American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
On March 11, 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). ARPA is a federal stimulus package which provides $1.9 trillion in funding to address the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The stimulus package included $350 billion in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) to be distributed to state, local, and tribal entities to assist in their respective recovery efforts, and to be spent in accordance with COVID-19 protocols. North Carolina and its counties, municipalities, and tribal governments received $5.44 billion in SLFRF.
To address the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic within the community, Henderson County received $22.8 million in SLFRF. In a “Final Rule” published on January 27, 2022, the U.S. Treasury outlined the specific requirements that all awarded entities must follow in order to properly report and utilize the awarded funds.