Garamendi Secures Critical Funding To Reopen Schools, Distribute Vaccines, Extend Unemployment Benefits, & Send $1,400 Stimulus Checks

Press release from the Office of Congressman John Garamendi:

March 10, 2021

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA03) voted to pass the Senate-amended “American Rescue Plan” (H.R.1319), in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law this week.

The legislation includes much-needed relief to:

• Put students safely back in classrooms
• Put vaccines in arms
• Put money in people’s pockets
• Put Americans back to work.

The bill includes funding to safely re-open schools, distribute vaccinations in every American community, send an additional $1,400 stimulus check to individuals, support small businesses, and extend unemployment benefits. The legislation codifies President Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan into law and includes funding to support specific COVID-19-related initiatives in Congressman Garamendi’s Congressional District.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is destroying lives, small businesses, and local communities across this nation as we enter the second year of its existence,” Garamendi said. “Tragically, over 500,000 American lives have been lost to this virus, and millions more have been infected and are facing long-term health complications. The virus has also disrupted the economic livelihoods of 18 million Americans, who must now count on expanded unemployment benefits that are extended in this bill to keep food on the table.

“Children are being kept out of the classroom as we enter a second school year of remote learning, and communities are struggling to provide essential services to their residents. Congress has worked in a bipartisan manner to provide relief along the way, and today I am pleased to vote for the American Rescue Plan: the boldest and strongest COVID-19 relief package to-date that provides much-needed support to put vaccines in arms, put children back in school, and put Americans back to work. The legislation provides much-needed funding for my Congressional District to address our specific needs in local health care, transportation, education, and other essential services,” Garamendi continued.

“The ‘American Rescue Plan’ also provides $1,400 in direct assistance to Americans, bringing the total—including the $600 down payment from December 2020—to $2,000 per person. The bill also provides direct housing and nutrition assistance, extends and expands unemployment insurance to ensure Americans who have lost their job during the pandemic can afford to pay their bills, and expands the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to support small businesses and their employees,” Garamendi continued.

“I’m pleased that this bill has passed Congress and is going to be signed into law to ensure the American people immediately receive the relief and support they deserve,” Garamendi continued.

--EDUCATION

The “American Rescue Plan” (H.R.1319) includes several different forms of federal financial assistance for Congressman Garamendi’s district. That includes a portion of the $128 billion in direct funding to school districts nationwide to support remote learning, help K-12 programs safely reopen, and address lost time in the classroom.

Garamendi secured the following funds for local school districts:

COUNTY (ESTIMATED FUNDING LEVEL):

California Statewide Total: $14,293,604,000

Colusa County

Colusa Unified School District: $1,640,000

Maxwell Unified School District: $374,000

Pierce Joint Unified School District: $2,144,000

Princeton Joint Unified School District: $207,000

Williams Unified School District: $1,536,000

Glenn County

Capay Joint Union Elementary School District: $271,000

Lake Elementary School District: $7,000

Stony Creek Joint Unified School District: $458,000

Willows Unified School District: $2,474,000

Orland Unified School District: $5,166,000

Lake County

Konocti Unified School District: $13,835,000

Lakeport Unified School District: $3,239,000

Lucerne Elementary School District: $944,000

Middletown Unified School District: $2,454,000

Upper Lake Unified School District: $2,848,000

Sacramento County

Elverta Joint Elementary School District: $382,000

Solano County

Dixon Unified School District: $5,435,000

Fairfield-Suisun School District: $25,885,000

River Delta Joint Unified School District: $2,807,000

Travis Unified School District: $1,368,000

Vacaville Unified School District: $9,288,000

Sutter County

Browns Elementary School District: $141,000

Live Oak Unified School District: $4,870,000

Marcum-Illinois Union Elementary School District: $14,000

Nuestro Elementary School District: $180,000

Winship Robbins Elementary School District: $137,000

Yuba City Unified School District: $28,520,000

Brittan Elementary School District: $448,000

Franklin Elementary School District: $332,000

Sutter Union High School District: $294,000

Pleasant Grove Joint Union Elementary School District: $146,000

Meridian Elementary School District: $9,000

East Nicolaus Joint Union High School District: $111,000

Yolo County

Davis Joint Unified School District: $6,269,000

Esparto Unified School District: $1,161,000

Washington Unified School District: $18,463,000

Winters Joint Unified School District: $1,551,000

Woodland Joint Unified School District: $20,403,000

Yuba County

Marysville Joint Unified School District: $33,907,000

Plumas Lake Elementary School District: $1,004,000

Wheatland Elementary School District: $1,374,000

Wheatland Union High School District: $605,000

Camptonville Union Elementary School District: $142,000

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SUPPORT FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS & ESSENTIAL SERVICES

The “American Rescue Plan” (H.R.1319) also includes direct federal financial relief to local communities to help cover budget shortfalls they’ve experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic so they can continue providing essential services. Garamendi secured the following funding for cities and counties in his district:

STATEWIDE TOTAL FOR CALIFORNIA (ESTIMATED FUNDING LEVELS): $42.634 billion

• State of California: $26.615 billion
• CA Local Governments: $16 billion

DIRECT FEDERAL RELIEF – CITIES (ESTIMATED FUNDING LEVEL):

Clearlake: $2,870,000

Colusa: $1,140,000

Dixon: $3,900,000

Davis: $18,550,000

Fairfield: $21,490,000

Isleton: $160,000

Live Oak: $1,680,000

Marysville: $2,350,000

Orland: $1,470,000

Rio Vista: $1,830,000

Sacramento: $121,610,000

Suisun City: $5,580,000

Vacaville: $12,590,000

Wheatland: $730,000

Williams: $1,020,000

Willows: $1,140,000

Winters: $1,380,000

Woodland: $12,800,000

Yuba City: $16,620,000

DIRECT FEDERAL RELIEF – COUNTIES (ESTIMATED FUNDING LEVEL):

Colusa: $4,180,000

Glenn: $5,510,000

Lake: $12,490,000

Sacramento: $301,010,000

Solano: $86,820,000

Sutter: $18,810,000

Yolo: $42,760,000

Yuba: $15,260,000

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LOCAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

The “American Rescue Plan” (H.R.1319) also provides new federal funding to state, county, and municipal transportation agencies throughout the nation to help them provide essential services like public busing, airport service, and commuter rail service. Garamendi secured new federal public transportation funding for the following cities in and around his district:

BY CITY (ESTIMATED FUNDING LEVEL):

California Unincorporated Areas: $27,104,027

Davis: $830,150

Fairfield: $2,527,694

Sacramento: $117,799,667

Vacaville: $787,979

Yuba City: $1,573,407

Additionally, Garamendi helped secure $47,713,005 to support Sacramento International Airport (SMF) and $192,813,293 to support San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

According to the Solano Transportation Authority (STA), the COVID-19 pandemic created budget shortfalls of:

• Fairfield: $2,795,361
• Vacaville: $894,922

These budget shortfalls resulted in a 45% reduction of service for the SolanoExpress transit service. The funding that Congressman Garamendi secured today will restore this funding to pre-pandemic levels and allow SolanoExpress to transport essential workers and frontline health care workers who rely on SolanoExpress for their commute.

Additionally, Yolo County Transportation District reported that the funds Congressman Garamendi secured will:

• Cover fare revenue shortfalls for Yolobus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic
• Fix Yolobus route and paratransit operating and capital costs associated with the redesign and reinstatement of transit services that were cut during the pandemic
• Increase peak hour service frequency of the main Yolobus intercity route

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“January 2021 saw the most COVID-19 deaths of any month since the start of the pandemic,” Garamendi continued. “There are also 9.8 million fewer jobs in the U.S. than there were right before the start of the pandemic. This aid is urgently needed to save lives, jobs, and the wellbeing of our cities, states, and citizens. I am pleased that the ‘American Rescue Plan’ is poised to become law, and I won’t rest until aid is in the American people’s hands and our communities recover,” Garamendi concluded.

The full text of the “American Rescue Plan” (H.R.1319) passed by Congress can be viewed here.

This press release was produced by the Office of Congressman John Garamendi. The views expressed here are the author’s own.