RICHMOND, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Governor Ralph Northam and Senator Tim Kaine have both reacted to President Joe Biden signing the American Rescue Plan Act.

Now that the bill has been signed, people with direct deposit could begin to get their stimulus checks as early as this weekend.

The $1.9 trillion bill includes other relief for renters and homeowners, assistance for vaccination efforts, assistance for schools looking to reopen, assistance for state and local governments, increases to the child tax credit, and more.

Northam statement:

The American Rescue Plan provides the fuel we need to put this pandemic behind us, bolster our recovery, and move this Commonwealth and country forward. The legislation meets the urgency of this moment and will make a difference in the lives of Virginia families, students, and business owners.
 
The bill delivers direct payments to millions of Virginia households, targeted relief for hard-hit businesses, and unemployment assistance for people who have lost their jobs and need help paying the bills. It means support for child care providers and help for families struggling to pay for child care. It includes funding to boost our vaccine distribution efforts, safely reopen our schools, support state and local governments, address housing affordability, and expand broadband access. And it will make sure our health care providers have access to mental health services, including provisions named after Charlottesville native Dr. Lorna Breen who took her own life working on the front lines of the pandemic.
 
I am grateful to every member of the Virginia delegation who worked to pass this landmark bill and I look forward to working with our partners across the Commonwealth to ensure Virginians see the benefits of this federal funding as soon as possible. The past year has been long and difficult for everyone, but brighter days are ahead. The American Rescue Plan will accelerate our efforts to defeat this virus, put our economy on a solid footing to rebound, and make the investments we need to emerge as a stronger and more equitable Virginia.
 
Kaine statement:
 
When President Biden assumed office, each day was met with over 3,000 COVID deaths and fewer than one million vaccinations. Fifty days later, daily COVID deaths are nearly cut in half, and daily vaccinations have more than doubled. By signing the American Rescue Plan today, the President is leading us even further in the right direction with stimulus checks, unemployment assistance through the summer, aid to safely reopen schools, and innumerable other measures to help us conquer this virus, rescue our economy, and return our lives to normal. It has been a painfully long, dark year, but light is on the horizon.