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Quechan Tribal Membership,

 

The Quechan Tribal Administration has been awarded CARES Act funding from The United States Treasury, here is a quick guide to the CARES Act:

What is the CARES Act?

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act was signed into law, setting in motion the distribution of funds and other relief mechanisms to counteract the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

Title V of the CARES Act provides for $150 billion in aid to states, tribal governments and units of local government. Of that amount, $8 billion in aid was dedicated for payments to tribal governments.

How much did the Quechan Indian Tribe get awarded?

As of May 8, 2020 and June 15, 2020, The Quechan Indian Tribe has received a total of $20,063,141.47 from The U. S. Treasury’s The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

How can the funding be spent?

The CARES Act requires that the payments from the Coronavirus Relief Fund only be used to cover expenses that are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19); expenditures that were not accounted for in the 2020 budget for the Tribal Administration; and for expenditures that will be incurred during the period of March 1, 2020, and December 30, 2020.

As sovereign governments addressing the pandemic on many levels, the tribal government has to have a broad discretion to define necessary expenditures under the Act.  The Tribe has asserted expenditures that include the costs for Emergency Management Response, Personal Protective Equipment for Tribal Employees, Emergency Leave cost for any Employees directly affected by COVID-19, Employees who have been affected during Government closures, a Small Business Grant, an Individual and Family Emergency Assistance Program and Upgrades for touchless fixtures for programs in high risk areas within the tribal community and many other expenditures that have yet to be determined. These expenditures would otherwise be unavailable due to the loss of revenues associated with the closures of tribal enterprises as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

It is extremely important for the tribal government to take notice of the CARES Act’s strong oversight authorities. Specifically, Title V of the act includes a section authorizing recoupment of distributed funds if the Treasury Department’s Inspector General can determine that these funds were not used in accordance with the act’s definition of qualifying expenditures. The tribal government must be in compliance with any guidance provided by the Treasury Department in distributing the funds, and address guidance of the act itself in developing and documenting the expenditure plans.

The Tribal Council will review and approve a budget that is currently being developed, once approved; that information will be provided to the tribal membership on how this funding will be utilized.

Will Tribal Members receive financial assistance?

Yes, All enrolled members (18 years and older) are eligible for a relief amount of $2,135.99, due to the hardships related to the Coronavirus per The Quechan Indian Tribe’s Individual and Family COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Program. The application will be available on the Tribal Website (www.quechantribe.com) or outside of the Quechan Tribal Administration on July 13, 2020. All guidelines, provisions and deadline will be stated on the application, please allow time for application review and processing, and please use an accurate mailing address. The Quechan Tribe will not be responsible for incorrect mailing addresses; checks will not be available for pick up, no exceptions.

Will Small Businesses owned by Tribal Members be eligible to receive financial assistance?

Yes, if you are an owner of a Small Business (under 500 employees) and have been negatively affected by COVID-19, you must fill out The Quechan Indian Tribe’s Small Business Grant application. The application will be available on the Tribal Website (www.quechantribe.com) or outside of the Quechan Tribal Administration on July 13, 2020. All guidelines, provisions and deadline will be stated on the application, please allow time for application review and processing, and please use an accurate mailing address. The Quechan Tribe will not be responsible for incorrect mailing addresses; checks will not be available for pick up, no exceptions.

We appreciate your patience during this time, stay safe.

 

Quechan Tribal Council