At some point in January, the Senate more than likely will resume negotiations over President Biden’s nearly $2 trillion Build Back Better legislation. Among other things, this is the bill that would fund 12 more months of child tax credit stimulus payments. Those checks, remember, are part of the reason why 2021 was such an extraordinary year. Among other things, millions of Americans got more than half a dozen stimulus checks, in total, from the federal government. While the status of additional child tax credit checks is in limbo, however, some states have moved down a parallel track of issuing their own stimulus checks and related payments. And it’s that latter that we’ll take a closer look at, in our final stimulus check update for 2021.
Stimulus check update
The important thing to remember here is that, no matter what the federal government does or doesn’t do along these lines? Individual states can also be as generous as they want to be.
For example, let’s just launch right into it. The state of California certainly ticked that box, with perhaps the most expansive such state effort via its Golden State Stimulus program.
According to news reports, about 794,000 Golden State Stimulus 2 checks worth a collective $568 million are being mailed out to eligible state residents through Dec. 31. After that? Just one more batch of the payments is going out. That final mailout will span December 27 through January 11, according to the state’s Franchise Tax Board. Also important to know: Residents should allow up to three weeks to get their paper check in the mail.
As far as what recipients are actually getting? Some California families with eligible dependents will get up to $1,100. But the main stimulus check payment going out is for $600.
Other states
In terms of similar kinds of efforts worth mentioning in a few other states? Vermont offers reimbursement grants of up to $7,500 for workers from across the US who relocate to the state. In addition to benefitting workers who move to the state to take a new job, though, there’s also another benefit Vermont offers.
Remote worker grants will be available for people who relocate to Vermont on or after February 1, 2022, and who work remotely, for an out-of-state employer, from within Vermont. “This program will attract workers from out of state to fill vacancies with Vermont employers who are dealing with critical workforce shortages and focus on those sectors most severely impacted by the pandemic,” the state’s Department of Economic Development Commissioner Joan Goldstein said in a news release.
In Oklahoma, meanwhile? That state’s Department of Education is reportedly using almost $13 million in pandemic relief money for a specific goal. To fund around $3,200 in stipends for student teachers over the next three years.
“Too many of those going through colleges of education are individuals who could not stop working for the 15 weeks that are required in this internship program,” State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister told a local news station there.
