The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan helped fund premium pay, or bonus pay in addition to regular wages, for more than 740,000 front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
The pay for workers like nurses, teachers, police officers and grocery workers came through the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery funds, a $350 billion package that is part of the American Rescue Plan.
First responders, teachers and other government employees "deserve to be compensated for keeping society running during the pandemic," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said during an online news briefing March 9, according to Bloomberg Law.
In a news release that same day, the Treasury Department released other details regarding the recovery funds.
The department reported that more than 380 state, local and tribal governments are using the funds to address disparities in communities hardest hit by COVID-19 — planning projects targeting affordable housing, quality education and public health.
Read the Treasury Department's full report here.