State Finance Chief: All Coronavirus Relief Money Will Be Spent
Agencies are scrambling to apply for Alabama’s coronavirus relief money. State Finance Director Kelly Butler during a media briefing Wednesday said his office has been working through a backlog of reimbursement requests from local governments sent out as late as September.
He gave assurances that local and state agencies that apply for reimbursements by the December 30 deadline will receive their funds, eventually. But the clock is ticking, and some local government leaders and nonprofits have complained the process is rife with red tape.
“The [U.S. Department of the] Treasury has said that if we have received a reimbursement request prior to the deadline, we will have a two to three month period to work out those prior bills as long as they were expenses incurred before December,” Butler said.
Butler said he’s confident the more than $800 million in remaining CARES Act relief money will be spent by the end of the month.
The state’s finance department is also working through nearly 30,000 applications for the state’s second round of coronavirus funding.
Butler said businesses, nonprofits and faith-based organizations have until Friday, December 4, to apply for their share of coronavirus relief money.
Alabama received nearly $2 billion dollars from Congress over the summer. Any unspent money will go back to the federal government.
Here are some of the NPR stories that had a big impact in 2024
From learning a new skill to prompting federal legislation, here are some of the ways people's lives were affected by the NPR Network's journalism this year.
50 wonderful things from 2024
Pop culture critic Linda Holmes has been making this annual list since 2010. Big, small, inspirational, silly — what these items have in common is that they are all wonderful and brought her joy.
The 2024 moments that will stick with us: Reflections from the Gulf States Newsroom
Our regional reporters reflect on delightful, discarded moments they had in the field as they covered stories across Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Israeli strike kills 5 Palestinian journalists in Gaza, officials say
An Israeli strike killed five Palestinian journalists outside a hospital in the Gaza Strip overnight, according to the Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it had targeted a group of militants.
Popeye, Tintin and more will enter the public domain in the new year
The copyrights of thousands of 20th-century films, books, compositions and sound recordings expire on Jan. 1, making them free for anyone to share and adapt. Here are some of the highlights.
Minn. Democratic party chair says his wins could help nationally after loss to Trump
Ken Martin helped turn around the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party's finances and secure a streak of statewide wins for the party over 18 years. Now, he wants to do the same thing for the Democratic National Committee.
