Monday, May 04, 2020

State treasurer announces first CARES Act payments have been processed

(From State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick)

Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick today announced the first CARES Act payments to local governments have been processed. The money should be available to local governments by Wednesday.

One hundred-six local governments submitted complete certification forms and have had their payments processed, totaling almost $468 million. Counties who have not submitted their forms are encouraged to do so expeditiously. Last week, Governor Parson approved the recommendation of the CARES Act Funding working group regarding the amount of money each local government would receive. Information about those amounts can be found here.

“The top priority of the working group has always been to work with Governor Parson to get CARES Act money distributed to Missouri’s local governments as efficiently as possible,” Treasurer Fitzpatrick said.








“Now our counties must work with cities and other political subdivisions to ensure that this money reaches those on the front lines—our health departments, healthcare workers, and first responders—to ensure they have the necessary resources to adequately respond to COVID-19.”

“We greatly appreciate the federal funds from the CARES Act and the work of Governor Parson and Treasurer Fitzpatrick to get this money distributed so quickly,” Dick Burke, Executive Director of the Missouri Association of Counties, said. “It is vitally important that our state’s local governments have these resources as soon as possible, and we thank the Governor and Treasurer for the confidence they have shown in our local elected officials.”

“States have been working diligently to process CARES Act funding payments to their local governments to help with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Shaun Snyder, Executive Director of the National Association of State Treasurers, said. “I commend the quick work done by Missouri to establish a certification form and interpret the guidelines set forth in state legislation so that essential workers can get the resources they need as soon as possible.”

On April 10, 2020, Governor Parson formed an informal working group, led by Treasurer Fitzpatrick, to make recommendations for the use of federal funding provided for COVID-19-related costs under the CARES Act. This advisory body is studying and analyzing the federal relief available to Missouri, its citizens, and businesses as well as identifying best practices and procedures to apply that relief.

Information about the CARES Act and the working group can be found at treasurer.mo.gov/COVID.

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