The Legislature’s public hearings on how we ought to spend our coronavirus relief dollars must have been pushing Senators to join their House colleagues in calling for a Special Session. Rather than letting the Legislature seize the initiative while she’s out campaigning cross-country with Pillow Guy, Governor Kristi Noem woke up from her Michigan jet lag and called for a Special Session on Tuesday, October 5:
The legislature will meet on Monday, October 5, 2020, with the purpose of considering legislation related to the use of federal stimulus relief funds, including the $1.25 billion allocated to South Dakota in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF).
…Barring an extension, South Dakota has until December 30, 2020, to spend all CRF dollars. Some of the funds have already been allocated including $200 million for city and county government operations, more than $100 million for the Re-employment Insurance Fund, nearly $100 million for state public safety and public health officials, $75 million for K-12 schools, and more than $20 million for universities and technical colleges. Governor Noem also has proposed up to $400 million in small business grants and up to $100 million in grants to community-based healthcare providers [Office of the Governor, press release, 2020.09.21].
The Governor’s tally shows nearly $1 billion out of the $1.25 billion in CARES Act funds already allocated. Governor Noem has thus made sure the lioness’s share of that money goes to her priorities while leaving incumbent legislators just enough to dole out to their favored special interests before the election.
No word yet on whether the Legislature will convene safely and remotely, as most legislators did on our extended Veto Day on March 30, at the beginning of the pandemic.
Wanna bet how small the %age is that will go the people in real need v. SDGOP donors and cronies?
Ms. Geelsdottir, I bet 0% goes to the people, because I am sure there are probably a line of lobbists for every business under the moon and mars lined up with hats in hand to load up the gold.
Grudz, you are to have no interaction with me whatsoever in any way or form.
The American economy is in bad shape and we argue over peanuts, while Wall Street bankers get fatter.
“The American economy is in bad shape. Unemployment is at 8.4%, more than 1 million people are losing their jobs every week and retail sales appear to be slipping again after crashing this spring. According to a new Federal Reserve survey, 23% of households report that they are “just getting by” financially, or worse.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is causing tremendous human and economic hardship across the United States and around the world,” the Fed reported on Wednesday, as Chairman Jerome Powell pledged a sustained commitment to supporting economic recovery.
The central bank will have to be creative, because Congress has abandoned the field. On July 31, the last of the support for households and small businesses that lawmakers approved in the spring expired. Senate Republicans have decided to let us fend for ourselves.
But despite the Fed’s insistence on sustained economic support, Powell and the central bank have left one of their most powerful tools to rot during the pandemic: a $500 billion fund to help state and local governments weather the storm, which Congress authorized in March. Like other Fed rescue programs, the idea was for the fund to provide loans on generous terms ― only to governments, instead of corporations. These funds, in turn, would prevent them from having to make layoffs and cut public services amid a historic loss of tax revenue caused by the pandemic.” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/federal-reserve-ducking-responsibility-state-local-governments_n_5f650f9cc5b6de79b6749d51
Great article if you have the stomach for seeing the decline of America while the gangsters stuff their pockets on the way out.
Maybe wingnuts will finally notice the pandemic, like every other problem in this wingnut run country, is an excuse to redistribute wealth to the wealthy.
Hell, as far back as I can remember wingnuts have always given the wealthy special favors on taxes, even while damaging social welfare for the needy.