Cares Act Steering Committee

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Steering Committee Approves $150 Million For Further Broadband Expansion

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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.CREDIT GOVERNOR'S OFFICE

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

CREDIT GOVERNOR'S OFFICE

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VIDEO: CARES Act Steering Committee Meeting Friday (09.25.20) 10AM

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The CARES Act Steering Committee, created by Governor Asa Hutchinson to recommend the best use of federal COVID-19 aid, meets virtually at 10 a.m. Friday, September 25, 2020. (Click on Play Button Above)

$165 Million Approved For Unemployment Fund

The group tasked with disbursing the $1.25 billion Arkansas received from the CARES Act has approved new funds to go toward stabilizing the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.

Members of the state CARES Act steering committee on Friday voted to approve the infusion of $165 million from the federal coronavirus bailout to the fund at a meeting held virtually. This comes as the panel faced a deadline of Sept. 30 to stabilize the fund, otherwise employers would have to pay an extra $10 per employee per year in taxes.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/arkansas-panel-approves-165-million-unemployment-fund

Arkansas Panel Approves $165 Million For Unemployment Fund

The group tasked with disbursing the $1.25 billion Arkansas received from the CARES Act has approved new funds to go toward stabilizing the state's Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. Members of the state CARES Act steering committee on Friday voted to approve the infusion of $165 million from the federal coronavirus bailout to the fund at a meeting held virtually.