States drawing up big wish lists for the COVID relief money

FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2021, file photo, a man walks by an empty retail store, left, that is available for rent during the coronavirus pandemic in New York. State governments will get a big influx of federal money from the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that could suddenly enable them to undertake large, expensive projects that have long been on their to-do lists, including high-speed internet for rural areas and drinking water improvements. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

FILE - In this April 1, 2020, file photo, a customer wears a face mask as he purchases drinking water at a "Grab-and-Go" market table in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles. State governments will get a big influx of federal money from the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that could suddenly enable them to undertake large, expensive projects that have long been on their to-do lists, including high-speed internet for rural areas and drinking water improvements. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

FILE - In this July 15, 2020, file photo, job seekers exercise social distancing as they wait to be called into the Heartland Workforce Solutions office in Omaha, Neb. With an influx of federal stimulus money coming on top of surprisingly strong revenue pictures, governors suddenly have a way to pay for big, expensive undertakings that have long languished on their to-do lists. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

FILE - In this July 23, 2020, file photo, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham gives her weekly update on COVID-19 and the state's effort to contain it during a virtual news conference from the state Capitol in Santa Fe, N.M. With an influx of federal COVID-19 relief money coming on top of surprisingly strong revenue pictures, governors suddenly have a way to pay for big, expensive undertakings that have long languished on their to-do lists. “There are no words to describe the impact that has on a state that has long had extreme and persistent poverty,” said Grisham, a Democrat, said Wednesday, March 10, 2021. (Eddie Moore/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)

FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2021, file photo, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp removes his face covering as he prepares to speak to reporters at the Macon State Farmers Market in Atlanta. The COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress contains a windfall for state governments. But some Republican governors are complaining about the formula used to dole out the money. “Instead of using the bipartisan blueprint of previous federal coronavirus relief bills, this legislation is literally a wish list for California and New York,” Kemp said. “And quite honestly, it’s a slap in the face for my fellow Georgians.” (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

FILE - In this March 4, 2021, file photo, a sign reading "Welcome Back Now Open" is posted on the window of a Morton's Steakhouse restaurant as a man works inside during the coronavirus pandemic in San Francisco. State governments will get a big influx of federal money from the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that could suddenly enable them to undertake large, expensive projects that have long been on their to-do lists, including high-speed internet for rural areas and drinking water improvements. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)