Sen. Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) supports legislation to use federal COVID-19 funding to provide some financial support to families with children in school. | Courtesy Photo
Sen. Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) supports legislation to use federal COVID-19 funding to provide some financial support to families with children in school. | Courtesy Photo
North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) supported a Republican-led Extra Credit Grant program to provide $325 in stimulus payments to parents with children.
"I can't think of a better place to send taxpayer money than back to the taxpayers trying to cope with government-mandated school closures," Berger said in a Sept. 1 Facebook post ahead of a vote. "Who in the world could be against this?"
Funding for the stimulus payments would come from the remaining $1 billion North Carolina still has from federal COVID-19 relief programs.
Berger said the payments would provide some support to parents with unexpected costs accrued due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, including childcare and supplemental education material for virtual and distance learning.
"School shutdowns have created major unexpected expenses for things like child care, lost work hours, and supplemental materials for virtual learning," Berger said in his post.
The $1.1 billion COVID relief bill that included the Extra Credit Grant was approved.
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