ALABAMA

stimulus.alabama.gov 

As of October 13, 2009: 

Agency Reported Data:

 

Rank:

Funds Announced

$3,395,656,093

26

Funds Available

$3,265,718,406

22

Funds Paid Out

$984,909,847

29

 

 

 

Recipient Reported Data:

 

Rank:

Number of Awards

75

29

Funds Awarded

$178,584,902

23

Funds Awarded Per Capita

$38

22

Funds Received

$14,823,533

33

Jobs Created / Saved

355

27

Unemployment Rate

10.7

41

Notes: All Rankings are from Highest to Lowest.  For example, A ranking of 15 for Funds Announced, means that the state had the 15th highest amount of funds announced. A ranking of 15 for unemployment rate means that this state has the 15th highest unemployment rate.                        

Terms defined by recovery.gov:            

  • Recipient Reported Data: These data are based on data submitted by federal contract recipients to FederalReporting.gov between Oct. 1 and Oct. 10, 2009.  On Oct. 30, 2009, the final recipient federal contract data and the final data on grants and loans will be available. It is collected and updated quarterly.            
  • Agency Reported Data: These data com are based on weekly Financial and Activity Reports filed by federal agencies receiving Recovery Act Funds.              
  • Funds Announced: Funds that have been publicly announced as available to entities outside of the federal government.  Not all available funds are announced publicly. For example,  the funds going to a project started prior to the Recovery Act that are commingled with the project’s Recovery funds will not be announced publicly before being made available to a recipient).  The Funds Announced figure should not be viewed as the total funding that an agency has made available.
  • Funds Available (Obligation): The term used to describe when an agency informs the public of the release of money to recipients either immediately or in the future.
  • Funds Awarded: This is the amount of contracts dollars that will be made available to recipients.
  • Funds Paid Out: Funds that have been released from a federal agency to a recipient.
  • Funds Received: The amount of money each recipient received from a federal award.

Recent Updates

October 14, 2009

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley announced on Monday, October 12, that the state met the federal deadline for reporting stimulus data. Using formulas developed by federal officials, the state estimates that stimulus spending created or retained 4505 jobs in Alabama. The state was already providing a monthly summary of spending and job impact on its state recovery website, so the overview of the data due the federal government was available immediately.

Cumulative spending of ARRA funds has topped $531 million, a little more than half the funds already awarded. The top three areas for stimulus spending in Alabama are increased federal matching for Medicaid, increased spending for food assistance (SNAP, formerly called food stamps) and an interest free loan for trust fund deficit reduction.

Alabama, like 20 other states, has had to borrow money to keep its unemployment trust fund solvent. Interest will not be due the federal government until 2011 due to ARRA language. Without the cash infusion, the state would not be able to write unemployment checks in October, even though Alabama has the second lowest benefit level in the country. Taxes to employers are expected to rise to their statutory maximum in 2010.

The Birmingham News reported that except for stimulus funded transportation projects, all new road projects in the state have stopped, pending some movement in Congress to pass a transportation bill.

Federal stimulus funds are also helping strapped school systems. In early October, schools received the news of a 7.5 percent across the board cut on top of 11 percent cuts last year. Systems are using reserve funds and federal stimulus funds to blunt the budget damage.

Alabama has launched its stimulus website, stimulus.alabama.gov, which details the nearly $3 billion available to Alabama through direct stimulus and grants. The website focuses on the key areas impacted by the stimulus, such as: Local Government, Business, Education & Research, Non-Profits, and Individuals. Each page details the spending and stimulus allocations by category and is updated as new projects are approved.

Alabama’s position of the federal stimulus package is just over $3 billion and includes:

  • $1.5 billion going to education

  • $850 million to Medicaid

  • $560 million for state and local transportation and/or infrastructure projects

The impact on the state’s economy is expected to be as high as $7 billion. 

 

Previous Updates:


Executive Branch


Drayton Nabers, former state finance director and Supreme Court chief justice, has been appointed by Gov. Bob Riley to oversee the state’s handling of the stimulus funds. Nabers is currently with the Birmingham law firm of Maynard, Cooper & Gale. The governor has said that he contracted the job out to Nabers and his associate, David Perry, because there is no one in state government to handle the complicated legislation and because of the quick pace at which the state would have to move to obtain the funding. 
 

The Department of Economic and Community Affairs will work with the state’s 12 regional planning commissions, cities, towns and Economic Development Authorities to make sure funds are distributed appropriately. In January, the director of the DECA requested that the state Association of Regional Councils contact local governments to compile a list of “ready to go” infrastructure projects statewide.

State Certification Letters

Press releases

Contact
Bill Johnson 
The Department of Economic and Community Affairs
P.O. Box 5690 
Montgomery, AL 36103-5690
(334)242-5591

 

Legislative Branch

April 1, 2009
The Birmingham News reports that the Alabama legislature is on its way to accepting federal stimulus funds for increased unemployment benefits over the objections of Gov. Riley. On March 31, both the Senate and House adopted resolutions saying Alabama wants to accept all federal unemployment stimulus funds. However, legislation would still need to be adopted making the necessary changes in state unemployment law. Bills to do so are pending.

State Sen. Rodger Smitherman of Birmingham introduced SB 460 to get $100 million in unemployment compensation funding that Gov. Bob Riley has declined from the federal stimulus package. Smitherman's bill is backed by the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Gov. Riley is not in favor of expanding the state’s unemployment compensation law because he fears it could lead to increased taxes on employers when the stimulus runs out in four years.

Press releases

Legislation related to ARRA

  • SB 460 Requires changes in unemployment compensation laws in order to access full amount of federal stimulus
  • HJR 454 - Accepting all federal stimulus funds allocated to Alabama for unemployment compensation coverage
  • SJR68 - Encourages the United States Congress to immediately amend the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to allow states to accept unemployment compensation benefits unconditionally
  • HJR 476 - Requesting the governor to inform the legislature of applications for federal funds under ARRA
  • HB 771 - Provide an income tax deduction, to be added to the deduction for federal income taxes paid or accrued, to offset the loss of the federal income tax deduction resulting from the tax credits provided to individuals as the result of the ARRA.

In the News