Californians who qualify for a $600 state stimulus payment could see the money arrive as soon as a month after filing their tax returns under a $7.6-billion COVID-19 economic relief package approved Monday by the state Legislature.

The stimulus assistance for residents earning $30,000 a year or less will come much quicker — four to five weeks on average after they file 2020 tax returns with the state Franchise Tax Board if they also sign up for direct deposit, said H.D.

“This is such an important bill because it gives millions of hardworking Californians instant money that they so desperately need during this tough time, during this pandemic,” Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) said Monday during the floor debate before the Legislature passed a half-dozen bills that make up the economic relief package.

Some 5.7 million payments totaling $2.3 billion will go to low-income Californians under the Golden State Stimulus program, which is aimed at helping those in the most dire financial straits, state Sen.

Am I eligible for California’s $600 COVID-19 stimulus check and other aid.

Am I eligible for California’s $600 COVID-19 stimulus check and other aid.

The COVID-19 relief package was made possible by higher-than-expected tax revenues in California despite the economic hardships brought on by the pandemic.

The $600 stimulus payments will also go to 1.2 million people who receive money from the federal supplemental security income or state supplementary payment programs, and 405,000 payments will be provided to participants in CalWORKS, the state’s welfare-to-work program.

The provision of the relief package that generated the most debate in legislative hearings was the proposal to provide stimulus checks for immigrants who are in the country illegally.

Californians with low incomes to receive $600 checks under $9.6-billion COVID-19 economic package.

Californians with low incomes to receive $600 checks under $9.6-billion COVID-19 economic package.

Advocates for immigrants said many would not get a stimulus check because they do not have individual taxpayer identification numbers, and noted that immigrants also cannot get unemployment benefits or federal stimulus.

She noted that an immigrant household with two ITIN-filer parents and two children would be eligible for a maximum of $1,200 in state stimulus, which is about 21% of the federal relief they’ve been excluded from

The relief package approved by the governor and Legislature also provides $2.1 billion in grants from $5,000 to $25,000, a program administered by California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate

“This will assist qualified small businesses who have been devastated economically by the COVID pandemic,” said state Sen

“As we know, small businesses throughout the state have continued to struggle to survive during the stay-at-home orders.”

Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) said during Monday’s floor debate that the relief bill would not have needed to be as large as it was if the state had not forced businesses to close for so long

“This governor arbitrarily and unilaterally decided to shut down mostly small business in this state and as a result many small businesses have already gone out of business,” Gallagher told his colleagues before he joined the bipartisan vote to support the business grants bill

A portion of the relief package for which a vote is scheduled this week would allow companies to deduct up to $150,000 in expenses covered by loans from the federal Paycheck Protection Program

More than 750,000 PPP loans were taken out by California small businesses, officials said