Supporting Stimulus Funding for COVID-19 Response and Recovery

Adopted at the 88th Annual Meeting in 2020

  • WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused dramatic harm to cities across the country - from loss of life to unemployment, and shuttered businesses; and

    WHEREAS, in some places no city block has been left untouched by the pandemic; and

    WHEREAS, cities are on the front lines of the response to the pandemic; and

    WHEREAS, to keep residents safe, cities have implemented social distancing measures, encouraged or mandated telework, and shuttered non-essential businesses in accordance with federal guidelines and recommendations; and

    WHEREAS, cities have lost billions of dollars in revenue as a result of taking these protective measures; and

    WHEREAS, cities have faced enormous costs in mounting a response to the pandemic, including for personal protective equipment, medical personnel, and food for residents; and

    WHEREAS, increased unemployment insurance has aided many of our residents, many will continue to need this financial support; and

    WHEREAS, unemployment is leading food and feeding programs to be stressed to the max, especially as grocery store shelves remain empty in some places; and

    WHEREAS, students, families, and school districts are struggling with remote learning and the lack of internet access and technology; and

    WHEREAS, many residents are struggling to pay rent due to loss of income and the current economic distress; and

    WHEREAS, studies project 65,000 additional "deaths of despair" due to the "virus-induced recession,"

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors urges Congress to provide additional direct local aid of at least $250 billion for cities for lost revenue and expenses, and language to ensure all cities can receive direct funding allocations; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports paid leave for all workers during the pandemic and the enactments of permanent paid leave for all workers; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports the extension of unemployment benefits through the pandemic; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors calls on Congress to provide a fund for hazard pay for frontline and essential workers; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors calls for increased funding for housing and rental assistance programs like Section 8, public housing, and homelessness; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors calls for extending the Federal Reserve's municipal lending facility to notes with a 10 or 20 year maturity; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors calls on the Administration to increase FEMA's federal cost-share to 100% for COVID-19 disaster declarations; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors calls for increase education funding to support students, teachers, and school districts in tele-learning and the forthcoming school year; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports the allocation and distribution of funds from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund to public schools and non-public schools using poverty and residency considerations; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports funding to provide assistance to low-income households to pay for water and utilities; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports a creation of a federal fund to provide ‘line of duty' death benefits to municipal workers, first responders, and medical personnel who lost their lives to COVID-19; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports the creation of a national testing and contact tracing strategy and program that is federally supported and can be flexibly adapted to local conditions; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports increasing federal funding for mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programming, with a set aside for localities, to ensure our communities and health care providers have the resources to take care of our most vulnerable; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports increasing food stability programs during the pandemic, including:
    • Increasing flexibility in the SNAP programs and increasing the benefits per household;
    • Providing an increase in Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC) benefits and loosening rules around eligible products;
    • Increasing funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP);
    • Additional funding to provide emergency financial relief to school meal providers and USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program; and
    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors calls for increased transit funding to ensure networks can be maintained and essential workers can get to work; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports the "Don't Break Up the T-Band Act," and urges Congress to act swiftly; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports increasing the Medicaid Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage by at least 7 percentage points, and increasing the Disproportionate Share payments for safety net providers; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports ensuring hospital and healthcare funding is primarily directed to safety net providers and those treating large numbers of COVID-19 cases; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors strongly supports the policy that federal funding be directly allocated to cities, as opposed to being distributed through states. Further, the Conference urges that any funding legislation ensure states cannot supplant funds intended for cities.
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