Congress Passes Education Jobs Fund and Extends Federal Medical Assistance Funding (FMAP)

Today the House of Representatives passed HR 1586, a $26.1 billion bill that will help preserve education jobs and help states pay for medical care -- $10 billion to prevent layoffs of school employees, as well as $16.1 billion in Medicaid help to the states.

The legislation appropriates $10 billion for a new Education Jobs Fund, through which the Education Department would provide aid to local school districts to prevent layoffs in elementary and secondary schools. California’s projected allocation is $1.2 billion. The measure requires the department, within 45 days of the measure's enactment, to allocate funding to states that have submitted applications for funding. If a state does not submit an application within 30 days of enactment, the measure allows the department to award funding directly to entities within the state.