The Business and Workers update is a bi-weekly newsletter providing news and information to help businesses and workers navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. The information is compiled by the state Economic Resiliency Team (ERT), part of the Joint Information Center. Feb. 24, 2021 What you should know about... COVID-19 response COVID-19 vaccine distribution update The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to make progress with its COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration efforts. As of Feb. 15, more than 1,201,120 doses of vaccine had been given across the state. This is nearly 83% of the 1,453,425 doses delivered to our providers and long-term care programs. Washington is currently averaging 26,204 vaccine doses given each day. This information can be found on the DOH data dashboard on the vaccines tab. Read the full news release here. Gov. Inslee signs $2.2 billion COVID relief bill Gov. Jay Inslee recently signed House Bill 1368, which appropriates $2.2 billion in federal funding that has been allocated to states in response to the ongoing COVID emergency. The legislation takes effect immediately. The bill provides: - $714 million in assistance for K-12 schools.
- $618 million for public health's response to COVID, including testing, investigation and contact tracing; and funding for vaccination efforts.
- $365 million for emergency eviction, rental and utility assistance.
- $240 million for business assistance grants.
- $50 million for child care.
- $26 million for food banks and other food programs .
- $91 million for income assistance, including $65 million for relief for the state's immigrant population.
Read the full bill here. The business assistance grants will be administered by the state Department of Commerce. Commerce is working on the application portal and expects it to open late March. Information will be posted at commerce.wa.gov/bizgrants. DOH launches paper Phase Finder tool and increases language access DOH recently shared two important updates to its Phase Finder tool. First, the online Phase Finder tool is now available in 10 languages, and an additional 20 languages will be available this week. Each language has its own unique form. This allows providers and employees to share unique links for each language and ensures the Phase Finder tool loads faster for users, especially those with poor internet connections. The full list of tools can be found here. Second, DOH now has a paper version of the Phase Finder tool. This will help people navigate the eligibility questions and identify if they are currently eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine; as future phases are announced, the tool will be updated. The paper version of Phase Finder was developed for people with limited or no internet access. It should be used by organizations, family members, or vaccination clinics that are able to assist with scheduling appointments. DOH encourages vaccine administrators and mass vaccination sites to print this paper version to better accommodate any person who has struggled to navigate the online system. At this time, there is no paper version of the eligibility verification. This was an intentional decision to reduce the number of barriers to access the COVID-19 vaccine for populations with no or low internet access. Translations are being created in 36 additional languages. DOH will announce another email announcement when those become available in the coming weeks.  What you should know about... Resources for small businesses Business Start-Up - WA Requirements and Resources webinar The Washington Small Business Liaison Team is launching two new training opportunities - Start Your Business and Grow Your Business. The free, one hour "start your business" webinar includes information about business registration and licensing, other regulatory requirements and resources for further assistance. The "grow your business" webinar discusses hiring, expanding, adding new state endorsements and more. The webinars begin in March. Click here for more information and to register online or call 800-917-0043. Register for SBA's Black History Month Webinar Join the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for an online panel discussion on Feb. 25 with Black business owners as they share their small business stories and how they pivoted during the pandemic and utilized SBA's critical financial lifelines. You will also hear remarks from U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (PA-03), member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Register today New resource for information and technical assistance for small businesses A new website created by the Washington State Small Business Recovery Working Group aims to simplify and supplement details provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and provide current information on available relief programs for Washington's small businesses and eligible non-profits, as well as the organizations that assist them. Funding for this resource was provided via a $250,000 grant from the state's Department of Commerce. The goal is to help as many Washington small businesses and non-profits as possible access the help they need. Information will be added and updated as new guidance is released and as new resources become available. Visit the Events & Trainings page to learn about upcoming training opportunities, including an information session on Friday, Jan. 26 at 1 p.m. about SBA Round 2 COVID-19 relief funds and the Paycheck Protection Program. SBA prioritizes smallest of small businesses in the Paycheck Protection Program The Biden-Harris Administration and the U.S. Small Business Administration are taking steps with the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to further promote equitable relief for America's small businesses. The latest round of PPP funding opened one month ago and already there have been major improvements to the program's implementation: - For businesses with fewer than ten employees, the share of funding is up nearly 60%.
- For businesses in rural communities, the share of funding is up nearly 30%.
- The share of funding distributed through Community Development Financial Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions is up more than 40%.
These simple progressive steps by the Biden-Harris Administration further demonstrate the commitment to racial and gender equity, reaching low and moderate-income, rural, urban, and other underserved areas. The SBA will: - Establish a 14-day, exclusive PPP loan application period for businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 20 employees.
- Allow sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals to receive more financial support by revising the PPP's funding formula for these categories of applicants.
- Eliminate an exclusionary restriction on PPP access for small business owners with prior non-fraud felony convictions, consistent with a bipartisan congressional proposal.
- Eliminate PPP access restrictions on small business owners who have struggled to make federal student loan payments by eliminating federal student loan debt delinquency and default as disqualifiers to participating in the PPP; and
- Ensure access for non-citizen small business owners who are lawful U.S. residents by clarifying that they may use Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to apply for the PPP.
The 14-day exclusivity period will start on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 9 a.m., while the other four changes will be implemented by the first week of March. The SBA is working on the program changes and will communicate details. What you should know about.... Unemployment Employment Security Department introduces acting commissioner The Employment Security Department (ESD) introduced Cami Feek as its new acting commissioner. Cami got her start in state government 25 years ago in a non-permanent role in a mail room. She rose to executive leadership by exercising her core professional values of hard work, dedication to public service, teamwork and servant leadership. She has focused her career on strategic systems design and innovative and effective operations. At ESD, Cami has served as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer, the first Director for the Paid Family and Medical Leave program, and the Interim Commissioner prior to Former Commissioner Suzi LeVine's arrival at ESD in 2018. Before coming to ESD, Cami worked at the Department of Financial Institutions, General Administration (now Department of Enterprise Services), Washington State Patrol, and the Attorney General's Office under both Republican and Democratic attorneys general. You can read her full bio on ESD's website. | 
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