County Executive Laura Curran announced a plan to give $375 cash payments to up to 400,000 households in Nassau, but the county Legislature is not moving to vote on the measure just yet.
Curran, who is running for re-election, filed an ordinance Monday in the Legislature to take $100 million given to the county under the American Rescue Plan Act and turn that into one-time cash payments of $375 to qualifying households.
The plan would include renters, homeowners and people living in co-ops whose income is up to $168,900.
Residents with incomes above $168,900 up to $500,000 would need to fill out an application that shows that they have seen negative financial impacts because of the pandemic.
In a statement to News 12 Long Island about what she calls the Nassau County Household Assistance Program, or HAP, Curran said, "As we continue to recover from the pandemic, Nassau County is committed to delivering relief for our residents and businesses. Having achieved a hard-earned budget surplus, the County will utilize funding from the American Rescue Plan to provide cash relief to up to 400,000 households. I believe this assistance will not only help those who continue to struggle, but also provide a boost to our local economy."
However, Richard Nicolello, presiding officer of the Nassau Legislature, released a statement of his own, which said in part,
"After the county executive promised a middle class relief plan, we now learn that there are strings attached. Mindful of the mistakes she made in rolling out this plan and in her Reassessment project, the Majority will do it's due diligence to make sure taxpayers are protected. At the same time, Majority Legislators are committed to meaningful and enduring tax relief, such as the $9 million in tax cuts that we proposed and the County Executive vetoed."
For now, the county executive's plan to give some people in Nassau $375 is just that, a plan.
A spokesman for the Nassau Legislature's presiding officer said the county executive's plan would not be voted on Monday.
In response, Curran said, "I am deeply disappointed that the Nassau County Legislature stalled a vote today on my plan to provide $375 in direct cash payments to qualified Nassau County households that have experienced negative economic impacts due to the pandemic. By delaying a committee vote, this important legislation now unnecessarily languishes in legislative red tape when it should have been one step closer to going into the pockets of residents who need it the most."
A legislative spokesperson tells News 12 that there were no committees on the calendar on Monday and so the proposal couldn't go through committees until the next meeting.