A $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package is expected to become law this week and includes billions of dollars for Pennsylvania governments, money to further boost pandemic-era unemployment payments, an expanded child tax credit, and direct stimulus payments for individuals and families. 

Once the bill gets final approval in the U.S. House and President Joe Biden's signature, processing of those direct stimulus payments could begin almost immediately, with checks expected to hit mailboxes — or bank accounts via direct deposit — later this month.

Nearly 85 percent of American households will qualify this time, according to Biden. Included in that figure are roughly five million Americans who were left out of the first two rounds — namely adult dependents, such as disabled individuals, college students, and the elderly, The Inquirer reports.

THE CONTEXT: As it currently stands, the eligibility formula has narrowed some, mostly because of political wrangling that resulted in tighter limits being placed on qualifying income levels.

Individuals earning up to $75,000 and couples earning up to $150,000 should be eligible for the full payments — that's $1,400 per individual or $2,800 per married couple, and $1,400 for a qualifying dependent. That would mean a $5,600 lump sum for a qualifying family of four.

There's not much room for eligibility beyond that. The bill currently before the House would cut off payments for individuals earning more than $80,000 a year and for married couples earning more than $160,000, regardless of how many children they have, CNN reports. A sliding scale determines payment size for individuals and married couples earning just below those marks.

You can confirm your estimate using the handy calculator here. 

A few final things to note: If you’ve already filed your 2020 taxes, the size of your check will most likely be based on that income. If you haven’t, it will be based on your 2019 taxes. If you earned more in 2020, especially if you were near the cutoff points, it might be wise to wait on filing that return. If you earned less, filing 2020's return could be beneficial (assuming you have all the information you need).

And if you receive your payment on a debit card again as opposed to a paper check, be sure not to accidentally throw it away like I did the first time.

ELECTION REVIEW: A pilot audit of Pennsylvania's 2020 election results yielded “strong evidence” that the correct winner was named in the race for president (that would be Joe Biden). But reporting by Spotlight PA and Votebeat found the usefulness of the audit ends there, as it doesn't tell us much about the finer points of how the election was actually administered.

ENERGY SUIT: Pennsylvania's five-year-old lawsuit against a natural gas driller the state says cheated landowners out of royalty payments has been settled for $5.3 million. Authorities say Chesapeake Energy artificially limited competition for land leases and improperly deducted expenses from royalty checks. Affected lease holders will receive about $367 or about $700 from the settlement, per the Associated Press.

LONG-TERM BENEFITS: Thousands of Pennsylvanians will have to re-apply for unemployment benefits to ensure payments continue, WPXI reports. The requirement concerns people who are now in their second calendar year of unemployment and some who are receiving benefits through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. Officials are promising minimal disruptions and delays as a result, but there is concern after a year of profound clerical chaos within the state's aging system, as Spotlight PA detailed.

LEGAL ACTION: Gov. Tom Wolf's administration is pressing ahead with lawsuits against 50 Pennsylvania restaurants that defied a holiday ban on indoor dining and subsequent closure orders from the state. LancasterOnline reports the lawsuits seek to collect revenue the restaurants made while violating the orders and punitive damages as well, adding that the outcome "will test how far the state will go to enforce its COVID rules, even after those rules have been changed."  

MAIL DELAYS: Midstate postal workers are linking COVID-19 outbreaks at close-quarter processing and distribution plants with delivery delays that have dogged the system since last year. They blame management for failing to properly sanitize work stations, perform contact tracing, or fill vacancies, essentially voiding a leave policy meant to keep workers from getting sick or getting others sick. “The public needs to know: This is why your mail is being delayed,” union president Kim Miller told PennLive.