Coronavirus County Relief and Stability Act

To amend title VI of the Social Security Act to establish the Coronavirus County Relief Fund, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Coronavirus County Relief and Stability Act 2. Coronavirus county relief fund Title VI of the Social Security Act (as added by section 5001 of the CARES Act ( Public Law 116–136 602. Coronavirus county relief fund (a) Appropriation Out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated for making payments to counties under this section, $36,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2020. (b) Authority To make payments Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall pay each county that submits the certification described in section (e) the amount determined for the county for fiscal year 2020 under subsection (c). (c) Payment amounts (1) In general The amount paid under this section for fiscal year 2020 to a county shall be an amount equal to the sum of— (A) $1,000,000; and (B) the amount equal to the relative population proportion amount determined under paragraph (2) for such fiscal year. (2) Relative population proportion amount For purposes of paragraph (1), the relative population proportion amount determined under this paragraph for a county for fiscal year 2020 is the product of— (A) the portion of the amount appropriated under subsection (a) for fiscal year 2020 remaining after taking into account amounts paid pursuant to paragraph (1)(A); and (B) the relative county population proportion (as defined in paragraph (3)). (3) Relative county population proportion defined For purposes of paragraph (2)(B), the term relative county population proportion (A) the population of the county; and (B) the total population of all counties. (4) Data For purposes of this subsection, the population of counties shall be determined based on the most recent year for which data are available from the Bureau of the Census and shall include all incorporated and unincorporated populations within the county. (d) Use of funds A county shall use the funds provided under a payment made under this section— (1) to cover only those costs of the county that— (A) are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19); (B) were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of February 29, 2020; and (C) were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and ends on December 30, 2020; and (2) to compensate for any direct loss of revenue to the county as a result of such public health emergency. (e) Certification In order to receive a payment under this section, a county shall provide the Secretary with a certification signed by the Chief Executive for the county that the county’s proposed uses of the funds are consistent with subsection (d). (f) Inspector general oversight; recoupment (1) Oversight authority The Inspector General of the Department of the Treasury shall conduct monitoring and oversight of the receipt, disbursement, and use of funds made available under this section. (2) Recoupment If the Inspector General of the Department of the Treasury determines that a county has failed to comply with subsection (d), the amount equal to the amount of funds used in violation of such subsection shall be booked as a debt of such entity owed to the Federal Government. Amounts recovered under this subsection shall be deposited into the general fund of the Treasury. (3) Appropriation Out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated to the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of the Treasury, $8,500,000 to carry out oversight and recoupment activities under this subsection. Amounts appropriated under the preceding sentence shall remain available until expended. (4) Authority of inspector general Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to diminish the authority of any Inspector General, including such authority as provided in the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.). (g) Definitions In this section: (1) County The term county (2) Secretary The term Secretary . 3. Reauthorization of payments in lieu of taxes program Section 6906 of title 31, United States Code, is amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by striking fiscal year 2019 each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025

Summary: Coronavirus County Relief and Stability Act This bill appropriates $36 billion for a Coronavirus County Relief Fund to make payments to counties to compensate for revenue lost and costs incurred as a result of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. Specifically, a county shall use the funds to compensate for direct loss of revenue due to the public health emergency or to cover its costs that are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency, were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of February 29, 2020, and were incurred from March 1, 2020-December 30, 2020. Each county shall receive a flat payment plus an amount based on its population. The bill provides funding for the Office of Inspector General of the Department of the Treasury to conduct monitoring and oversight of the receipt, disbursement, and use of such funds. The bill reauthorizes the payments in lieu of taxes program, which compensates local governments for tax revenue lost due to tax-exempt federal lands within their boundaries.