Garamendi bill would allow COVID funds to flow to rural firefighting agencies
(Photo: Congressman John Garamendi speaks at an event. File photo by Matthew Keys.)
Federal legislation introduced by Congressman John Garamendi would make special districts eligible for future coronavirus-related financial assistance.
The “Special Districts Provide Essential Services Act” would benefit around three dozen Solano County special districts and another 2,700 throughout California.
Special districts are created to provide essential services to regions that are underserved by city or county governments. They provide a variety of public services, including firefighting, medical response, public transit and wastewater treatment.
Should it pass Congress, some of the biggest benefactors of Garamendi’s bill would be fire protection agencies that provide firefighting and first response services to rural residents in Solano County.
Garamendi’s Congressional district encompasses more than 230 special districts overall. Some of the special districts located in Solano County include:
Cordelia Fire Protection District
Collinsville Levee District
Delta Fire Protection District
Dixon Public Library District
Dixon Resource Conservation District
Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District
Montezuma Fire Protection District
Rio Vista-Montezuma Cemetery District
Rural North Vacaville Water District
Solano County Mosquito Abatement District
Solano County Water Agency
Solano Cemetery District
Solano Irrigation District
Solano Resource Conservation District
Suisun Fire Protection District
Suisun Resource Conversation District
Vacaville-Elmira Cemetery District
Vacaville Fire Protection District
“Special districts provide critical services to the communities they serve,” Rep. Garamendi said in a statement on Thursday. “As our nation continues to grapple with the effects of COVID-19, Congress must ensure that all local governments have the support they need to deliver the crucial quality of life services their communities rely on.”
Garamendi’s legislation, which was co-introduced with a Senator from Arizona, would make special districts eligible for coronavirus-related aid should Congress decide to provide additional financial assistance to state and local governments in the future. Garamendi said the bill would not apply retroactively to account for the $150 billion provided to state and local governments through the CARES Act.
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