It may seem difficult right now for Congress to issue a fourth stimulus check, but that does not rule out the possibility. States have been doing all possible to guarantee that federal stimulus payments are dispersed.
President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan gave states a total of more than $200 billion to help them recover from the pandemic. Before the end of the year, states must complete distributing all of their funds. As a result, governors have already begun delivering stimulus checks to parts of their states that they believe need them the most.
Because the deadline for distributing the stimulus check money has been set for December 31, some states have already established processes that will allow them to distribute the money where it is most needed.
Which states distribute new stimulus checks?
Residents of Alaska will be eligible for additional funds through the Federal-State Extended Benefits Program, which will cover about 13 to 20 weeks of payments. Nonetheless, it will only apply to a few residents, and it will be contingent on how much money has already been claimed. California is now the first state to have issued its stimulus check using budget funds in the form of GSS, as per Digital Market News.
According to the rules, everyone earning between $30,000 and $75,000 per year is eligible for a $500 or $600 stimulus payment, with an additional $500 for families with dependent children. Residents in Colorado, on the other hand, will get $375, which will be distributed to those who have already received one unemployment payout in the previous year.
Several administrators and instructors in Florida have been given a $1,000 stimulus check, but things are still in the works. The idea in Georgia was very straightforward: administrators and full-time instructors would each get $1,000.
Per Yahoo Finance, those who received at least one unemployment benefit between March 15, 2020, and October 24, 2020, will get $375 from Colorado. Higher-income employees who get basic unemployment benefits of more than $500 per week are not eligible.
Maryland recently enacted legislation repealing all state and local taxes on unemployment benefits, as well as providing immediate stimulus payments of $500 to families and $300 to individuals who applied for the Earned Income Tax Credit.
New Mexico's state stimulus program has set aside $5 million for those who did not qualify for federal stimulus payments. The state of New York established a $2.1 billion fund for unauthorized workers who were ineligible to receive federal stimulus funds. You must be a resident of the state and have earned less than $26,208 in 2020 to be eligible.
Read Also: Two New $1,400 Stimulus Checks Are On Their Way; Are You Eligible for Both Payments?
States' cash bonuses
Many states have opted to utilize part of the federal money as teacher retention bonuses, as most schools are scheduled to start in-person this year. The incentives are also a way of saying "thank you" for the exceptionally difficult school year that most teachers endured.
Georgia has one of the most generous schemes as the governor approved $1,000 stimulus checks for all full-time teachers and administrators and $500 stimulus payments for part-time instructors. There is also a strategy in the works to provide for pre-K educators.
Although a retention incentive, similar to those offered in Georgia and Florida, has yet to be announced, Michigan did provide $500 hazard pay bonuses to teachers earlier this year. Tennessee's state legislature approved a law in June that eliminated a planned 2% increase for full-time teachers and replaced it with a $1,000 hazard pay bonus. Part-time instructors are eligible for a $500 payment. By the end of the year, all eligible persons will have received their payments.
Although the state of Texas has not approved a statewide retention bonus, several districts are assisting teachers. All district employees in Fort Worth and Arlington will see a 4% salary raise. Teachers in Denton and Mansfield will get a 2% increase. Employees in Denton will receive a $500 incentive while workers in Irving will receive a $2,000 payout when they return to the classroom in September.
Why another federal stimulus payment unlikely to happen?
A few states are using their own stimulus money or surpluses to support specific citizens, such as low-income families or teachers, with direct aid reaching over 25 million people beginning this month.
Simultaneously, many households have already depleted their third stimulus payments, which the IRS began issuing in March. Another factor that may have an impact on people's income is the termination of pandemic unemployment benefits on September 6, which will remove 7.5 million jobless individuals from the register.
According to Census survey data from late July to early August, around one in every four households in the United States struggled to pay their household costs in the previous week. Per CBS News, while some members of Congress have suggested a fourth stimulus check, it is unlikely at this time because the White House is focused on its infrastructure investments.
The Biden administration has also stated that unemployment benefits would not be extended beyond September 6; however, officials have stated that states may be able to utilize stimulus payments to prolong their programs.
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