Title: RISER Act
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Remove Impediments for a Successful Economic Recovery Act or the RISER Act
This bill extends the deadline for the use of sums from the Coronavirus Relief Fund for states or local governments that use such funds to respond to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency in accordance with a qualifying economic development plan until December 31, 2022 (currently, funds may be used for costs incurred through December 30, 2020). The plan must be approved by the state or the governing board of a university before December 30, 2020.
Such funds may be used, in accordance with such plan, for costs of the state or local government that are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency and were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of this bill's enactment.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4792 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4792

To extend the availability of Coronavirus Relief Fund payment funds for 
 States or governments that use such funds to respond to the COVID-19 
   public health emergency in accordance with a qualifying economic 
                           development plan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 1, 2020

Mr. Moran (for himself and Mr. Roberts) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To extend the availability of Coronavirus Relief Fund payment funds for 
 States or governments that use such funds to respond to the COVID-19 
   public health emergency in accordance with a qualifying economic 
                           development plan.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Remove Impediments for a Successful 
Economic Recovery Act'' or the ``RISER Act''.

SEC. 2. EXTENDED AVAILABILITY FOR CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND PAYMENTS USED 
              IN ACCORDANCE WITH A QUALIFYING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 
              PLAN.

    Section 601(d) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 801(d)) is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(d) Use of Funds; Availability.--
            ``(1) In general.--A State, Tribal government, and unit of 
        local government shall use the funds provided under a payment 
        made under this section to cover only those costs of the State, 
        Tribal government, or unit of local government 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 the date of enactment of this 
                section for the State or government; and
                    ``(C) subject to paragraph (2), were incurred 
                during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and 
                ends on December 30, 2020.
            ``(2) Extended availability for funds used in accordance 
        with a qualifying economic development plan.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding subparagraph (C) 
                of paragraph (1), funds provided under a payment made 
                under this section shall remain available to a State, 
                Tribal government, or unit of local government until 
                December 31, 2022, for obligation by the State or 
                government--
                            ``(i) for costs of the State or government 
                        that--
                                    ``(I) are necessary expenditures 
                                incurred due to the public health 
                                emergency with respect to the 
                                Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19); 
                                and
                                    ``(II) were not accounted for in 
                                the budget most recently approved as of 
                                the date of enactment of this section 
                                for the State or government; and
                            ``(ii) in accordance with a qualifying 
                        economic development plan.
                    ``(B) Availability.--Any funds obligated under 
                subparagraph (A) as of the date specified in such 
                subparagraph shall remain available until expended.
                    ``(C) Certification requirement.--In order to use 
                funds provided under a payment under this section in 
                accordance with this paragraph, a State, Tribal 
                government, or unit of local government shall provide 
                the Secretary with a certification signed by the Chief 
                Executive of the State or government that the proposed 
                uses of the funds under the qualifying economic 
                development plan are consistent with the requirements 
                of subparagraph (A)(i).
                    ``(D) Qualifying economic development plan.--For 
                purposes of subparagraph (A), the term `qualifying 
                economic development plan' means, with respect to a 
                State or government, a plan for using funds paid or 
                distributed to the State or government under this 
                section to respond to the COVID-19 public health 
                emergency, including by expanding access in a 
                technology neutral manner to broadband and telemedicine 
                services to unserved locations or consumers, that is 
                approved by the State or the governing board of a 
                university before December 30, 2020.''.
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