Governor Andy Beshear provided a preliminary breakdown of how the next round of CARES Act money passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump will be spent in Kentucky next year.
While not providing an overall total, he did say the largest part will be the $600 direct payment to U.S. residents, which represents $2.2 billion. Beshear said if the $2,000 direct payment is approved, it would bump that number to over $5 billion.
Another $489 million will be allocated to extend unemployment benefits with an additional $300 a week for 11 more weeks. Earlier this month, the governor said most of the $200-250 million left over in 2020 CARES Act money will be applied to the federal loan the state got to cover unemployment benefits.
Beshear called education a “big winner” in the CARES Act payout with $928 million for elementary and secondary schools in the state.
The governor said colleges will receive $261 million and private schools will get $60 million.
Beshear said the state’s infrastructure will get a boost through $164 million allocated for transportation projects in the state.
Beshear said CARES Act money will also provide $297 million for the state’s program to provide assistance for rental and utility assistance for qualifying Kentuckians.
The governor said he had not received a timetable for Congress releasing the money to the states.
