The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) is an economic stimulus bill created to help the United States economy recover from the economic downturn that began in late 2007. Congress enacted the ARRA on February 17, 2009. It allocates $787 billion to fund tax cuts and supplements to social welfare programs as well as increased spending for education, health care, infrastructure, and the energy sector.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Select Health, Education, and Social Service Appropriations (4/4/2009)
State Budgeting Matters Recovery Watch
Volume 5 • Recovery Watch 1: ARRA More Than Just Dollars and Cents
Volume 5 • Recovery Watch 2: Recovery Transparency Goes Online
Volume 5 • Recovery Watch 3: Where are the Jobs?
Volume 5 • Recovery Watch 4: Impact of the Increased Federal Medicaid Match
Volume 5 • Recovery Watch 5: Recovery Act has Prevented Cuts and Protected Services in Ohio
Volume 6 • Recovery Watch 1: Federal Health and Education Assistance Vital in Current State Budget
State Fiscal Relief has Helped Ohio: Congress must consider additional assistance to states in any jobs package to ensure that the recovery takes hold (1/7/2010)
Although some believe the Great Recession may be over, our economy remains in a precarious position. To ensure that the recovery takes hold, it is critical that Congress provide additional federal assistance for programs proven to be economically powerful. States with high unemployment and depressed state revenue collections, such as Ohio, will continue to struggle for some time after the national recession officially ends. State fiscal relief has been an effective economic stimulus in previous recessions and has preserved thousands of Ohio jobs. Ohio would greatly benefit from an extension of aid to state government, such as the extension of additional federal Medicaid funding or more money to support state and local spending on education and general government services.
Families are Struggling; Reliance on Government Assistance Grows (2/4/2010)
To help states deal with record growth in the food stamp program, later this month, the federal government will provide $400 million in additional funds for administrative expenses such as eligibility determination. This is both critical and commendable because, during periods of high unemployment, the reliance on public assistance grows as struggling families turn to government programs to help them meet their basic needs. In fact, since the start of the current recession in December, 2007, the number of families receiving food stamp benefits has grown by 40 percent nationwide and by 42 percent in Ohio.2 At the same time, Ohio’s cash assistance cases are up by 28 percent. Without federal action unemployment benefits will end for many. It is likely that, as a result, even more people will seek assistance.
Recovery Act Put $2.5 Billion in Ohioans' Pockets: A County-by-County Review of Direct Benefits in 2009 (02/25/2010)
The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was split between formula funding for state and local government programs, competitive grants, and direct benefits to Americans. The State of Ohio is expected to receive $8.2 billion in formula funding, and competitive grants in excess of $817 million have already been awarded to Ohio entities. This report examines four direct assistance provisions of ARRA: a boost in monthly food stamp1 benefits, a one-time $250 payment for Social Security and SSI recipients, a $25 per week increase in unemployment benefits, and the Making Work Pay tax credit. In 2009, these four programs put more than $59 billion directly into Americans’ pockets, with over $2.5 billion coming to Ohioans.