CT Jobs: More than $1 Billion from ARRA

Posted on July 14, 2009

When the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed by President Barack Obama in February, most state and local officials had high hopes that the bill would help to revive the economy, particularly by creating jobs. So how has the federal stimulus fared as far as creating CT jobs? Click here to learn more.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell recently announced that the State of Connecticut has surpassed the $1 billion mark for funds committed to various projects and initiatives under the stimulus. The state has applied for more than $ billion in formula-based and competitive grants.

“The federal stimulus act is providing the State of Connecticut and its cities and towns with much-needed resources to help us all weather this economic downturn and get Connecticut residents back to work,” Rell said. “My administration has been committed and engaged from the start in pursuing every federal funding source available.”

For instance, Connecticut was one of the first states to have its state energy plan approved, which resulted in about $39 million in stimulus funds. That money will be used to finance a plan to help residents and businesses reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and advance conservation and efficiency efforts. Other initiatives include developing geothermal and solar thermal technologies and making state buildings more energy efficient.

On top of that, more than $400 million in stimulus funds have been committed for state transportation initiatives. Connecticut’s Recovery Working Group has helped the state move forward with most of these projects.

Additional ARRA funds that have been committed to Connecticut include:

• $1.2 billion for Medicaid assistance
• More than $540 million for education stabilization
• More than $180 million for unemployment and jobs services, including $11 million for summer youth employment
• $163 million for statewide bus and rail projects and pedestrian and bicycle access

“My administration has also been extremely active in helping non-profit organizations, commercial operations and municipalities secure stimulus funds for their needs,” Rell said. “There have certainly been some challenges, some frustration and a great deal of learning over this time.

“We are sure to encounter more challenges in the months ahead as we all work to balance expectation with reality,” she added. “I am confident, however, with our partners in Washington and here in our cities and towns, we will more than meet those challenges along the road to recovery.”