CONNECTICUT
www.recovery.ct.gov
As of October 13, 2009:
| Agency Reported Data: | | Rank: |
| Funds Announced | $2,666,459,399 | 30 |
| Funds Available | $3,032,317,610 | 27 |
| Funds Paid Out | $1,224,697,266 | 24 |
| | | |
| Recipient Reported Data: | | Rank: |
| Number of Awards | 31 | 44 |
| Funds Awarded | $47,242,441 | 43 |
| Funds Awarded Per Capita | $13 | 47 |
| Funds Received | $1,036,461 | 48 |
| Jobs Created / Saved | 20 | 54 |
| Unemployment Rate | 8.4 | 29 |
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 the unemployment rate means that this state has the 15th highest unemployment rate.
Terms defined by http://www.recovery.gov/
Recipient Reported Data: These data are based on data submitted by federal contract recipients to www.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 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 contract 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:
According to www.propublica.org, as of July 1 (4 months after the stimulus bill passed), Connecticut has only obligated 59% of its stimulus highway money. Of the more than $302 million in total funding, only $177 million has been obligated for 21 projects in the state.
Unions and construction project managers have complained about the slow pace of the state in spending stimulus dollars which will delay any job creation until next year. Of the 33 transportation projects earmarked for federal funding, only 12 have been awarded contracts. It is estimated that close to 100 jobs have been created.
Connecticut’s recovery Web site has been updated as of October 15, 2009. This Web page reflects actual commitments of ARRA funding once it has been made available: http://www.ct.gov/RECOVERY/cwp/view.asp?a=3704&q=436444
Figuring out how many jobs the stimulus has created or saved is one of the key measures of its success — and very difficult to do. The White House estimate of jobs to be created under the stimulus package in Connecticut was 41,000. Next month states will begin reporting their own job counts, based on stringent reporting guidelines. Matthew Fritz, a special assistant to the governor who is overseeing the more than $1.22 billion in federal stimulus that Connecticut is set to receive, reports that close to 4,000 new jobs have been created in the state so far (August 19, 2009) .
The money in the stimulus bill slated for transportation and infrastructure is likely to be one of the stimulus’ biggest job-generators. Propublica.com has crunched the numbers and found that the higher a state’s unemployment, the less money it gets. Connecticut has a 6.6% unemployment rate and will receive $487,480,166 or $3,859 per unemployed worker.
Policy Debate
The Web site, http://www.accountablerecovery.org/states/connecticut, sums up the political climate in Connecticut , “there has been some controversy in Connecticut regarding stimulus funds for Medicaid. Earlier this year, Gov. Rell proposed millions of dollars in Medicaid cuts. In order to accept federal stimulus funds for Medicaid though, states cannot restrict existing eligibility standards, so some of the proposed cuts were eliminated. However, a number of other cuts that supposedly do not restrict eligibility (such as charging co-payments for some Medicaid recipients, eliminating non-emergency medical coverage for some legal immigrants, and reducing coverage for prescription drug programs) are still planned. Advocacy organizationshave challenged these Medicaid cuts, saying that although Congress did not explicitly forbid them, they go against the intent of ARRA.
There is also some controversy regarding how to use stimulus funds in Connecticut's schools. Currently most of the funds are going to the state budget to maintain aid to local schools, but it has been reported that some officials, including U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman, want at least a portion of the funds to go toward education reform.”
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