Section 601(a) of the Social Security Act, as added by section 5001 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), established the Coronavirus Relief Fund (Fund) and appropriated $150 billion to the Fund. Under the CARES Act, the Fund is to be used to make payments for specified uses to states and certain local governments; the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories; and Tribal governments. Hennepin County received a direct payment out of the Fund from the U.S. Treasury.

The CARES Act provides that money from the Fund may only be used to cover costs that:

1. are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19);

2. were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020 (the date of enactment of the CARES Act) for the State or government; and

3. were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020 and ends on December 30, 2020.

Chromebooks are low-cost laptops used to perform web-based tasks, primarily with the Chrome internet browser, with most data residing in the cloud. These devices are easy to use and commonly deployed by school systems to students.

County staff have identified three target populations that remain unable to reliably access web-based services:

1. Students at school districts that were unable to deploy a device to each student. To date, the county has offered a small number of devices to county-involved youth. This request would expand the availability to county-involved youth and other students.
2. Seniors who have historically fallen into the digital divide. While many services—including tele-health, virtual learning and many public services—have rapidly shifted online, more than one-third of adults over the age of 65 report that they never use the internet, according to Pew Research. More than 40 percent of this population does not own a smartphone.
3. Newly or historically unemployed individuals who lack a device to seek employment, housing or social supports. The number of unemployed individuals in Hennepin County has increased to nearly 71,000 in June (from approximately 19,000 in February), according to the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development.

Chromebooks can be acquired at a relatively low cost per device; additional funding may be used for maintenance services, which includes warranty and repair.

These devices may be granted to individuals directly by county services, offered as long-term loans or granted to nonprofit partners. The devices will not have access to internal county systems.

The distribution of these devices will dovetail with the county’s broadband offerings:

• all open libraries and other county facilities offer high-speed wifi internet

• outdoor wifi is being constructed at Brooklyn Park, Franklin, Hopkins, Hosmer, Oxboro, and Sumner library locations, with more added as feasible, using prior CARES appropriations

• certain youth have been loaned LTE “hotspots” for wireless broadband access

• a pilot program is being explored with broadband carriers to offer low-cost broadband to low-income households

Additionally, as libraries adapt their services in response to the pandemic, many patrons eagerly turned to Hennepin County Library’s e-collections. Checkouts of eBooks and eAudio have increased to the current average of 11,740 checkouts each day. Circulation of e-collections is almost 30% higher than it was in 2019. This increase in use of our e-collections has put additional strain on the Library’s collection budget due to both the increased demand and the higher cost of e-materials in comparison to physical print materials. Our current average wait time for an eBook or eAudiobook is 33 days. Hennepin County Library requests $300,000 of CARES funding for the purchase of e-materials to expand its collection and better serve patrons. If approved, this funding will lower the average wait time and fulfill organizational goals of providing resources so communities across Hennepin County can read, graduate, engage, work and learn.

Current Request: This request seeks $1,000,000 in federal CARES funding be allocated to procure Chromebooks or other low-cost, cloud-based laptops, and related maintenance services, for individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This request also seeks $300,000 in federal CARES funding be allowing to purchase materials to expand the Library's e-collection to better serve residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.