SLS 20RS-1587 ORIGINAL
2020 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 65
BY SENATORS CLOUD, HENRY, TARVER AND W HITE
FUNDS/FUNDING. Expresses the intent of the legislature to allocate $200,000,000 of the
local government allocation from the CARES Act to small businesses, of which $25,000,000
shall be used for minority and women owned businesses.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To express the intent of the legislature to appropriate $200,000,000 of the local government
3 portion of the CARES Act funding for small businesses in Louisiana, of which
4 $25,000,000 shall be used for minority and women owned businesses.
5 WHEREAS, the Congress of the United States passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief,
6 and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) which was signed into law on March 27, 2020,
7 and which established the Coronavirus Relief Fund (Fund); and
8 WHEREAS, the CARES Act provides monetary assistance to state and local
9 governments and includes an allocation to the state of Louisiana from the Fund of over $1.8
10 billion; and
11 WHEREAS, the CARES Act provides that, of the amount allocated to each state, an
12 amount not to exceed forty-five percent may be directed to local governments; and
13 WHEREAS, it is anticipated that the CARES Act funding directed to local
14 governments will be appropriated according to a plan implemented by the legislature and
15 that local governments may submit evidence that they are due reimbursement for
16 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related expenses; and
17 WHEREAS, the CARES Act allows state and local governments to make payments
18 for programs that:
Page 1 of 3 SCR NO. 65
SLS 20RS-1587 ORIGINAL
1 (1) Are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with
2 respect to COVID-19.
3 (2) Were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27,
4 2020, for the state or local government.
5 (3) Were expenses incurred during the period beginning March 1, 2020, and ending
6 December 30, 2020; and
7 WHEREAS, the Guidance for State, Territorial, Local, and Tribal Governments
8 dated April 22, 2020 (Guidance), states that the requirement that expenditures be incurred
9 "due to" the public health emergency may include expenditures incurred to respond to
10 second-order effects of the emergency, such as providing economic support to those
11 suffering from employment or business interruptions due to COVID-19-related business
12 closures; and
13 WHEREAS, the Guidance states that eligible expenses include payment for expenses
14 associated with the provision of economic support in connection with the COVID-19 public
15 health emergency, such as expenditures related to the provision of grants to small businesses
16 to reimburse the costs of business interruption caused by required closures; and
17 WHEREAS, due to COVID-19, many small businesses were required to close and
18 were not able to conduct business during the approximately two-month period the state was
19 under quarantine, and thus suffered financially from business interruptions.
20 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
21 express its intent to include, as part of the plan for the appropriation of a portion of the
22 CARES Act funding for local governments, that $200,000,000 be used for small business
23 grants, of which $25,000,000 shall be used for minority and women owned small businesses.
24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
25 president of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the chairman of the
26 Senate Committee on Finance, and the chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations.
Page 2 of 3 SCR NO. 65
SLS 20RS-1587 ORIGINAL
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Martha S. Hess.
DIGEST
SCR 65 Original 2020 Regular Session Cloud
Expresses the intent of the legislature to allocate $200,000,000 of the local government
portion of the CARES Act funding for small businesses in Louisiana, of which $25,000,000
shall be used for minority and women owned small businesses.
Page 3 of 3