As the global and national response to the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, dominates public attention, state legislatures are taking steps to address budgetary and economic threats.
This page outlines state budget legislation to prepare and respond to the coronavirus through supplemental appropriations, rainy day fund transfers and economic measures.
Federal Action
On March 18, The Families First Coronavirus Aid Package was signed into law. The bill includes free virus testing for those uninsured, emergency paid sick leave, expanded family and medical leave programs, unemployment assistance, food aid and federal funding for Medicaid.
President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on March 13 in response to the coronavirus epidemic. The declaration allows the administration to utilize the Stafford Act, a federal law governing disaster-relief efforts. The declaration is expected to make $50 billion in emergency funding available to states and territories.
The emergency declaration follows an $8.3 billion emergency coronavirus aid package signed by the President on March 6. At least $1.05 billion of the previous aid package will go to state, local and tribal efforts through grants and cooperative agreements with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or as reimbursements from the federal government. The initial federal aid package was focused largely on public health concerns.To learn more about congressional appropriation to states, check out this NCSL Blog.
The Trump administration and Congress are currently working on a third coronavirus relief package. The proposed relief package, expected to reach nearly $2 trillion, is the biggest fiscal stimulus package in modern American history. The bill would infuse billions in direct payments to taxpayers, unemployment assistance, and loans for businesses. State and local governments will receive $150 billion to help them fund the costs of fighting the pandemic and recovery from inevitable battered tax-revenues. To learn more about the Congressional approved stimulus package, check out NCSL's summary.
State Action
Legislatures are moving quickly to ensure agencies and local governments have the funds to prepare and respond to the coronavirus outbreak. Several states have enacted legislation that either appropriates additional funding for coronavirus related tasks or authorizes a transfer of funds from the states rainy day fund. Below is a chart outlining state budget legislation in response to COVID-19. To learn more about enacted state budget legislation in response to COVID-19, check out this NCSL Blog.
NCSL's hosted a “COVID-19: Fiscal and Economic Issues” webinar that discussed options for states, an update on federal responses that may help states and their citizens navigate the pandemic, and what the economic crisis means for state governments. Click here to view the webinar.
For more Information on state budget and revenue actions, see NCSL's Coronavirus (COVID-19): State Budget Updates and Revenue Projections.
For more information on state actions, see NCSL's State Action on Coronavirus.
For more information on education responses, see NCSL's Public Education Response to Coronavirus.
For more information on public health and elections, see NCSL's COVID-19 and Elections.
Supplemental Appropriations
|
State
|
Bill
|
Summary
|
Progress |
|
Alabama
|
HB 186
|
Appropriates $5 million from the state’s general fund to the Department of Public Health to be used for preparedness and response activities relating to the coronavirus.
|
Enacted |
| Alaska |
HB 205 |
Part of a larger budget bill. Appropriates a sum of $88 million for COVID-19 emerrgency funding. Including $75 million transfered from the budget reserve fund to the Department of Health and Social Services; $5 million to the Disaster Relief Fund; $5 million to the Alaska Housing Finance Corporationl and $2.7 million to the Muncipality of Anchorage. |
To Governor |
|
Alaska
|
HB 206
|
Appropriates $4,091,100 from the general fund to the Department of Health and Social Services, division of public health, emergency programs, for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 if the cost of responding to and mitigating the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak in the state exceeds the amount appropriated through federal receipts.
|
Enacted |
|
Alaska
|
HB 234
|
Appropriates $8.5 million to the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development to pay for grants to municipalities impacted by commercial passenger vessel operations for responding and mitigating the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak for fiscal years 2020 and 2021. Appropriates an amount not to exceed $15,000,000 from the general fund to the Department of Health and Social Services to respond and mitigate the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak.
|
To Governor |
| Arizona |
SB 1690 |
Appropriates $50 million for fiscal year 2020 from the general fund to a newly established Crisis Contingency and Safety Net Fund. The fund will provide economic assistance during a state of emergency, including services to homelessness programs and food banks, economic assistance to small businesses, nonprofit organizations, health care providers. |
Enacted |
|
California
|
SB 117
|
Appropriates $100 million from the general fund to the Superintendent of Public Instruction to be apportioned to certain local educational agencies for purposes of purchasing personal protective equipment, or paying for supplies and labor related to cleaning school sites, or both.
|
Enacted |
|
California
|
SB 89
|
Amends the Budget Act of 2019 by appropriating $500 million from the general fund to be used for any purpose under the Governors proclamation of a state of emergency. The bill authorizes additional appropriations increments of $50 million, up to a total appropriation of $1 billion.
|
Enacted |
| Florida |
H 5001 |
Part of a larger appropriations bill. Makes a one-time appropriation of $25,150,000 from the General Revenue Fund is appropriated to the Department of Health in the Public Assistance State Operations appropriation category for fiscal year 2019-2020 to address the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. |
To Governor |
|
Hawaii
|
HB 1629
|
Makes appropriations from the general revenues of the State to support the Department of Health and the Department of Defense activities to detect, contain, mitigate, and respond to the coronavirus, or COVID-19
|
Pending |
|
Hawaii
|
SB 75
|
Appropriates a sum of $10.5 million out of the general revenues for fiscal year 2019 to the Department of Health, Department of Transportation, and the Department of Defense for the public health response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019, or COVID-19, outbreak. Authorizes the governor to approve transfer of these appropriated funds between agencies of the state, as necessary.
|
Pending |
|
Iowa
|
SF 2408
|
Creates emergency measures and supplemental appropriations across state agencies to combat the spread of COVID-19.
|
Enacted |
| Kansas |
SB 66 |
Part of a larger budget bill. Appropriates a sum of $65 million to coronavirus response funding. Fifty million will be directed to coronavirus expenditures and $15 million will be appropriated for emergency management related to the coronavirus. |
Enacted |
| Kansas |
SB 386 |
Appropriates $1 million to the Division of Public Health for coronavirus prevention. |
Pending |
|
Maine
|
HP 1516
|
One-time appropriation of $648,211 from the general fund to respond to COVID-19. Transfers $17,431,338 during fiscal year 2019-20 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus to the Maine Budget Stabilization Fund.
|
Enacted |
|
Maryland
|
SB 190
|
Part of a larger budget bill for fiscal year 2021. Makes a $10 million supplemental appropriation to the Department of Health for the current fiscal year to address coronavirus preparedness expenses.
|
To Governor |
|
Massachusetts
|
HB 4502
|
Appropriates $95,000 for the Executive Office of Education to contain, treat and prevent the coronavirus. This bill requires a report to the legislature by June 1, 2020, with recommendations if additional funds and action are needed.
|
Enacted |
|
Massachusetts
|
HB 4561
|
Appropriates $15 million from the general fund for the fiscal year 2020 to provide for supplementing certain existing appropriations and for certain other activities and projects.
|
Enacted |
|
Michigan
|
SB 151
|
Part of larger supplemental appropriations bill. One-time general fund appropriation of $25 million to the Department of Technology Management, and Budget in response to the coronavirus public health emergency. Federal revenues up to $50 million authorized by and available from the federal government for the COVID-19 public health emergency are appropriated to departments for state and local preparedness and response activities.
|
Enacted |
|
Michigan
|
HB 5631
|
Appropriates $10 million from the general fund to the pandemic outbreak fund within the State Treasury to pay for the costs related to the coronavirus.
|
Pending |
|
Michigan
|
HB 4729
|
A sum of $125 million in one-time appropriations from the general fund to the coronavirus public health emergency response. Fifty million will be directed to the Department of Health and Human Services, another $40 million will be directed to other Agencies and the remaining $35.0 million will be in reserve if additional funding is needed. |
Enacted |
|
Minnesota
|
SF 3813
|
Permits a onetime transfer by the commissioner of management and budget of $20,899,000 million from the general fund to the public health response contingency account, for a public health response related to a potential outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19.
|
Enacted |
|
Minnesota
|
SF 4334
|
Provides a one-time transfer of $200 million from the general fund to the public health response contingency account.The transfer breaks down as $50 million to deposit into the public health response contingency account and $150 million to the health care response fund.
|
Enacted |
| Minnesota |
HB 4531 |
Authorizes a sum of $330 million in coronavirus aid funding. The bill appropriates $200 million from the general fund into a newly created "COVID-19 Minnesota Fund." Other appropriations include, $6.2 million to COVID-19 related veteran assistance; $9 million for food shelves and food bank programs; $11 million for tribal nation grants; $26.5 million for emergency service grants; and transfers $40 million to the small business loan programs. |
Enacted |
|
Missouri
|
HB 2014
|
Appropriates $445,516 to the Office of Emergency Coordination to address coronavirus preparedness and response.
|
Pending |
|
New Jersey
|
AB 3839
|
Appropriates $20 million from the general fund to the Department of Education to support school facility cleaning and sanitation if a directive is given for a public health related closure of a school(s) due to a suspected exposure to the COVID-19 epidemic.
|
Pending |
|
New Jersey
|
AB 3856
|
Appropriates $10 million from the general fund for healthcare and residential facility sanitation due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
|
To Governor |
|
New York
|
SB 7919
|
Temporarily expands the definition of disaster in state law to include disease outbreak and permits the governor to issue any directive necessary to respond to a state disaster emergency. Makes an appropriation of $40 million from the State Purposes Account of the General Fund to the general, special revenue, capital projects, proprietary or fiduciary funds of any agency, department, or authority for services and expenses related to the coronavirus outbreak.
|
Enacted |
| Ohio |
HB 574 |
Appropriates $5 million to fund unemployment compensation. |
Pending |
| Ohio |
HB 592 |
Appropriates $10 million to the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. |
Pending |
| Pennsylvania |
HB 1232 |
Transfers $50 million from special funds under the Governor's jurisdiction to a restricted account for funding to health care facilities to buy medical equipment and supplies to address the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Enacted |
| Tennessee |
HB 2821 |
Part of a larger budget bill. Appropriates $150 million to a new emergency health and safety response fund. |
To Governor |
|
Utah
|
HB 3
|
Part of a larger supplemental appropriations bill, which includes an authorization for a one-time appropriation of up to $24 million from various general fund accounts, including the State Disaster Recovery Restricted Account and the Department of Public Safety Restricted Account for the purpose of disease response.
|
Enacted |
| Utah |
HB 494 |
Authorizes the Department of Administrative Services to transfer or divert money to another department, agency, institution, or division only for the purposes of providing a state response to the coronavirus. |
Enacted |
Rainy Day and Reserve Fund Transfers
|
State
|
Bill
|
Summary
|
Progress |
| Alaska |
HB 205 |
Part of a larger budget bill. Appropriates a sum of $88 million for COVID-19 emerrgency funding. Including $75 million transfered from the budget reserve fund to the Department of Health and Social Services; $5 million to the Disaster Relief Fund; $5 million to the Alaska Housing Finance Corporationl and $2.7 million to the Muncipality of Anchorage. |
To Governor |
|
Arizona
|
SB 1051
|
Appropriates up to $55 million from the budget stabilization fund to the public health emergencies fund to pay the expenses of public health emergency responses of this state following a state of emergency declaration by the governor related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
|
Enacted |
| Arkansas |
SB 2 a |
Creates a "COVID-19" Rainy Day Fund. Immediately transfers $173,610,632 from the General Allotment Reserve Fund to the COVID-19 Rainy Day Fund to provide for appropriations to offset revenue reductions and address needs created by the coronavirus. |
Enacted |
|
Georgia
|
HB 792
|
Transfers $100 million from the Revenue Shortfall Reserve to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
|
Enacted |
|
Idaho
|
SB 1430
|
Authorizes the Board of Examiners to direct the state controller to transfer certain unencumbered funds from the budget stabilization fund to the general fund to balance the state budget for fiscal year 2020 if necessary.
|
To Governor |
|
Maine
|
HP 1547
|
Permits the State Controller to transfer up to $11 million from the Reserve for General Fund Operating Capital to a COVID-19 response fund to address funding needs related to the novel coronavirus.
|
Enacted |
|
Maryland
|
SB 1079
|
Allows the governor to transfer by budget amendment up to $50 million from the Revenue Stabilization Account to fund costs associated with the coronavirus. Requires the governor to provide the Legislative Policy Committee with at least seven days for review and comment before transferring funds from the Account. Makes the act an emergency measure.
|
Enacted |
| Maryland |
SB 192 |
Authorizes the Governor to transfer by budget amendment up to $100 million from the Revenue Stabilization Account to fund costs associated with the coronavirus. |
To Governor |
| Nebraska |
LB 1198 |
Authorizes the State Treasurer to transfer $83,619,600 from the Cash Reserve Fund to the Governor's Emergency Cash fund, which will then be transferred to the Military Department for aid, related to COVID-19, in carrying out the goals for the Governor's Emergency Program. |
Enacted |
| Pennsylvania |
SB 1096 |
Authorizes deposits from table game taxes be made into the Small Business First Fund to be used for small business economic injury relief during the coronavirus identified in the Governor's Proclamation of Disaster Emergency. If table game licensee's are not conducting business, the bill authorizes deposits be made from the budget stabilization fund in an amount equal to the previous fiscal year receipts or table game taxes. |
Pending |
|
Washington
|
HB 2965
|
Authorizes an appropriation of $175 million from the state’s budget stabilization account to the state’s disaster response account. The bill then appropriates $175 million from the disaster response account to the office of financial management to distribute to state and local agencies to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. An additional $25 million is appropriated from the budget stabilization account for expenditure into the COVID-19 unemployment account.
|
Enacted |
Additional Resources