Cook’s bill would provide every U.S. county with $1M for pandemic-impacted services

U.S. Rep. Paul Cook (R-CA) on June 4 sponsored a bipartisan bill to establish the Coronavirus County Relief Fund to ensure that every U.S. county, regardless of size, would receive $1 million to support critical services that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Unfortunately, our small and midsize counties haven’t received the aid they need to effectively combat the effects of the COVID-19 public health emergency,” Rep. Cook said. “This legislation will ensure that both large counties like San Bernardino and smaller counties like Inyo and Mono get the funding they need to address this public health crisis.”

Rep. Cook introduced the Coronavirus County Relief and Stability Act, H.R. 7090, with lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA), which also would provide additional funds distributed based on population to support services such as public health departments, first responders and agencies that care for seniors citizens.

“All our counties, regardless of size, are expected to provide the same critical services and follow the same protocols that larger counties are implementing to slow the spread of coronavirus,” said Rep. Cook. “However, the vast majority of counties in California have been forced to do so without direct federal assistance.”

Previous legislation provided direct assistance to larger local governments with populations greater than 500,000 people, leaving 42 counties in California without the same funding, according to Rep. Cook’s office, which added that Rep. Cook and several colleagues also this month sent a letter to leaders in Congress requesting that any additional COVID-19 aid packages also include direct assistance for these counties.

“The federal government has a responsibility to step in and assist local governments, which have found themselves on the edge of bankruptcy through no fault of their own,” said Rep. Carbajal. “We’re in the midst of a global pandemic and there is no time for political gridlock.”