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Utah Senate approves revised COVID-19 financial relief bill allocating grants for businesses and agriculture
Summary
The Senate passed Second Substitute Senate Bill 3006 to distribute federal coronavirus relief funds to businesses, agricultural operations and renters; sponsors added reporting requirements and broadened agricultural grants to include fiber products at the Department of Agriculture's request.
The Utah Senate on April 23 passed Second Substitute Senate Bill 3,006, a COVID-19 financial relief package that directs federal coronavirus relief funds to a mix of business, agricultural and residential assistance programs.
Sponsor Senator Filmore told the chamber the revised measure was crafted to coordinate state grants with federal programs and to stretch limited funds. "This is a bill that we supported unanimously a week ago," Filmore said, adding the second substitute reflects new federal guidance and creates different grant amounts for entities that already received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) support.
The bill includes: more detailed documentation and affidavit procedures to demonstrate "gross revenue loss" for eligible businesses; a capped agricultural grant structure (statute language in the bill sets a $40,000 cap and a $20,000 cap where an operation already received PPP); and reporting requirements back to the legislative interim committee. Filmore also successfully moved Amendment 2 to "add the words 'and fiber to food'" to broaden the definition of eligible agricultural operations beyond food producers, a change he said was requested by the Utah Department of Agriculture.
Senator Escamilla asked why the state's proof standards appeared more stringent than federal requirements, noting the bill asks for recent tax returns and other documentation that some small businesses may not yet have filed. Filmore responded that several of those provisions were adopted in the earlier first substitute after federal guidance required states to target CARES Act funds to harms caused by COVID-19 and that the comparison the senator reviewed omitted those interim steps.
The Senate voted under suspension of the rules to pass the second substitute; the clerk recorded the result on the floor and announced the bill had passed the Senate. Filmore also asked that intent language be entered in the Senate journal clarifying that the grants and programs created in SB 3,006 will receive funding only if they are allowable uses of the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund under pending U.S. Treasury guidance.
The bill gives implementing agencies—named in statute—latitude to issue rules and procedures for carrying out the grants, reflecting sponsors' concerns that federal guidance was still forthcoming at the time of debate. The measure now proceeds to the House for further consideration.
