July 20, 2020

Today Representative Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District introduced a bill to provide K-12 schools and colleges with $90 billion in pandemic relief. The Reopen Schools Safely Act is companion legislation to a bill introduced by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and co-sponsored by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Doug Jones (D-AL).

The legislation would establish a temporary fund to help school districts and colleges meet CDC guidelines for mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Schools and colleges in Nevada would be expected to receive over $800 million under the law.

Authorized expenses would include:

• Hiring additional school health personnel
• Purchasing equipment necessary for temperature screenings
• Purchasing certified COVID-19 diagnostic and serological tests
• Reconfiguring facilities to provide for adequate social distancing
• Providing students and faculty with PPE
• Purchasing sanitation supplies and disinfectants
• Covering the costs of additional custodial services
• Purchasing and installing new ventilation systems
• Purchasing IT to help schools monitor symptoms
• Purchasing technology to allow students to learn at home and enable distance learning

“The decision about when and how to safely reopen schools should be made at the local level based on the conditions within each community,” said Congresswoman Titus (NV-1). “Yet, the federal government has a responsibility to ensure that school districts and colleges have the tools and resources they need to adapt to the challenges presented by the upcoming school year. This legislation will make the serious investment required to keep students, teachers, and families safe without sacrificing the curriculum. I’m hopeful that this legislation will be included in the upcoming pandemic-related relief package.”