ACF-COVID-19-Stimulus

The President has signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748  (PDF)), which includes $6.3 billion in additional funding for ACF to respond to coronavirus related needs. We've highlighted those provisions below:

  • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program: $900 million in grants to states, territories and tribes to support immediate home energy assistance for low-income households affected by coronavirus.
  • Child Care and Development Block Grant: $3.5 billion in grants to states, territories and tribes for immediate assistance to child care providers to prevent them from going out of business and to otherwise support child care for families, including for healthcare workers, first responders, and others playing critical roles during this crisis.
  • Community Services Block Grant: $1 billion in grants to states, territories and tribes to provide a wide-range of social services and emergency assistance for those who need it most.
  • Head Start: $750 million, which includes up to $500 million for summer Head Start programs and the balance distributed to Head Start programs to help them respond to coronavirus-related needs of children and families.
  • Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs: $25 million for additional assistance to current grantees providing critical services and housing for runaway and homeless youth.
  • Family Violence Prevention and Services: $45 million to provide additional support to family violence shelters, and $2 million in additional support for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
  • Child Welfare Services: $45 million for grants to states, territories and tribes to support the child welfare needs of families during this crisis, and to help keep families together.
  • Federal Administration: $7 million for administrative support not otherwise provided for within specific program levels.
  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Child Care Entitlement, Health Profession Opportunity Grants, Personal Responsibility Education Program, and Sexual Risk Avoidance Education: Extension of current mandatory authorizations and appropriations for the entire FY 2020 and for the first two months of FY 2021.

ACF Specific Language

 

Program

Funding

Language

LIHEAP

$900,000,000

For an additional amount for ’’Low Income Home Energy Assistance’’, $900,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2021, to prevent, prepare for, or respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, for making payments under subsection (b) of section 2602 of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (4211 U.S.C. 8621 et seq.)

Of the amount provided under this heading in this Act, $225,000,000 shall be allocated as though the total appropriation for such payments for fiscal year 2020 was less than $1,975,000,000

Section 2607(b)(2)(B) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 8626(b)(2)(B)) shall not apply to funds made available under this heading in this Act in fiscal year 2020

Such amount is designated by the Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 21 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency

Deficit Control Act of 1985.

CCDBG

$3,500,000,000

Page 736:

For an additional amount for ’’Payments to States for the Child Care and Development Block Grant’’, $3,500,000,000, to remain available through September30, 2021, to prevent, prepare for, and respond to

coronavirus, domestically or internationally, including for federal administrative expenses, which shall be used to supplement, not supplant State, Territory, and Tribal general revenue funds for child care assistance for low-income families within the United States (including territories) without regard to requirements in sections 658E(c)(3)(D)—(E) or 658G of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act

Funds provided under this heading in this Act may be used to provide continued payments and assistance to child care providers in the case of decreased enrollment or closures related to coronavirus, and to assure they are able to remain open or reopen as appropriate and applicable

States, Territories, and Tribes are encouraged to place conditions on payments to child care providers that ensure that child care providers use a portion of funds received to continue to pay the salaries and wages of staff: Provided further, That the Secretary shall remind States that CCDBG State plans do not need to be amended prior to utilizing existing authorities in the CCDBG Act for the purposes provided herein

States, Territories, and Tribes are authorized to use funds appropriated under this heading in this Act to provide child care assistance to health care sector employees, emergency responders, sanitation workers, and other workers deemed essential during the response to coronavirus by public officials, without regard to the income eligibility requirements of section 658P(4) of such Act

Funds appropriated under this heading in this Act shall be available to eligible child care providers under section 658P(6) of the CCDBG Act, even if such providers were not receiving CCDBG assistance prior to the public health emergency as a result of the coronavirus, for the purposes of cleaning and sanitation, and other activities necessary to maintain or resume the operation of programs:

Payments made under this heading in this Act may be obligated in this fiscal year or the succeeding two fiscal years: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading in this Act may be made available to restore amounts, either directly or through reimbursement, for obligations incurred to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, prior to the date of enactment of this Act

Such amount is designated by the Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

CSBG

$1,000,000,000

Page 738 (Lines 9-23):

$1,000,000,000 for carrying out activities under sections 674 through 679 of the Community Services Block Grant Act, including for federal administrative expenses, and of which no part shall be subject to section 674(b)(3) of such Act

To the extent Community Services Block Grant fund are distributed as grant funds by a State to an eligible entity as provided under such Act, and have not been expended by such entity, they shall remain with such entity for carryover into the next two fiscal years for expenditure by such entity consistent with program purpose

For services furnished under such Act during fiscal years 2020 and 2021, States may apply the last sentence of section 673(2) of such Act by substituting ’’200 percent’’ for ’’125 p­ercent’’

Head Start

$750,000,000

Page 738 line 23 — Page 739 line 16

For making payments under the Head Start Act, including for Federal administrative expenses, and allocated in an amount that bears the same ratio to such portion as the number of enrolled children served by the agency involved bears to the number of enrolled children by all Head Start agencies.

None of the funds appropriated in this paragraph shall be included in the calculation of the ’’base grant’’ in subsequent fiscal years, as such term is defined in sections 640(a)(7)(A), 641A(h)(1)(B), or 645(d)(3) of the Head Start Act: Provided further, That funds appropriated in this paragraph are not subject to the allocation requirements of section 640(a) of the Head Start Act

Up to $500,000,000 shall be available for the purpose of operating supplemental summer programs through non-competitive grant supplements to existing grantee determined to be most ready to operate those programs by the Office of Head Start;

RHY

$25,000,000

Page 740, lines 3-8

Such amounts shall be used to supplement, not supplant, existing funds and shall be available without regard to matching requirements

FVPSA

$45,000,000

Page 740 line 8 — 25

Funds available to grantees without regard to matching requirements under section 306(c)(4) of such Act

The Secretary may make such funds available for providing temporary housing and assistance to victims of family, domestic, and dating violence

FVPSA Hotline

$2,000,000

Page 739 lines 16-20

The Secretary may make such funds available for providing hotline services remotely

Child Welfare Services

$45,000,000

Page 740 lines 8-15

For child welfare services as authorized by subpart 1 of part B of title IV of the Social Security Act (other than sections 426, 427, and 429 of such subpart), with such funds available to grantees without regard to matching requirements under section 424(a) of that Act or any applicable reductions in federal financial participation under section 424(f) of that Act

Fed Admin

$7,000,000

Page 740 lines 15-21

Funds appropriated under this heading in this Act may be made available to restore amounts, either directly or through reimbursement, for obligations incurred to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, prior to the date of enactment of this Act

TANF (extension)

 

Page 411 lines 13-22

Activities authorized by part A of title IV and section 1108(b) of the Social Security Act shall continue through November 30, 2020, in the manner authorized for fiscal year 2019, and out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are here by appropriated such sums as may be necessary for such purpose.

Enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP)

NA

Page 394-395

EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN STATES.—Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b), if on the date of enactment of this subsection, a State does not meet a requirement described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of subsection (b), the State may receive the increase to the Federal medical assistance percentage of the State described in sub4

section (a) if, not later than 30 days after such date of enactment, the State certifies to the Secretary of Health and Human Services that the State is unable to meet the requirement described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of subsection (b) (as applicable).’’

SRAE (extension)

 

Page 408-409

(A) in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)—(i) by striking ’’and 2019 and for the period beginning October 1, 2019, and ending May 22, 2020’’ and inserting ’’through 2020 and for the period beginning October 1, 2020, and ending November 30, 2020’’; and (ii) by striking ’’fiscal year 2020’’ and inserting ’’fiscal year 2021’’ (B) in paragraph (2)(A)— (i) by striking ’’and 2019 and for the period beginning October 1, 2019, and ending May 22, 2020’’ and inserting ’’through 2020 and for the period beginning October 1, 2020, and ending November 30, 2020’’; and (ii) by striking ’’fiscal year 2020’’ and inserting ’’fiscal year 2021’’; and (2) in subsection (f)(1), by striking ’’and 2019 and $48,287,671 for the period beginning October 1, 2019, and ending May 22, 2020’’ and inserting ’’through 2020, and for the period beginning on October 1, 2020, and ending on November 30, 2020, the amount equal to the pro rata portion of the amount appropriated for such period for fiscal year 2020’’.

PREP (extension)

 

Page 409-410

(i) in subparagraph (A), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking ’’2019 and for the period beginning October 1, 2019, and ending May 22, 2020’’ and inserting ’’2020 and for the period beginning October 1, 2020, and ending November 30, 2020’’; and (ii) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking by striking ’’October 1, 2019, and ending May 22, 2020’’ and inserting ’’October 1, 2020, and ending November 30, 2020’’; (2) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking ’’2019’’ each place it appears and inserting ’’2020’’; and (3) in subsection (f), by striking ’’2019 and $48,287,671 for the period beginning October 1, 2019, and ending May 22, 2020’’ and inserting ’’2020, and for the period beginning on October 1, 2020, and ending on November 30, 2020, the amount equal to the pro rata portion of the amount appropriated for such period for fiscal year 2020’’.

HPOG (extension)

 

Page 411 lines 1-12

Activities authorized by section 2008 of the Social Security Act shall continue through November 30, 2020, in the manner authorized for fiscal year 2019, and out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are hereby appropriated such sums as may be necessary for such purpose. Grants and payments may be made pursuant to this authority through the date so specified at the pro rata portion of the total amount authorized for such activities in fiscal year 2019.

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