Helping Tennessee Law Enforcement & First Responders Stay Safe
July 20, 2020
Memphis, TN - On March 27th the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES Act) legislation. Under Title V of the CARES Act, the Social Security Act was amended to establish the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF), a $150 billion appropriation used to make payments for specified uses to states, Tribal governments, territories, and large units of local government.
Tennessee received approximately $2.65 billion of those CRF dollars and the State is in the middle of allocating those funds. On July 20th, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee made an announcement stating how $115 million of additional Coronavirus Relief Funds were to be provided to local jurisdictions to support expenses incurred relating to the COVID-19 response.
The city of Memphis, Shelby County, along with the Nashville-Davidson metro government were allocated funds directly from the US Treasury due to having populations greater than 500,000. The State of Tennessee is making available funds from the State’s CRF balance to eligible local governments on a $15 per capita basis. These funds will be reserved for local governments that did not receive a direct CRF appropriation. These local governments are receiving funding directly from the State using the State's website for this purpose.
Allowable Uses for these CRF Funds
The Coronavirus pandemic has forced local law enforcement agencies to spend funds from their budgets for unanticipated costs related to cleaning and disinfecting their facilities, vehicles, and equipment in an effort to protect and prevent the further spread of the COVID-19 virus among other harmful pathogens. In the FAQ provided on the State's website, it specifically authorizes the reimbursement of these added costs from the CRF dollars. The FAQ states specifically under allowable expenses for Public Health the following:
Public Health
Question: Can a jurisdiction use Coronavirus Relief Fund for the additional cleaning and cleaning products to fight the virus at all of its facilities?
Answer: Yes, this would be an eligible cost as long as it is not a part of budgeted cleaning expenses (it would need to be above and beyond, they would need to provide documentation supporting this and it must be for COVID-19).
EcoProGuard has developed a program tailored specifically to the needs of local law enforcement and first responders. Using our program to disinfect will assist your department in maintaining the highest standard of care for your facilities, vehicles, and equipment. We will help you develop the proper written standards and protocols while implementing this disinfection safety plan. All of these costs are eligible for reimbursement from these CRF dollars.
Talk with us today about how we can help and assist you in seeking reimbursement.
Phone: (901) 300-4799
Email: info@ecoproguard.com