INDIANAPOLIS (WOWO): Indiana will get about $5.8-billion from the $1.9-trillion federal COVID-19 relief bill signed into law by President Joe Biden yesterday.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Eric Holcomb told the Journal Gazette $3-billion of that will go directly to state government and another $2.6-billion will go to local cities and counties. The rest of the money will be put in a capital project fund.

It’s good timing for Indiana lawmakers currently working on the next state budget, with Senate President Pro Tem Rod Bray saying lawmakers can apply that federal money to several pandemic-related spending items that were already planned for, plus other priorities.

The relief bill also promises $1,400 in direct payments for most Americans, expected to start as early as this weekend, as well as a few surprise tax hikes on corporations.