OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington state House has passed a bill that would allocate $2.2 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funding.
The bill passed the House late Monday and now moves to the Senate.
The Olympian reports the measure directs federal funding to an array of high-priority areas, including $668 million for K-12 schools using a funding formula tied to how many low-income families are in a district.
This as the Whatcom County Health Board is petitioning the Governor to accelerate the *re-opening of local businesses* now that holiday infection surges have passed.
Councilman Ben Elenbaas posted a letter signed by Council member Barry Buchanan and addressed to Governor Inslee requesting the county be moved to Phase II in the Roadmap To Recovery plan.
The letter cited concerns over lack of local input into the plan and what it calls “metrics that cannot be justified with science, risk, or equity.”
The post credited Whatcom County Health Department Director Erica Lautenbach as one of the letter authors, which Elenbaas reports was approved by the Health Board 6-0 Tuesday night.