In Washington 181,975 filed for unemployment insurance last week
This morning the state Employment Security Department reported that it received 181,975 new claims for unemployment insurance during the March 22-28 week. This is an increase of 53,013 over the 128,962 (revised) claims filed during the preceding week. The four-week moving average of claims is 82,910 39, up from 38,838 for the preceding week. We […]
Nationwide, 6,648,000 filed for unemployment insurance last week
The U.S. Department of Labor issued its weekly report on initial claims for unemployment insurance this morning. Nationwide, seasonally adjusted claims were a record 6,648,000. This was more than twice the (revised) number of claims for the previous week, 3,307,000, which had been the record. The 4-week moving average of seasonally adjusted claims was 2,612,000, […]
Gov. Inslee expected to veto some of the spending increases passed by the Legislature last month
The Legislature passed a 2020 supplemental budget last month that increases appropriations from funds subject to the outlook plus the workforce education investment account (NGFO+WEIA) by $975.8 million over original 2019–21 appropriations. Of that, $839.5 million is new policy (the rest represents the cost of continuing current services). This is on top of substantial spending […]
Paycheck protection loans and startups
As the Association of Washington Business writes, small businesses may apply for the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) beginning tomorrow. These forgivable loans were funded in the third federal aid bill and are meant to be used for payroll and other costs (more details here). Startups may not be eligible for these loans, according to […]
1st of April 2020
Funding for public schools and higher education in third federal aid bill
The third federal aid bill includes $30.75 billion for an education stabilization fund that will be split among states, elementary and secondary schools, and higher education institutions. This includes: $3.0 billion for emergency education relief grants to states. Governors will award funds to local educational agencies and higher education institutions that “have been most significantly […]
Given the economic downturn, Gov. Inslee vetoed some provisions in the transportation budget
Gov. Inslee signed the supplemental transportation budget yesterday, but he vetoed several sections. As passed by the Legislature, the budget appropriated $10.373 billion. (That’s an increase of $538.0 million over original 2019–21 appropriations.) Transportation budget writers were working under constraints imposed by the passage of I-976 last year. The Seattle Times reported, The $10.4 billion […]
Updates on the second federal aid bill’s UI and paid sick leave provisions
The $2 trillion federal aid bill enacted last week was the third bill related to COVID-19. The second aid bill, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, was signed March 18, 2020. It includes $1 billion in unemployment insurance administrative grants for states. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued guidance for state workforce agencies […]
31st of March 2020
Mortgage relief and eviction prohibitions in federal aid bill and in Washington state
The federal coronavirus aid bill includes provisions that provide mortgage relief and suspend evictions and foreclosures. First, borrowers with federally-backed mortgages on residential properties with one- to four-family occupancy who are “experiencing a financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 emergency may request forbearance.” The forbearance period would last for 180 days and […]
A bit of good news for state budget writers tucked into federal aid bill
Federal law requires states to make disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments to hospitals that serve high numbers of Medicaid and uninsured patients. The federal government provides an annual allotment to states for this purpose. (Washington’s preliminary allotment for FY 2019 was $212.9 million.) The Affordable Care Act (ACA) required these federal allotments to be reduced […]
30th of March 2020
Federal aid bill includes relief for airlines, workers
The federal coronavirus aid bill that was signed into law March 27 provides $25.0 billion for loans and loan guarantees for passenger air carriers, $4.0 billion for loans and loan guarantees for cargo air carriers, and $17.0 billion for loans and loan guarantees for “businesses critical to maintaining national security.” The duration of such loans […]