MISSISSIPPI

stimulus.ms.gov

As of October 13, 2009: 

Agency Reported Data:

 

Rank:

Funds Announced

$2,481,975,426

31

Funds Available

$2,161,756,858

33

Funds Paid Out

$733,453,462

35

 

 

 

Recipient Reported Data:

 

Rank:

Number of Awards

56

35

Funds Awarded

$138,938,139

27

Funds Awarded Per Capita

$47

18

Funds Received

$10,027,865

40

Jobs Created / Saved

225

34

Unemployment Rate

9.2

21


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 offunds 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 fund sare 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 afederal award.  

Recent Updates:

Health care in Mississippi for some of the state’s poorest residents received a big boost this year from federal stimulus dollars. Although the number of new jobs created is not exceedingly high, the number of residents who now will receive medical care who otherwise might have gone without is significant.

 

Up to 70 new jobs will be created with a $1.3 million federal stimulus grant awarded to the Pearl-based Family Health Care Clinic. The money will be used to open up three new health care clinics in southwest Mississippi, which will bring medical care to more than 9,000 people. The clinics will provide primary care, dental care and nutrition services for low-income and uninsured residents. In addition, about $6 million was awarded to the state to expand health services at 21 existing community health clinics, which is expected to serve more than 45,000 patients and create or save 95 jobs.

 

In transportation, Mississippi received $354 million in funding, the majority of which will be spent on highway projects officials had been planning for but didn’t have funding to complete. As of July, according to a story in the Biloxi Sun Herald, about $2 million had been spent on payroll to help keep people employed.

 

Many state stories have focused on improving energy-efficiency in private homes. More than $49 million will be spent to support the weatherization of homes and more than $40 million is being allotted to the State Energy Program to give consumers rebates for making energy-saving improvements and upgrading state and local buildings.

 

Recently, Gov. Haley Barbour announced a new employee and small business initiative called Mississippi STEPS: Subsidized Transitional Employment Program and Services. A partnership between the Mississippi Department of Human Services and the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, the program will subsidize the wages of a new employee hired by any public hospital, private non-profit or for-profit entity in the state over a six-month period. Funded by federal stimulus dollars, the program will begin October 2009 and run through September 2011.

The Mississippi STEPS program will pay for an employee’s salary at 100 percent at the beginning, with the subsidy decreasing over the six-month time period. Preference is given to small businesses, although the program is open to any public hospital or private business. Employees must have at least one child under 18 and earn within 250 percent of the federal poverty line.

Mississippi has received a $9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to help cities and counties become more energy efficient. Called the Sustainable Mississippi Communities Initiative and funded by the Energy Efficient Block Grant Program, the initiative is designed to create green jobs and help establish a market for sustainable products.

 

Previous Updates

Legislative Branch

May 18, 2009
Mississippi agencies and teachers are holding their breaths while the legislature continues to struggle with approving a budget, reported an article in the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The legislature has suspended its session twice now, with the first suspension taken to figure out how the $2.5 billion to $2.8 billion in stimulus funding the state is anticipating is supposed to be spent. There also have been arguements over a cigarette tax, hospital tax and an attempt to save some of the stimulus funding until 2011. The legislature is due to reconvene on May 26.

May 11, 2009
According to a story in the Jackson Free Press, legislators are taking another two-week break before trying to once again come to an agreement on the 2010 budget. While the Democrat-controlled House wants to increase spending, the Republican-controlled Senate and Gov. Haley Barbour are urging a more conservative budget. Barbour also is pushing for a tax on hospital beds to help pay for Medicaid. Barbour says the stimulus money is masking a potential budget shortfall of up to $500 million in 2011.

April 9, 2009
According to a story in The Daily Leader, there's little chance school administrators can meet statutory deadlines for teacher contract renewals because the legislature went into recess before appropriating education funding. Teachers contracts should be either renewed or let go by April 15 or 10 days after the appropriations bill is passed. But with legislators sitting out the month of April before coming back to a special session, that April 15 deadline won't be happening. State Superintendent Dr. Hank Bounds has asked school leaders to make a mock budget based on anticipated revenues, with a list of items that can be cut if the funding is less than expected.


March 19, 2009
The fight over $56 million in federal stimulus money for Mississippi is stalled in Republican Sen. Billy Hewes' Rules Committee, and it may end there, according to a story in Business Week. The House passed a resolution last month to bypass Gov. Haley Barbour and accept millions of dollars in unemployment compensation. Another Senate resolution urges Barbour to accept all the Mississippi's share of the stimulus, which is estimated at $2.5 billion to $2.8 billion.

Barbour said he will reject part of the stimulus money because accepting it would require the state to change its laws to give unemployment benefits to people seeking part-time work. They currently don't qualify for the payments. Hewes, a Republican from Gulfport, said Thursday he won't bring either resolution up for a vote.

March 5, 2009
On March 4, the Mississippi House passed HC64 which emphasizes the "need and desire of MS Legislature to certify the state's request and use of funds." The measure will now move to the Senate.

Legislation related to ARRA

  • HB105 – Among other things, reduces the amount the state will spend on Medicaid by the same amount provided by ARRA. Introduced Jan. 6, 2009, referred to Public Health and Welfare, Appropriations Committees. Died in the insurance conference, April 1, 2009.
  • HCR69 - Reinforced the fundamental principle and authority of state sovereignty under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution over certain powers and discouraging the federal government from imposing certain restrictive mandates. Adopted May 7, 2009. Motion to reconsider entered May 8, 2009. 
  • HC64 - 2009 economic recovery stimulus package; emphasize need and desire of MS Legislature to certify the state's request and use of funds. Adopted March 4, 2009
According to a story in The Commercial Dispatch, it looks unlikely that the House bill that would have overridden Gov. Barbour's stated intent to refuse the federal stimulus money that would open up the unemployment rolls to those working part time will go any farther. The Republican-controlled Senate seems poised to block the plan.

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