Members of the Senate moved a $1. 2 billion supplemental appropriations package targeting the coronavirus pandemic response with federal funding for health care workers and facilities, testing and for school safety.

Passing by a 36-2 vote was HB 5523, containing all federal funds from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund and the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The bill contains supplemental funding for fiscal year 2021-22.

Contained in the bill is $367.3 million for expansion grants for epidemiology and lab capacity, $300 million targeting health care recruitment, retention and training, $150.8 million for pandemic school safety for schools and $70 million for adult foster care facilities, which would provide for $700 per bed grants to eligible facilities.

Most of the remaining $1.206 billion appropriated to the Department of Health and Human Services would go toward various COVID-19 response, mitigation, treatment and vaccination programs.

Of the remaining funds, $10 million would be for capital outlay planning related to the construction of a new state public health and environmental science laboratory. The remaining $250,000 would be for the Department of Education for grants to school districts and intermediate school districts for work-based learning health services academies.