On Thursday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury launched a new portal for the Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund, a general revenue enhancement program established by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) in 2021.
The Treasury Department has been working with Congress and stakeholders since the passage of the ARP to establish rules and guidelines for launching the program, which has been particularly problematic because the original legislation was intentionally vague in order to pass the Senate reconciliation rules. RCRC has been engaged in discussions with Treasury and with Congress this past year to ensure that the guidelines meet the original intent of the funds, namely to aid rural and public lands impacted communities
The Fund includes $750 million to pay to eligible revenue sharing counties and $250 million to pay to eligible tribal governments for each of the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years for use on any governmental purpose except lobbying. Eligible revenue sharing counties are defined as any county, parish, or borough:
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That is independent of any other unit of local government; and
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That is the principal provider of government services for the area within its jurisdiction; and
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For which there is a negative revenue impact due to implementation of a Federal program or changes to such program.
The portal includes information on fund allocations for eligible counties and instructions on how to request funding, as well as guidance on recipient compliance and reporting and more details on eligible use of funds. For full details on the Fund, including to find out if your county is eligible and to request funding, visit the U.S. Department of Treasury portal.
RCRC will continue to monitor the program and its implementation and, if necessary, work to further refine language on the second round of funding, which is to be released in 2023.