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-Information courtesy NC House Rep. Terry Garrison’s Sept. 2020 Newsletter
Terry Garrison, North Carolina House Representative for District 32, has released his latest update from the NC General Assembly.
In his September 2020 newsletter, Garrison said the North Carolina General Assembly recently approved its final round of COVID-19 relief for the year (HB 1105) unless additional funding is appropriated by the federal government.
Included in the bill:
- $50 increase in weekly unemployment insurance compensation
- $335 tax credit for families with children
- $52 million in funding for public schools
- $30 million in additional grants to expand high-speed Internet access
- $20 million in funding to stabilize operations at North Carolina museums, zoos, and other cultural attractions
- $6 million in direct assistance to food banks and nutritional programs
- $14 million for personal protective equipment (PPE)
- $13 million in assistance to farmers
- $13 million in funding for the UNC System
- $5 million in funding for community colleges
- $41 million for early childhood services
- $38 million for mental health services
- $59 million to expand COVID-19 testing and contact tracing
- $23 million for aging adult services
- $3.5 million for small business grants
According to Garrison, items missing from the bill include Medicaid expansion, pay increases/bonuses for teachers and public school employees, “significant” investment in public schools, small business assistant, long-term unemployment solutions and “significant” assistance to local governments.
Garrison said he ultimately voted Yes on HB 1105, explaining, “We have a strict deadline to finish spending the federal money we received for COVID-19, and there is much in the bill that is good and badly-needed right now. However, the items we failed to do are critically important and remain on the top of my ‘Must Do’ list for when we return to Raleigh in 2021.”
