ruled out. Now, Republicans are motivated chiefly to extend business subsidies and some jobless benefits, and provide money for schools and vaccines. The urgency was underscored Thursday by the weekly unemployment numbers, which revealed that 885,000 people applied for jobless benefits last week, the highest weekly total since September. Some Democrats also mourned the exclusion of a $500 million aid package to help states run their elections. The emerging package would combine the $900 billion in COVID-19 relief with a $1.4 trillion government-wide funding bill.

WASHINGTON – Congressional negotiators closed in Wednesday on a $900 billion COVID-19 economic relief package that would deliver additional help to businesses, $300 per week jobless checks, and $600 stimulus payments to most Americans. But lawmakers briefed on the outlines of the aid bill freely shared them. President-elect Joe Biden is eager for an aid package to prop up the economy and deliver direct aid to the jobless and hungry, even though the package falls short of what Democrats want. The frightening, record surge in COVID caseloads and deaths, combined with troubling economic indicators, however, is mandating an agreement, though the emerging package contains less economic stimulus than the March aid bill. With Congress otherwise getting ready to close up shop, lawmakers are eager to use the relief package to carry other unfinished business.

GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. – The community-based COVID-19 testing site in Green Cove Springs that has been funded by the CARES Act will shut down Dec. 22, Clay County Emergency Management announced Wednesday. The site at the Florida Department of Health Clay County on Idlewild Avenue has been a partnership of DOH-Clay and the county’s emergency management department. Clay emergency management said Clay County residents still have several options for COVID-19 testing. If you do not have a primary care physician, testing is available at urgent care centers and at CVS and Walgreens locations. All Clay County residents can also receive free COVID-19 testing at the state-funded location at the Regency Square Mall Sears parking lot at 9501 Arlington Expressway in Jacksonville.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – During a Tuesday night meeting, Jacksonville City Council voted in favor of a proposal to add more funding to a rent and eviction assistance program. An additional $1.5 million in funding was approved to help even more people that was initially offered. The additional $1.5 million is part of $6 million in CARES Act funding that needs to be distributed, which is intended to help small businesses and city assets. City Council said since residential applications opened last Thursday, there have been approximately 4,000 applicants to the CARES Act program by Monday. The City of Jacksonville is providing the money for the program.

The duo were the architects of the $1.8 trillion CARES Act, the landmark relief bill passed in March. Here are the top issues for the end-stage COVID-19 relief talks. ___JOBLESS BENEFITSThe CARES Act created a $600 per-week bonus COVID-19 unemployment benefit that sustained household incomes and consumer demand during the springtime shutdowns. House Democrats support the idea, but it is unpopular with many Senate Republicans and was left out of a scaled-back Senate GOP plan. ___LIABILITY SHIELDBusinesses reopening during the pandemic have for months been seeking a shield against lawsuits claiming negligence for COVID-19 outbreaks.

The duo were the architects of the $1.8 trillion CARES Act, the landmark relief bill passed in March. Here are the top issues for the end-stage COVID-19 relief talks. ___JOBLESS BENEFITSThe CARES Act created a $600 per-week bonus COVID-19 unemployment benefit that sustained household incomes and consumer demand during the springtime shutdowns. House Democrats support the idea, but it is unpopular with many Senate Republicans and was left out of a scaled-back Senate GOP plan. ___LIABILITY SHIELDBusinesses reopening during the pandemic have for months been seeking a shield against lawsuits claiming negligence for COVID-19 outbreaks.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Beginning Thursday, people facing eviction in Duval County can apply online to receive a portion of a $5.1 million stimulus. The money is part of the CARES Act and it will be given out on a first come, first served basis. The money is for both residential homeowners and businesses, however, Thursday will only be a residential application. LINK: List of requirements for eviction and foreclosure prevention programBusinesses will have to wait until next week to apply, and the money is expected to go fast. “Landlords should tell tenants that are behind that they should apply for this program,” explained Mayor Lenny Curry.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)WASHINGTON – Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is defending his decision to close down a number of emergency Federal Reserve loan programs at a time when coronavirus cases are surging. Mnuchin argued that the programs he decided not to extend into next year were being lightly utilized. He said the $455 billion allocated for those Fed loan programs could be better used elsewhere if Congress moved the funds into relief programs for small businesses and unemployed workers. “You appear to be trying to sabotage our economy on the way out the door,” Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, told Mnuchin. The Treasury and the Fed announced on Monday that four other lending programs the Fed has been using would be extended through March.

Faulting inaction in Washington, governors and state lawmakers are racing to get needed pandemic relief to small businesses, the unemployed, renters and others affected by the widening coronavirus outbreak. Funded through the CARES Act, it offered grants to small businesses, bars and restaurants, low-income renters, arts groups, and colleges and universities. “It’s shameful that they have not acted in Congress, especially (Senate Majority Leader Mitch) McConnell and the Republican Senate, to throw a lifeline to small businesses,” he said. Republicans have proposed a $300 million aid package to small businesses and nonprofits, but the legislation is stalled. “This isn’t like all the blue states are hurting and all the red states are humming along.

The Fed announced no new actions after its latest policy meeting but left the door open to provide further assistance in the coming months. Several Fed officials have expressed concern that Congress has failed so far to provide further aid for struggling individuals and businesses. But the Fed's policy statement, issued after a two-day meeting, made no mention of lawmakers' failure to act. A multi-trillion-dollar stimulus, enacted in the spring, had helped sustain jobless Americans and ailing businesses but has since expired. The Fed’s latest policy meeting coincided with an anxiety-ridden election week and an escalation of the virus across the country.

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – The Nassau County Commission has approved another round of CARES Act relief funds for rental and mortgage payments for residents who have been financially affected by the pandemic. For your application to be considered, it must be received by the Nassau CARES office no later than 5 p.m. on Nov. 30. Applications sent by mail or by FedEx should be addressed to Nassau CARES Application, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097. Please note if the carrier does not deliver by 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 30, your application will be ineligible. The incomplete information will need to be hand-delivered to the Nassau County, James S. Page Governmental Complex, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee, FL 32097 by the deadline.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Martinizing Dry Cleaning has opened its doors to the Jacksonville community for the last 18 years. “I wake up every morning my heart is pounding wondering is this going to be another day I stay in business or not." The only reason Olson says her doors are open right now is because of federal funding she received from the Paycheck Protection Program. She asked how another round of PPP funding would be used if Olson received it. Olson recently received an economic injury disaster loan that she will eventually have to pay back.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – City Council will be asked Tuesday night to transfer $5.3 million of CARES Act funding from the Vystar Small Business Relief program to fund a new Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Program. The program is designed to assist those individuals and businesses impacted by COVID-19 who are facing potential eviction or foreclosure. The program will be managed by The Jacksonville Bar Association Inc. The legislation, Ordinance 2020-0673, is expected to be voted on as an emergency. CARES Act funding, which came from the federal government, expires Dec. 30, 2020.

PALATKA, Fla. – Individual and household financial assistance is now available for Putnam County residents through the CARES Act. The grants provide up to $2,500 to help households impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program provides mortgage, rent and utility assistance and no repayment is required. Applicants must demonstrate financial hardship, provide documentation of the expenses they are requesting assistance with and be residents of Putnam County. Eligible Uses:Rent or mortgage payments for your primary residenceUtility payments associated with your primary residenceIneligible Uses:Fund utilization for any expenses other than household rental payments, household mortgage payments, or utility payments associated with your primary residence is prohibited.

(Drew Angerer/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned Tuesday that a tentative recovery from the pandemic recession could falter unless the federal government supplies additional economic support. Yet hours after Powell's remarks, President Donald Trump announced that he was cutting off talks with Democrats over a new economic aid package until after the November elections. But the U.S. economy still faces threats, and without further aid, those downward trends could still derail the recovery, Powell said. In recent months, in speeches and in testimony to Congress, Powell has repeatedly urged lawmakers to enact an additional economic aid package. “Still, since it appears that many will undergo extended periods of unemployment, there is likely to be a need for further support,” Powell said.

But a majority of the state’s 694 nursing homes have signed their own agreements with the company to resume staff testing and to allow resident testing, according to Curative CEO Fred Turner. The key question, however, is who is going to pay for the new round of testing at the 446 nursing homes that had signed memorandums of understanding with the testing firm as of Monday. Instead of billing the state for the test kits, Turner said the plan is to bill nursing home staff members' health-insurance companies for the costs of providing test kits and processing the results. Testing at nursing homes has been a high-profile issue during the pandemic, as COVID-19 has caused the deaths of more than 5,800 long-term care residents and staff members in Florida. The respiratory illness is particularly dangerous to seniors and people with underlying medical conditions — groups that fill nursing homes.

Mnuchin agreed that business loans and enhanced unemployment support would be good priorities for Congress to back in any new package. Pressed to state what the top priorities should be, Powell cited providing more support through the popular Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses and boosting unemployment benefits. The original relief package provided a $600-a-week federal unemployment benefit, on top of whatever jobless aid a state provides. Powell repeated his view that providing more support was essential to keep the economy on a sustained upturn. Mnuchin was pressed by some senators to further simplify government forms that businesses need to provide to qualify for having their Paycheck Protection Program loans forgiven.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried wants the state to be more open about how it plans to spend federal stimulus money received because of the coronavirus pandemic. Ron DeSantis on Friday, Fried requested a full accounting of federal “CARES Act” money the state has received so it can be discussed at a scheduled Sept. 22 Cabinet meeting. She noted that several states have used CARES Act dollars for school nutrition programs and would like some of the money Florida received to be “emergency relief” to schools and programs that provided lunches over the summer. The state Cabinet has met only once since Feb. 4, with a May 28 meeting held by phone. An agenda had not been posted on the Cabinet website as of Monday afternoon.

Financial assistance for mortgage payments, rental bills and utility expenses is available for residents of Woodbine and Kingsland who have suffered hardships from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To apply for the Kingsland and Woodbine COVID-19 CARES Relief Funding, citizens should visit Camden Connection’s website at www.camdenconnection.org to complete an intake survey. Following application submissions, Camden Connection’s COVID-19 Case Manager will contact individuals directly with information regarding next steps. There are no household income limits, but individuals must meet the following criteria to qualify:Must have a documented financial hardship attributed to COVID-19. Must have a verified address in the City of Kingsland or Woodbine, Georgia.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than one million Floridians are owed a combined $750 million from the CARES Act, according to the Florida Policy Institute. The Treasury Department and IRS began sending those payments in April, and within two months they sent out about 159 million payments. They can easily register to receive their payments using a tool for non-filers on the agency’s website. If you don’t have to file and do not plan to file a 2019 tax return, you can use the IRS’ non-filer’s tool. People who fit that bill but haven’t gotten their payments can use the Get My Payment tool to check on the status of their payments.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration awarded the funds in two grants to JTA. The $12.9 million grant awards are in addition to the $15.2 million CARES Act funding JTA previously received in May. JTA will use the grant funds for administrative expenses associated with its transit, passenger ferry and skyway operations. The CARES Act was signed by President Donald Trump on March 27. CARES Act funding can be used to cover 100 percent of these costs.

Ron DeSantis is making $250 million in CARES Act funding available to help families and individuals cover the cost of rent and mortgage payments. Those funds will be distributed through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC). County governments will share an additional $120 million to help those who don’t live in affordable housing but still need financial assistance. “There’s not enough affordable housing in Florida,” Price said. It’s unclear whether the governor intends to extend the eviction moratorium.

District applying for CARES Act reimbursement of applicable expensesIf you need help with WJXT’s or WCWJ's FCC public inspection file, call (904) 393-9801.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville is giving up to $2,000 to small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. “The actions we took as a city to flatten the curve of COVID-19 were successful, but also placed a heavy burden on small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout our community,” Mayor Lenny Curry said. While the application period does not open until Monday, small businesses are encouraged to create a MyJax business account before then. That website will be the same location where business owners can find applications for the relief program. Once on the site, follow the link for the “Small Business Relief Grant Program.”Eligible businesses can apply beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, June 8.

(CNN) – Nursing homes have no claim to their residents’ stimulus checks. The Federal Trade Commission reported that that nursing homes in several states are requesting residents sign over their stimulus checks. Here's why: The stimulus checks are considered tax credits per the CARES Act, which is providing economic relief to people and businesses. And if you're not sure whether you're being swindled, the FTC has a resource to identify common coronavirus scams. Some links may contain malware that can steal the user’s private information so scammers could claim their checks.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Even as millions of Americans wait for stimulus checks, a proposal is being floated to pay them even more. The $2 trillion measure passed last month contained billions in financial aid for people and businesses hurt by the outbreak. Unlike the CARES Act, for instance, the bill would issue payments to college students and people with disabilities even if they are claimed as dependents. The new legislation would also take into account the number of people without bank accounts or physical addresses and issue payments through a range of ways such as direct deposit, checks, pre-paid debit cards and mobile apps. “Many Ohioans are just receiving — or about to receive — the first cash payment we passed in the CARES Act,” Ryan said.