March 15, 2021 | From City of New Orleans
City of New Orleans Updates Residents on Impacts, Timeline of American Rescue Plan Act
NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans today is updating residents on how the recently passed American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act will affect residents as part of the City’s response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 770 of its people.
"We were disappointed by the way the CARES Act funding was diluted and diverted at the State level, which forced the City to make very painful decisions to adjust to the new reality in our recovery heading toward the end of 2020. But there is now some relief on the way, thanks to teh new stimulus bill that was passed last week. We are grateful to the Biden administration and Congress for getting this passed and to ensure that much fo the funding meant for the City will go straight to the City," said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. "This is by no means a silver bullet or a panacea, but this funding will literally buy us time as we continue to ramp up our efforts to vaccinate every single on of our residents quickly and equitably, and it will aid us on our Road to Recoery."
While the ARP Act will provide $1,400 payments for most of the City's residents, it will also include:
- Expanded unemployment benefits - $300 a week until Sept. 6
- $1,400 stimulus checks per dependent
- Tax credits for households with and without kids
- $3,000 tax break for every child age 6 to 17
- $3,600 tax break for every child under 6 years old
- Expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit for people without children
There will also be dedicated funds for restaurants and bars, small businesses, housing assistance and more.
Payment information
The IRS is currently delivering the third round of stimulus checks. Most qualified Americans will receive payment without taking any action. If you registered using the IRS Non-Filers tool online last year or submitted a simplified tax return, they will calculate your payment based on that information. The IRS will also automatically send the payment to people who didn't file taxes but receive Social Security retirement, SSID, Railroad Retirement benefits, SSI or VA benefits. To check the status of your payment, please visit: www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment. To get more information about immeadiate relief, visit IRS.gov and click on “GET MY PAYMENT”.
Moving forward
City officials are still working to learn what the exact amount of money it will receive through legislation.
"We know that whatever amount the City receives, we will continue to be responsible stewards of public funds. Throughout the pandemic, as before, this Administration has demonstrated strong fiscal management. This is evident in our improved credit rating and how we have been able to move forward in this pandemic, making it difficult but fiscally responsible decisions to best manage our resources," said Gilbert Montaño, the City's Chief Administrative Officer. "This funding from the federal government is not a one-off bailout- we have to continue to think long-term, not just into next year, but the next three to five years. Due to COVID-19, the City will have a continued revenue shortfall for a whilie. But remember, we started taking action from the beginning - and that has set a foundation for our trajectory foward on our Road to Recovery."
City officials are working to confirm guidance from our Federal partners through related departments and agencies associated with each different piece of the legislation. So while there will be additional support previously provided by the CARES Act - most notably rental assistance and payroll protection - there will also be a range of support for child care, small businesses, mental and physical healthcare, education, water and energy, telecommunications and more.
"In the coming days, the City will be laying out more details about recovery plans, which will explain the City's vision for how we will rebuild our community after the COVID-19 pandemic to be better than before, and more resilient in terms of social, financial and economic development, and public health and safety," Mayor Cantrell said.
[LEARN MORE: To get more information about other resources as well as vaccine information, visit the “COVID-19 hub” at NOLA Ready]
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