News
April 30, 2009
ARRA Notice of CSBG Public Comment | PDF
April 24, 2009
ARRA Lists Funds for Public School Districts, Charter Schools and Educational Co-ops | PDF
April 22, 2009
Additional unemployment insurance benefits available under Extended Benefit Program | PDF
April 16, 2009
State Implementation Update | PDF
March 23, 2009
ARRA Governor's Letters of Assurance to the US Department of Energy | PDF
March 19, 2009
Governor's 1201 ARRA Certification | PDF
March 11, 2009
Arkansas Recovery Web Site Now Online
The Web site established by the State of Arkansas to helps citizens track the spending of federal stimulus money is now active at recovery.arkansas.gov.
The interactive site will be updated daily with new information about program funding through Arkansas. Users can click through graphs to better pinpoint where money is being spent and to sign up for notifications when programs are introduced or changed. The Web site is designed to give Arkansans full transparency and accountability for how their taxpayer dollars are being invested.
Governor Beebe today signed certifications confirming Arkansas's involvement in the Recovery and Reinvestment Act and enabling the flow of funds to Arkansas projects. There are 27 shovel-ready highway projects certified throughout the state, and detailed funding for each project is now available on the Web site.
In addition to the site, a recovery hotline is now active. Arkansans can call 501-683-5767, or toll-free at 1-877-682-1515, to get additional information or provide feedback.
March 9, 2009
State Certification Letter | PDF
Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department Certification Letter | PDF
March 3, 2009
Governor Beebe Talks Stimulus
Governor Beebe met with the Governor's Recovery Cabinet, a group of state agencies that will help implement and distribute federal stimulus money. The governor's message to them was to be accountable and transparent in their actions, as this is taxpayer money being used to improve our State and bolster Arkansas's economy.
Watch video at YouTube.
February 27, 2009
Governor Beebe's weekly column and radio address: Opportunity Through Recovery
As a president who was no stranger to challenging times, Harry Truman once said, "A pessimist makes difficulties of his opportunities; an optimist makes opportunities of his difficulties." Like the rest of the nation, Arkansas finds itself facing such difficulties amid a turbulent economic climate that tests the fortitude of our people. On an almost daily basis, my office receives new reports of businesses, big and small, cutting back or closing down completely. More of our people struggle to make ends meet and care for their families. I believe that our true test as a State will be in the steps we take to ride out this economic tide and find opportunities amid our struggles.
One such opportunity is before us now in the federal stimulus bill recently signed by President Obama. Arkansas's challenge is to responsibly allocate our share of the economic-recovery program to best serve the long-term needs of our State and get people back to work immediately.
Most of this money has already been designated to enhance established programs, meaning we will not have much discretion over how most of the money is spent. Still, the needs in our communities are urgent, and the impact of this investment can benefit our State for generations to come. Our guiding principle is to advance projects and initiatives that will lay the groundwork for the future growth of Arkansas.
Some of the first work done will involve improving and modernizing our roads, highways, and bridges. These projects will make our State a safer place to live and work; they will create immediate jobs and make us more attractive to new business development. Our infrastructure opportunities reach beyond steel and asphalt. We will explore a rural broadband initiative to further both our educational and economic goals by bringing high-speed Internet access to people in the furthermost reaches of Arkansas. Modernizing public school facilities and retrofitting public buildings for greater energy efficiency serves our fiscal, educational, and environmental bottom lines, simultaneously. Each of these projects - and many more like them - will improve Arkansas in the long term, while helping to save the jobs of companies already needing support and creating much-needed new ones to keep our economy steady.
Of course, all of these opportunities must be undertaken with responsibility, transparency, and appropriate oversight. To that end, I have established the Governor's Recovery Cabinet, which next week convenes the leadership of key state agencies that will participate in this process. Soon, a state Web site will be established to provide transparency by listing every dollar of the stimulus package spent in Arkansas, similar to the Obama administration's Web site established at recovery.gov. Arkansans will be able to access information and have questions answered on the site concerning the investment of these taxpayer funds. This is your money - and your leaders should be held accountable for how it is managed.
The stimulus package gives me great hope that Arkansas's recovery will be steady, if not swift, and will eventually put our State in a stronger position than ever before. But this hope must be tempered by realism. We live in precarious times, and our decisions on how to invest this recovery money must be made with wisdom, caution, and deliberation.
As long as we act boldly and remain honest and open with the people of Arkansas, we can look to the future of our State with the confidence and optimism that President Truman prescribed. We can shape greater opportunities for our citizens from the difficult times we now inhabit. Although we fare much better than most states, too many of our fellow Arkansans are suffering the effects of our nation's economic crisis. It's a time for strong economic leadership and forward thinking to put our State and her people on the path to recovery and prosperity. |
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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 | Adobe PDF