State and Sumter officials waiting on guidance on coronavirus stimulus money

In the up to this point largely muddied picture of who will get what from the $2.2 trillion stimulus package signed into law Friday by President Trump, even state and national lawmakers still have questions.

State Rep. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, spoke late Wednesday and said many details on federal stimulus money are still being worked out in Washington.

"We know there is federal assistance on the way in the form of small-business loans, enhanced payments for unemployed individuals affected by the coronavirus and assistance to supplement the revenues in the state," Smith said. "Except for all those three components there is still some uncertainty on the details, and that is being worked out now on the federal level."

He noted that the state Department of Employment and Workforce, which administers unemployment insurance for South Carolinians, has been overwhelmed with phone calls in the last two weeks and its online system is being bottlenecked with other issues.

State DEW officials continue to say the agency is in a "holding pattern," waiting on guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor to begin implementation of unemployment insurance benefit system changes, Smith said.

Smith said it all shows that "nothing is simple when it comes to an act of Congress."

"As usual, when Congress passes an act, then it takes a while for everyone to understand what the 600-page bill means," he said. "So, that's obviously what we are having to go through and then get guidance from the executive departments."

What we do know about unemployment benefits is that state residents who have been laid off from work because of the effects of COVID-19 and not receiving wages from their employer will be eligible for an additional $600 a week in benefits. That's on top of what South Carolina pays, which is a maximum of $326 per week. When that will start no one exactly knows, Smith said.

With the massive Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed last week, all states' unemployment benefits will be expanded by $600 a week.

More than 31,000 South Carolinians filed initial unemployment insurance claims two weeks ago. Last week's total number of initial filers will be released today by the state Department of Employment and Workforce.

CITY OF SUMTER RECEIVES $183K FROM HUD

One piece of legislation that is known as of late Wednesday is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded the City of Sumter $183,595 to help address local impacts of COVID-19. The city currently receives a little more than $300,000 annually in HUD funds for low- to moderate-income infrastructure projects.

U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., announced the additional funding measure in a Tuesday news release, and Sumter City Manager Deron McCormick confirmed the details Wednesday.