What $1.9T Coronavirus Relief Bill Means For Washington Residents

SEATTLE — The U.S. House of Representatives voted largely along party lines Wednesday to approve a final version of the American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill that includes direct payments, child tax allowances, and billions in funding for schools, transit, rental assistance and vaccination efforts.

According to the official vote tally, just one Democratic representative voted against the measure, joining all Republican members of the House. Washington's seven Democratic representatives voted yes on the plan, while the state's three Republican lawmakers voted no.

President Joe Biden indicated he would sign the legislation by the weekend, as previous unemployment benefits are set to expire.

When will the stimulus checks arrive?

Under the final version of the plan, individuals with an adjusted gross income up to $75,000 on last year's taxes will be eligible for the full $1,400 "survival checks." Payments will shrink for those who earned more, hitting zero at the $80,000 mark. The thresholds are double for married couples who jointly file their taxes. The cutoffs are lower than previous stimulus checks, with an estimated 12 million fewer Americans eligible this round.

One other change is the eligibility criteria for dependants, who now qualify for the payments at all ages.

As for the timeline, President Biden previously said stimulus funds will be released before the end of March. CNBC reports taxpayers who have received previous direct deposits from the IRS will see their funds first. Paper checks or debit cards will follow for those who do not have bank information on file with the U.S. Department of Treasury.

Unemployment assistance extended; new tax exemptions

Another key part of the relief bill is $300 in extended weekly unemployment assistance, which will continue through Sept. 6. The legislation also exempts $10,200 of unemployment funds paid in 2020 from federal taxes for households making less than $150,000.

Cami Feek, acting commissioner of the state Employment Security Department said she was grateful for the bill's passage and did not anticipate a lapse in jobless benefits.

"We know that these benefits provide a critical lifeline to hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians, and we're working quickly to implement the new measure," Feek said. "At this time, we do not expect there will be a gap in benefits for most claimants as long as they remain eligible and continue to submit weekly claims. However, it’s important for people to know that anytime there are changes to benefit programs, we need to navigate and resolve many complexities. Like all states, we must receive guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor to fully put these changes in place."

Other nationwide highlights

• Child tax credits: payments increase to $3,000 per child and $3,600 for children under six years old.
• Housing: $27.5 billion in emergency rental assistance funding, $10 billion in mortgage assistance and $5 billion for help with utility bills.
• Schools: Nearly $130 billion earmarked to assist K-12 schools with safe reopenings.
• Vaccines and testing: $47.8 billion for testing, contact tracing and mitigation efforts nationwide, plus $20 billion to stand up a national COVID-19 vaccination program quickly scale up distribution efforts.
• Small business grants: $28.6 billion to create a restaurant revitalization fund, $10 billion to support small business financing, and $7.25 billion to boost and expand PPP loans.
• SNAP/WIC: 15% boost to SNAP benefits through September, with expanded eligibility. WIC nutrition assistance will increase by $35 a month for fruits and vegetables.
• Transit: $30 billion in new investments for mass transit systems.
• Broadband: $7.1 billion in new funding to strengthen internet connectivity.

Money for Washington, counties and cities

• Overall the American Rescue Plan will send $7.1 billion to Washington state, including $437 million for King County and $176 million for Pierce County.
• City-specific funding includes:
• $239 million for Seattle
• $63 million for Tacoma
• $15 million for Lakewood
• $10 million for Olympia

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-District 7) welcomed the passage of the legislation Wednesday but said it was only the first step in providing much-needed economic aid.

"At an unprecedented moment in which one in seven families don’t have enough to eat and 40 million Americans struggle to stay in their homes, this relief package provides survival checks, expanded unemployment assistance, an increased child tax credit, investments in vaccine distribution, funding for nutrition and rental assistance, help for small businesses, and robust state and local funding," Jayapal said. "There is still more work to be done to help those in need, give workers a long-overdue raise, and lift people out of poverty but our aid package is a crucial down payment on the $3 to $4.5 trillion in stimulus funding necessary to fully recover from this crisis."