Arkansas receives second $786.6 million; now, where to spend?

by Steve Brawner (BRAWNERSTEVE@MAC.COM)

Arkansas has a good problem to have: What should it do with $842 million in federal funds sitting in the bank? That amount – actually $841,965,067.52 – is what’s left of money coming from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA).

It provided $195 billion in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The act also provided $130 billion for local governments.

Arkansas has received two tranches each of $786,560,790.40. The second arrived May 19. The first came in June 2021. So far, $55.4 million has not been allocated from the first tranche. The money was transferred to the Arkansas ARP Steering Committee Holding Fund. States have until the end of 2024 to obligate the money, and until the end of 2026 to actually spend it.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/06/arkansas-receives-second-786-6-million-now-where-to-spend/

Arkansas Receives At-Home Testing Kits, Governor Hutchinson Requests Funds From ARPA

LITTLE ROCK – In December, Governor Hutchinson directed the Arkansas Department of Health to acquire 1.5 million rapid at-home tests to be available for free to Arkansans.

Arkansas has received the first shipment of 211,000 at-home testing kits and the process of delivering those to the respective distribution locations will begin shortly.

Governor Hutchinson said that the cost of these tests is around $10 million and will be covered by existing funds available in the COVID response budget. The tests will be available at public local libraries, public health units, and other locations. The National Guard will be assisting in the delivery of these at-home tests.

Expanding Hospital Beds

Governor Hutchinson requested $50 million be distributed to hospitals around the state to fund extra beds which will be used to help with the surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations. This request was approved by the Arkansas American Rescue Plan Act Steering Committee, and the disbursement of this funding requires legislative approval.

Governor Hutchinson created the Arkansas American Rescue Plan Act Steering Committee in 2020 to make recommendations on the distribution of approximately $1.57 billion in funding from the federal government.

The proposed plan includes adding 98 COVID ICU beds and 167 COVID medical beds to be funded for timelines of 28-45 days based on the recommendations from the Arkansas Department of Health. The hospitals which will receive those beds are:

• St. Bernards Medical Center

• Mercy - Rogers

• Conway Regional

• SVI - LR

• SVI - Hot Springs

• Washington Regional

• Unity Health - White County

• Baptist Health - Conway

• Baptist Health - Van Buren

• Mercy - Fort Smith

• Arkansas Children's

Steering Committee Approves $150 Million For Further Broadband Expansion

By SARAH KELLOGG

The state committee in charge of allocating federal funding from the American Rescue Plan approved $150 million to go towards broadband efforts, with an additional $150 million to possibly be approved in a later meeting.

The Arkansas American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Steering Committee met for the second time on Wednesday and spent over an hour discussing the $300 million request from the state’s Department of Commerce to go towards broadband expansion.

In speaking on the request, Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston recalled the millions of federal dollars previously spent on broadband as a part of the CARES Act.

"$120 million is what was utilized from the CARES funding. Those funds were deployed in less than a year’s time and that brought access to 130,000 Arkansans who did not have broadband before," Preston said. "So, 130,000 people in our state who previously did not have access now have access to broadband because of the work that the CARES Steering Committee did and through the Office of Broadband and the Department of Commerce were able to do that."

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/steering-committee-approves-150-million-further-broadband-expansion

In this file photo, the Arkansas American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Steering Committee meets for the first time.

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