U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today unveiled a one-stop-shop of federal programs that can be used by rural communities, organizations and individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide is a first-of-its-kind resource for rural leaders looking for federal funding and partnership opportunities to help address this pandemic.
HELENA, MT – Local Government is at the front lines of the COVID-19 response, including our law enforcement, health departments, health officers, county-owned medical facilities, and through our work with local private providers and facilities. Montana’s counties are working hard to ensure continuity of operations and service delivery during this nation-wide pandemic while keeping the public as safe as possible. County operations are being modified to comply with protective measures while still providing essential county service delivery and ensuring public access and participation. Montana counties need help.
On April 2nd, the Montana Department of Administration distributed FFY 2019 Federal Forest Reserve funds (Secure Rural Schools/SRS payments) to the counties. These funds are received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and are associated with CFDA # 10.665 (Schools and Roads – Grants to States).
On March 30, 2020, the FBI released an article, warning users of teleconferencing sessions being hijacked (also being referred to as “Zoom-bombing”) all over the nation. The FBI has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language. In the wake of reports of this activity being reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaints Center, they have published the following recommendations:
Today (March 31st), President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Montana and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic beginning on January 20, 2020, and continuing.
The federal government continues taking aggressive and proactive steps to address the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The health and safety of the American people is our top priority.
On March 26th, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced more guidance to provide information to workers and employers about how each will be able to take advantage of the protections and relief offered by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) when it takes effect on April 1, 2020.
View pictures of Commissioners Joe Briggs, Cascade County, and Greg Chilcott, Ravalli County attending landmark events at the White House.
On December 20, 2019, the President signed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94), which reauthorized SRS payments for FY19 (payment year FY20) and for FY20 (payment year FY21). The Forest Service is in the process of calculating the projected payments for FY19 , and they anticipate funds will be electronically transferred to states in spring 2020.
Congressman Greg Gianforte and Senator Steve Daines yesterday introduced the bipartisan Small County Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Parity Act.
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