R.I. Government Agencies | Privacy Policy |
On February 10, 2009, Governor Carcieri issued Executive Order 09-04, which established the Rhode Island Office of Economic Recovery and Reinvestment (OERR) within the Office of the Governor. The OERR is responsible for administering and complying with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), and other state and federal economic stimulus legislation.
The OERR is charged with the following tasks:
The Recovery Act specifies appropriations for a wide range of Federal programs and will increase or extend certain benefits payable under the Medicaid, unemployment compensation, and nutrition assistance programs. The legislation also reduces individual and corporate income tax collections and makes a variety of other changes to tax laws. The package provides funds that will:
According to Federal Funds Information for States (FFIS), Rhode Island is eligible to receive approximately $1.08 billion in federal stimulus monies.
Preliminary allocation estimates are available here »
Funds from the federal stimulus package will come into Rhode Island through varying programs, with a wide range of different eligible recipients. Some funds will be provided to the State of Rhode Island and then awarded to public, private or non-profit entities to perform funded work. Other funds will go directly to local governments, schools, and for profit and non-profit entities. The OERR continues to analyze the federal bill to identify all funding opportunities.
There are more than a hundred specific programs in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Some program funding will be distributed based on a set formula while other funds will be distributed through competitive grants.
Decisions on which stimulus projects should be selected and how they should be funded will be made under the same process currently used by the Governor and the Legislature. The Office of Recovery and Reinvestment will help analyze projects to determine if they meet the federal program criteria and will help connect them to the correct stimulus program. The Office will also make recommendations on changes that could help remove barriers to quickly moving the stimulus funds.
The law contains specific timelines which vary significantly depending upon the program. Congress intended the funds to be spent quickly to maximize their economic stimulative effect. The federal agencies administering the funds are establishing deadlines and clarifying program criteria. Information and timelines will be posted on this website as it becomes available.
Yes. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stipulates that if funds are not obligated (that is, marked for specific purposes) within 90 to 180 days of receipt, the money is available to other states. Using stimulus money quickly will create jobs, repair communities, and help families hurt by the national economic crisis.
A key provision of the federal stimulus is regular public reporting of project status, spending, and job creation and retention. In addition, both federal and state governments will have significant monitoring, reporting, and risk management responsibilities to protect against fraud, mismanagement, and waste.
Periodic reports on status of federal dollars will be due to Federal agencies, Congress and www.Recovery.gov This reporting will also include announcements for grant competitions, allocations of formula grants, and awards of competitive grants using those funds.
The Governor is required to report the following information to each federal granting agency, Congress, and www.Recovery.gov before the end of each distribution period:
Federal and state accountability and transparency measures will include:
The OERR will establish procedures for tracking and reporting on stimulus grants and programs that meet the federal requirements, as well as additional data and reports to be published for public view.
Taxpayers will be able to track the funds both at a national and state level and will be able to see to whom funds were awarded and the amount of the awards.
The Department of Labor and Training offers many services to help connect you to available work opportunities. The Department's Web site, www.dlt.ri.gov, includes daily Hot Jobs, a recruitment event calendar, a state jobs board and a powerful job database called Rhode Island Red. The Rhode Island Red database not only sorts available jobs by occupation, location and salary level, but also offers a self-service skill assessment and extensive labor market information to help you build and target your resumé.
For those who desire more individualized attention, the department manages four netWORKri one-stop career centers that offer computer access, one-on-one counseling, job search workshops and training opportunities. For more about netWORKri, visit www.netWORKri.org.
You can find the full text of the law on the Government Printing Office website.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has calculated the impact that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will have on the federal government's budget deficit. You can review those calculations in full, or Review Calculation Summary read a summary on the CBO blog. For more information visit the White House Web site or, for legislative information, the Library of Congress's THOMAS.
Source: Federal Funds Information for States (February 19, 2009)
Note: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes tax changes. The figures above do not reflect tax changes. -
