• South Carolina counties are providing direct support for front-line response, including EMS, law enforcement, fire protection, 911 dispatch, and enforcement of all emergency orders.
• The state of South Carolina mandates that counties contribute to Medicaid services, an amount that generally grows year over year; this growth will only be exacerbated as Medicaid enrollment grows due to increased unemployment. This contribution is not borne by any other local government entities. Counties foot the whole bill.
• Counties are providing housing for indigent and other COVID-19-positive individuals, which will place a significant financial strain on counties.
• Every county has an emergency management agency that has jurisdiction over and serves the entire county during disaster and emergency response.
• South Carolina counties play a unique role in disaster response activities to provide emergency and disaster relief.

• $150 Billion for State and Local Fiscal Relief for lost revenue and budget needs.
• $80 billion for states and the District of Columbia
• $29.5 billion for counties
• $29.5 billion for cities, towns, townships, and villages
• $8 billion for tribal governments
• $3 billion for territories
• The package would also make the $150 billion awarded through the CARES Act for Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) available to be used for lost revenues.

• We call on Congress and the administration to work together ASAP to pass additional aid for state and local governments NOW – we cannot miss this opportunity and wait months and hope for another aid package.
• New NACo estimates peg county budget losses to COVID-19 at $144 billion through fiscal year 2021.
• The COVID-19 3.5 plan supported by NACo is the best and only offer on the table for state and local governments right now. We thank congressional leaders for their strong support. They made substantial changes to make sure that all county governments are treated fairly and equitably with our state and local counterparts – and they are making lost revenue as an eligible use under the CARES Act and this new package.
• Additional federal aid for state and local governments should be an area of bipartisan agreement – we are literally on the frontlines working to protect and serve our local communities. By investing in counties, Congress and the administration would be investing in our local economies and workforces.
• Investing in counties is a “win-win” investment since counties are often one of the largest employers locally and we provide essential public health, public safety, and economic recovery support for unemployed, local businesses, and nonprofits.
• The COVID 3.5 plan would provide $150 billion for state and local governments, including $29.5 billion for America’s counties, and over $450 million for South Carolina Counties.
• Counties are losing revenue, combined with skyrocketing costs, at record rates now. With 22 million new unemployed, the demand for county safety net services is climbing exponentially.
• It is unrealistic to demand and expect our counties to double down on their local public services without the revenue support to make it happen – again, our costs are skyrocketing while our revenues are plummeting.