| December 2020  A year like no other: Taking on 2020 This has been an extraordinary and unprecedented year. When I look back at the sheer volume of work that we have accomplished, as well as the importance of this work to individual communities, businesses and families, I am humbled and I feel proud to be part of this relatively small agency's out-sized efforts. The COVID-19 response, of course, took center stage. More than 30 of our employees were activated to serve at the state's Emergency Operations Center and dozens more stepped up to take on the day-to-day work of those deployed to the EOC. In addition, we distributed nearly $1 billion in emergency response funds to local governments, Tribes, businesses, nonprofits and families. Every single division had a hand in the response. You can see the complete summary of our response efforts here. It's an impressive list!  "COVID-19 barreled in like a wrecking ball." | The pandemic didn't cause just a public health crisis, but an economic crisis as well. Nationally and in Washington state, entire sectors were shut down as officials tried to contain the deadly virus. To help blunt the economic fallout of the pandemic, the governor's office released millions of dollars in emergency funding and Congress passed the CARES Act. Commerce played a central role in delivering those aid dollars to communities. The agency distributed nearly $200 million for businesses and nonprofits, $110 million to households for rent assistance, and more than $450 million to local governments and Tribes around the state. We have launched a new Medium site to tell some of the amazing stories of this year and look forward to sharing more in 2021. | 
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