NCACC COVID-19 Response Efforts

    NCACC staff continues to work with local, state, and federal partners this week as counties continue vital work in response to the COVID-19 crisis:

• On Sunday, April 19, NCACC issued a federal call to action following a NACo briefing on Saturday, April 18. Thank you to our membership for your quick response on behalf of NC counties. While local government relief was not included in the Federal COVID-19 Phase 3.5 relief package, continued advocacy for future federal relief packages will be critical.
• On Tuesday, April 21, NCACC held a call with county managers that included a federal advocacy update from Jim McCleskey, Director of Governor Roy Cooper's Washington Office, and Leslie Mozingo, CEO and Owner of Strategics Consulting; as well as updates from NC DHHS and a question and answer session.
• On Wednesday, April 22, NCACC Executive Director Kevin Leonard participated in a virtual meeting with the Governor's COVID-19 Business Task Force Subgroup.
• On Friday, April 24, NCACC Government Relations Director Amber Harris moderated a call with US Congressman Richard Hudson and county officials in North Carolina's 8th District.
• NCACC staff continues to monitor state and federal briefings and updates, including the House Select COVID-19 Committee working groups at the NC General Assembly.

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COVID-19 Resource Page

    NCACC continues to compile resources aimed at aiding and addressing county issues related to COVID-19. That resource page can be found HERE.

• NEW: Access NCACC COVID-19 Revenue & Budget Updates Report for April 2020

    Click HERE for specific resources for Small Businesses and the Agriculture Industry.

    Executive Orders and Announcements

• Governor Cooper announced on Thursday through Executive Order 135 that he is extending the statewide stay-at-home order through Friday, May 8, at 5:00pm. The Governor also outlined a three-phase plan the state will follow to begin lifting restrictions.
• Governor Cooper announced on Friday that public schools on a traditional calendar will finish out the school year via remote learning. He also released a proposed COVID-19 response package with a budget of $1.4 billion in federal CARES funding, including $300 million in local government assistance.

    Partner Resources

• On-Demand Applicant Briefing Webinar for Local Governments
  
  Visit this website to access the on-demand applicant briefing webinar from the N.C. Division of Emergency Management and the UNC School of Government. The webinar provides instructions on how to register for FEMA reimbursement, general reimbursement eligibility of COVID-19 expenses, and federal procurement requirements. And register in the FEMA Grants Portal to apply for FEMA reimbursement HERE.
• New UNC School of Government Blog Posts for Employers
  
  The UNC School of Government has posted two recent blogs of interest to employers, including this post about Furloughing Employees during the COVID-19 Crisis and this post about Disclosing Information about Employees with COVID-19.
• Attorney General Grants Additional Two-Week Waiver for Executive Order 124 Reporting Requirement
  
  Following previous waivers, the Attorney General's office again announced it will waive the utility provider reporting requirement under Executive Order 124 for the weeks of April 20 and April 27. The Office will provide additional guidance on data required in a monthly report going forward.

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How Is Your County Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis?

    NCACC is seeking positive stories about innovative ways counties are responding and adapting to the COVID-19 crisis. Please contact communications@ncacc.org to share your county COVID-19 story.

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Federal & State Updates

Federal

    Additional Small Business Federal Assistance Package

    This week, Congress passed what has been termed the COVID "Phase 3.5" legislation, indicating that the $483 billion funding measure follows three previous packages, and a subsequent larger package may still materialize.

    The "Phase 3.5" measure provides $310 billion dollars for more SBA Paycheck Protection Program funding, $75 billion for hospitals, and $25 billion for COVID-19 testing.

    Missing from the legislation is much-needed additional funding for county governments and modifications to authorize states and local governments that received Coronavirus Relief Funds in the CARES Act to use those funds for general operations and services. NCACC, NACo, as well as other state and national organizations, advocated strongly for a previous Phase 3.5 proposal that would have provided $29.5 billion in direct funding to counties -- highlighting counties' role at the center of the response to the pandemic -- in addition to other state and local government funding. This $150 billion in funding did not make it into the legislation that eventually passed this week. NCACC will continue collaborating with federal partners and stakeholders to advocate for these needs.

    To hear more about the federal response to COVID-19 and the impact to counties, you can listen to this week's episode of CountyCast for a discussion with NCACC's federal consultant Leslie Mozingo and Jim McCleskey, D.C. Director for Governor Cooper's office.

    Supplemental U.S. Treasury Guidance on CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds

    The U.S. Treasury released additional guidance for state and local governments this week on the use of Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) money from the CARES Act. The guidance reiterates that CRF payments may cover necessary expenditures incurred between March 1, 2020 and December 30, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency and which were not accounted for in the government's most recent budget. This FAQ document clarifies that states receiving CRF payments are authorized to transfer funds to local governments, provided the local government expenditure meets the same qualifications. The State of North Carolina has received $2 billion in CRF funds.

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N.C. General Assembly

    House Select Committees on COVID-19 Continue to Meet This Week

    The House Select Committee on COVID-19 workgroups held their final meetings this week and approved draft legislation ahead of convening the 2020 legislative short session on April 28, 2020. Below are the highlights and links to documents for each working group meeting.

    Economic Support     The Economic Support Working Group met on Tuesday morning this week, hearing a presentation on internet activity and broadband availability during the COVID-19 pandemic from the North Carolina Department of Information Technology's Broadband Infrastructure Office. Click HERE for highlights of the presentation as well as updated draft legislation regarding small business emergency loans.

    Continuity of State Operations     The Continuity of State Operations Working Group met on Tuesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon this week and reviewed a comprehensive piece of draft legislation seeking to make various changes and provide relief due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many sections of the bill directly impact county government. Highlights of the draft legislation, titled COVID-19 Time Sensitive Matters, are available at this link.

    Health Care     The Health Care Working Group met on Thursday morning this week. The work group reviewed and approved two bills related to COVID-19. The first bill contains policy change recommendations by the work group. Click HERE to view highlights of that draft legislation.

    The second bill is funding recommendations for the health care industry related to COVID-19. Many of the funds allocated come from money received from the federal government's Coronavirus Relief Fund in the CARES Act. Click HERE to view highlights of that draft legislation.

    Education     The Education Working Group met on Thursday afternoon, hearing K-12 public school budget needs related to COVID-19 from the State Board of Education and Department of Public Instruction, as well budget needs related to higher education.

    The working group also reviewed and approved draft legislation providing relief to public schools and institutions of higher education due to COVID-19. Click HERE to view highlights of that draft legislation.

    What's Next?     The General Assembly is set to convene the 2020 legislative short session next week on Tuesday, April 28. Many of the bills discussed above will likely be filed and considered by the full General Assembly next week. Content of those bills may change as the House moves into discussions with the Senate to draft consensus legislation in order to keep business to a minimum once legislators return to Raleigh next week.

    Generally, appropriation bills related to COVID-19 were not discussed in detail in the working groups, aside from the Health Care Work Group, and it is likely a comprehensive appropriations bill, allocating funding from the federal CARES ACT, will be introduced and approved next week as well.

    NCACC urges our members to reach out to the House and Senate members of your local delegation, and communicate with them directly the challenges your county is facing during the course of the pandemic and how the General Assembly can provide relief or make statutory changes to help.

    At this time it is unclear how long legislators will be in Raleigh when the legislature reconvenes next week. It is likely the General Assembly will take up a few high priority bills next week and then adjourn until a later time in the summer to continue the short session.

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Good News

    Coping with Workplace Stressors:

    Spotlight on Henderson County's Award-Winning Behavioral Wellness Program for Employees

    In light of the many stressors associated with COVID-19 response, and the frontline work counties are doing, NCACC encourages counties to learn from each other and share best practices.

    This week, NCACC spotlights a program developed by Henderson County to offer behavioral health screenings for emergency medical personnel, law enforcement officers, social service and healthcare professionals, and other first responders. Henderson County's Behavioral Wellness Program, which received the 2019 Local Government Federal Credit Union Excellence in Innovation Award, provides behavioral health screenings, counseling, and peer support for employees who work in jobs with high behavioral health risks. To learn more about how Henderson County developed and implemented this program, click HERE.

    Henderson County Manager Steve Wyatt emphasizes the importance of the program, explaining "Our Behavioral Health Program (BHP) is an invaluable resource as we navigate the uncharted waters of COVID-19. The stress of battling this invisible enemy, day and night, permeates throughout Henderson County Government, but begins with our frontline paramedics and public health team. They deserve all of the support that we can muster, and BHP plays a major role in providing that support, on an individual, family or unit basis. It's a tangible effort, reminding them that they are not alone and that we are all in this together."