Agenda - Council - 09/13/2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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experienced a negative economic impact or harm. For example, the interim final rule allowed, and the final rule maintains the ability for, recipients to demonstrate a negative economic impact on a population or group, referred to as a "class," and to provide assistance to households, small businesses, or nonprofits that fall within that class. In such cases, the recipient need only demonstrate that the household, small business, or nonprofit is within the class that experienced a negative economic impact, see section Standards: Designating Other Impacted Classes. This would allow, for example, an internet access assistance program for all households with children to support those households' ability to participate in healthcare, work, and educational activities like extending learning opportunities, among other critical activities. In that case, the recipient would only need to identify a negative economic impact to the class of "households with children" and would not need to document or otherwise demonstrate that each individual household served experienced a negative economic impact. Second, the response must be designed to address the identified economic harm or impact resulting from or exacerbated by the public health emergency. In selecting responses, the recipient must assess whether, and the extent to which, the use would respond to or address this harm or impact. This approach is consistent with the text of the statute, which provides that funds may be used to "respond to" the "negative economic impacts" of the public health emergency "including assistance to households, small businesses, and nonprofits, or aid to impacted industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality." The list of potential responses ("assistance" or "aid") suggests that responses should address the "negative economic impacts" of particular types of beneficiaries (e.g., households or small businesses). Responses must be reasonably designed to benefit the individual or class that experienced the negative economic impact or harm. Uses of funds should be assessed based on their 25