Here's What You Need to Remember: According to the recently released spending rules by the U.S. Department of Treasury, it appears that other states also have the option to offer direct payments to their residents. The guidance on the State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund includes $350 billion in direct cash funds to states, counties, cities, and tribal governments that have populations of more than fifty thousand.  

There are reports abound of millions of Americans still struggling to scrape by amid the ongoing pandemic. 

Many have already received and spent their $1,400 coronavirus stimulus checks under the American Rescue Plan. Now, they are desperate to hear any positive news regarding a fourth or even a fifth round of stimulus payments.  

As President Joe Biden and Congress have been largely noncommittal about another round of stimulus, some Americans have now turned their attention to state governments.  

Last March, lawmakers in Oregon appeared to be on their way to refunding $300 million in personal income taxes the state collected on Congress-approved stimulus payments over the past year. Both parties agreed to give their stamp of approval on a plan that would refund a large portion or all of the money collected to nine hundred thousand state taxpayers.

But even with the passing of nearly two months, it appears that no progress has been made.  

“We’re still debating what to do about this, if anything, and we haven’t made a decision,” Sen. Ginny Burdick recently told the Oregonian.  

“Our goal is to direct the help to the people that really need it, and to be fair and to really accomplish what the stimulus sought to accomplish, which is getting help to the people that need it the most,” she added.  

It remains to be seen whether Oregon will join several other states in approving their own stimulus checks or stimulus-related tax refunds for their residents.  

Earlier this year, Maryland was able to disburse direct payments to individuals who claimed the earned income tax credit on their 2019 state tax returns. These people received $300 in their bank accounts, while families got a $500 check.  

Not to be outdone, California in February approved the Golden State Stimulus program, which sent out payments of $600 or $1,200 to eligible residents. More recently, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a second round of $600 state stimulus checks, with the focus of expanding the payments to also include middle-class families.  

If the legislation is passed, then it would make two-thirds of the state’s residents eligible for the stimulus funds.

And in New Jersey, state officials are gearing up to give a $500 tax rebate to low- and middle-income residents. The payments are expected to head out to eligible citizens in July.   

“It’s a done deal in my mind. In fact, I think it needs to be made permanent, but we’ll have to talk about that going forward,” Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) recently told NJ.com. 

According to the recently released spending rules by the U.S. Department of Treasury, it appears that other states also have the option to offer direct payments to their residents. The guidance on the State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund includes $350 billion in direct cash funds to states, counties, cities, and tribal governments that have populations of more than fifty thousand.  

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Minneapolis-based Science and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek, and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn. This article first appeared earlier this year.

Image: Reuters