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2021 Special Session I

Budget Amendments - HB1800 (Conference Report)

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Supplant COVID-19 Communication Needs with Federal Funds

Item 307 #1c

Item 307 #1c

First Year - FY2021 Second Year - FY2022
Health and Human Resources
Department of Health FY2021 ($7,100,000) FY2022 ($12,500,000) GF

Language
Page 341, line 27, strike "$34,810,621" and insert "$27,710,621".
Page 341, line 27, strike "$38,204,545" and insert "$25,704,545".

Page 343, line 2, strike "general fund" and insert: "Coronavirus Relief Funds".

Page 343, line 4, after "pandemic.", insert:

"The Virginia Department of Health shall allocate no less than 20 percent of funding from state or federal sources dedicated for COVID-19 communications to use for outreach and communications to high-risk populations that have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic more so than the general population and for which traditional communication mediums are not as effective.  The department shall use such funding for alternative methods of communication, such as outreach coordinators going into communities, providing information pamphlets as part of meal pick-ups at schools, grants to community organizations, and other more effective ways at reaching high-risk populations.  This funding shall also be used to translate communication materials into other languages; however the department shall not use machine translations without human review by a professional translator in any communications to non-English speakers."

Page 343, line 5, strike "Out of this appropriation,", and insert "No less than".

Page 343, line 5, strike "from the general fund" and insert "Coronavirus Relief Funds".



Explanation

(This amendment supplants $7.1 million the first year and $12.5 million the second year from the general fund with available federal Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF). The CRF funds allocated to the Department of Medical Assistance Services have not all been fully utilized, so this amendment supplants $7.1 million in the first year and $12.5 million the second year in CRF funds. A separate amendment in Central Appropriations reflects the change in the allocation of CRF funds. In addition, language directs a portion of the state and federal funding allocated for COVID-19 communications to be used for outreach and communications to high-risk populations that have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic more so than the general population and for which traditional communication mediums are not as effective. It also directs the funding to be used for translation services.)