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title: Member News [December 2021 Risk Pool Report]
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Meet a Trustee, Upcoming Loss Prevention Training, Texas Legislature Update, Member Spotlight, Service in Focus

| View in browser December 2021 Information You Need to Stay Stronger, Together. In this edition … Meet a Trustee: Mary Gauer Upcoming Loss Prevention Training Stronger, Together Podcast Series: Episode 10b: Part 2 - Workers' Compensation: First Responder Disease Presumption Budget Requests Texas Legislature: A Quick Pool-Related Update Member Spotlight Service in Focus: R.O.A.D. Ready News and Information  Meet a Trustee Mary Gauer (Mayor of Harker Heights, January 1998 to May 2005) joined the Pool in January 1998. Read more    Read our latest posts on the TMLIRP blog   Upcoming Loss Prevention Training Click here to view a listing of our upcoming programs. These programs are provided at no additional costs to Members. Please refer to our Events Calendar for specific information related to registering for these programs. New Episode: Local Officials: Stronger, Together Podcast (Part 2) Listen to Episode 10b Part 2: Workers' Compensation: First Responder Disease Presumption The TML Risk Pool provides workers’ compensation coverage for more than 200,000 local government employees and receives around 10,000 claims per year. The Workers’ Compensation Department is the largest of all the Pool’s departments, largely because the workers’ compensation process is highly regulated by the Workers’ Compensation Division of the Texas Department of Insurance. In this episode, you’ll hear from key Pool staff about the process and how it’s administered, most importantly how we partner with Members to help guide them through the complex process. Budget Requests The Pool uses budgets to help identify Member operations and requests budgets in January each year. If available, please send in your most recently approved operating budget to the Underwriting Department, either via mail to memberservices@tmlirp.org or underwriting@tmlirp.org.   Texas Legislature: A Quick Pool-Related Update COVID-19 UPDATE (NO. 212) All pandemic-related updates, including information about the American Rescue Plan’s city-related provisions, will be in this Legislative Update Newsletter from now on.     American Rescue Plan Act Funds: Non-Entitlement Unit Portal On December 14, Treasury released the Treasury Portal that NEUs who have requested funding from their state will use for reporting and compliance. Treasury encourages all NEU recipients to access the Treasury Portal as soon as possible in order to confirm their accounts, designate State and Local Fiscal Reporting Fund reporting roles, and submit the required agreements and supporting documentation to Treasury. A User Guide can be found here.   The Treasury’s Compliance and Reporting Guidance details the reporting requirements for all recipients, including NEUs. As a reminder, the first reporting deadline for NEUs to submit the Project and Expenditure Report is April 30, 2022 and will cover the period between March 3, 2021 and March 31, 2022. Future reports will be due annually by the end of April.   CARES Act Update The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act established the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF). The CARES Act provides that payments from the CRF may only be used to cover costs that were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020 and ends on December 31, 2021 (the “covered period”).   Although Treasury considers the CRF to be a program designed for short-term needs of recipients, local governments continue to be on the frontlines of the pandemic response. In addition, disruptions in supply chains and the Delta surge have hindered cities’ abilities to use the funds within the covered period, and recent litigation has delayed the receipt of allocated payments from the CRF until the last few months. In response, Treasury is now revising the guidance to provide that a cost associated with a necessary expenditure incurred due to the public health emergency shall be considered to have been incurred by December 31, 2021, if the recipient has incurred an obligation with respect to such cost by December 31, 2021. Click here for more information and to read updated CARES Act FAQs related to this extension.   EEOC Guidance Related to COVID-19 The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its COVID-19 technical assistance on December 14 adding a new section to clarify under what circumstances COVID-19 may be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act.   EEOC’s new questions and answers focus broadly on COVID-19 and the definition of disability under Title I of the ADA and Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act, which both address employment discrimination. The updates also provide examples illustrating how an individual diagnosed with COVID-19 or a post-COVID condition could be considered to have a disability under the laws the EEOC enforces.   Reminder: TML Coronavirus materials are archived by date here and by subject here.   Member Spotlight Is your entity next to be featured in the Member spotlight? We will be featuring Members who participate in Loss Prevention's new R.O.A.D. Ready initiative. See more details about the program below. Sign up for the distribution list here.   Service in Focus R.O.A.D. Ready is a Risk Pool program designed to save lives, prevent injuries, and protect property by raising Member awareness of dangers on and near roadways. The Pool will provide participating Members with: (1) specifically designed resources and training to mitigate roadway risks; and (2) promotional materials to show they are R.O.A.D. Ready. The Pool will launch the program in January 2022 and has designated each successive January as R.O.A.D. Ready month. To participate, a Member should: (1) make a commitment to becoming R.O.A.D. Ready by providing internal roadway safety training or using the Pool’s resources to do so; and (2) participating in national roadway, vehicle, or work zone programs.   Be on the lookout for more information in January and prepare for your entity to become R.O.A.D. Ready!       Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool   PO Box 149194 Austin, Texas 78714 (512) 491-2300 or (800) 537-6655 TMLIRP, PO Box 149194, Austin, Texas 78714, (800) 537-6655 Unsubscribe Manage preferences |
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