TML Coronavirus Update

Urgent Updates

We hear that the League will no longer be sending these email updates. Where do we look to find information related to the pandemic and stimulus?

That’s correct. The League will no longer send the TML Coronavirus Update emails. After more than a year in which we’ve sent 183 email updates and amassed hundreds of pages of archives, the reduced volume of information no longer necessitates that we send these stand-alone emails.

In the future, all pandemic-related updates, including information about the American Rescue Plan’s city-related provisions, will be published in the League’s weekly Legislative Update Newsletter.

Further Updates

Where can I find archived issues of the TML Coronavirus Updates?

TML Coronavirus Updates from March 2020 through April 2021 will be archived by date here and by subject here.

Urgent Updates

What’s the latest with regard to American Recovery Plan Act payments to cities?

The money should start being distributed soon, and cities must take certain steps to be eligible. Last week, the United States Treasury Department posted online the steps that metropolitan cities and non-entitlement cities’ units must take to receive their grants from the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA). The following is taken directly from the Treasury site:

“[LARGE CITIES:]

As soon as possible, metropolitan cities (generally those in an MSA with a population of 50,000 or more) should take the steps below.

1. Ensure the entity has a valid DUNS number. A DUNS number is a unique nine-character number used to identify an organization and is issued by Dun & Bradstreet. The federal government uses the DUNS number to track how federal money is allocated. A DUNS number is required prior to registering with the SAM database, which is outlined below. Registering for a DUNS number is free of charge.

If an entity does not have a valid DUNS number, please visit https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/ or call 1-866-705-5711 to begin the registration process.

2. Ensure the entity has an active SAM registration. SAM is the official government-wide database to register with in order to do business with the U.S. government. All Federal financial assistance recipients must register on SAM.gov and renew their SAM registration annually to maintain an active status to be eligible to receive Federal financial assistance. There is no charge to register or maintain your entity SAM registration.

If an entity does not have an active SAM registration, please visit, SAM.gov to begin the entity registration or renewal process. Please note that SAM registration can take up to three weeks; delay in registering in SAM could impact timely payment of funds. Click here for a quick overview for SAM registration

3. Gather the entity's payment information, including:

-Entity Identification Number (EIN), name, and contact information

-Name and title of an authorized representative of the entity

-Financial institution information (e.g., routing and account number, financial institution name and contact information)

[SMALLER CITIES:]

Eligible non-entitlement cities (generally those under 50,000 population) will receive a distribution of funds from their respective state government. "Non-entitlement units of local government" are defined in 42 U.S.C. 5302(a)(5) that are not metropolitan cities.

For these non-entitlement units of local government, Treasury will allocate and pay funds to state governments, and the state will distribute funds to non-entitlement units of local government in proportion to population. Non-entitlement units must have a valid DUNS number to meet reporting requirements under the program. If an entity does not have a valid DUNS number, please visit https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/ or call 1-866-705-5711 to begin the registration process.”

Treasury has stated that program guidance for Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund will be released in the coming weeks.

Further Updates

Where can I find archived issues of the TML Coronavirus Updates?

TML Coronavirus Updates are archived by date here and by subject here.

Urgent Updates

Did the governor issue a new executive order?

Yes, he issued an executive order banning state agencies, political subdivisions, or organizations receiving public funds from creating “vaccine passports” or otherwise requiring proof of a COVID-19 vaccine in order to receive services. The governor said in a video accompanying the order’s release that:

“Government should not require any Texan to show proof of vaccination and reveal health information just to go about their daily lives. That is why I have issued an Executive Order that prohibits government-mandated vaccine passports in Texas. We will continue to vaccinate more Texans and protect public health — and we will do so without treading on Texans’ personal freedoms.”

State Rep. James White requested an attorney general opinion on the issue as well.

What additional information do you have about cities’ money allocations under the federal stimulus bill (the American Rescue Plan)?

We shared numbers as the bill was moving through the process, but the Congressional House Committee on Oversight continues to refine the estimates. The National League of Cities (NLC) has compiled the very latest estimates on a searchable web page.

NLC has also prepared a searchable summary of the American Rescue Plan’s city-related provisions.

Further Updates

Where can I find archived issues of the TML Coronavirus Updates?

TML Coronavirus Updates are archived by date here and by subject here.