Every Thursday, REL-NEI highlights state-based resources, press releases, and news around the Northeast and Islands Region related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). For a listing of REL Issues & Answers Reports categorized under ARRA topics and domains, click here.
Feds Release Guidance for ARRA Financial Reporting
On June 22nd, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released new guidance for recipient reporting released on June 22nd. OMB published “Implementing Guidance for Reports on Use of Funds Pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.” This guidance implements the reporting requirements included in the ARRA for recipients of grants, loans, and other forms of assistance. The reports will be submitted by recipients beginning in October 2009 and will answer important questions, such as:
- Who is receiving Recovery Act dollars and in what amounts?
- What projects or activities are being funded with Recovery Act dollars?
- What is the completion status of such projects or activities and what impact have they had on job creation and retention?
Based on input received from the public on previous implementing guidance issued by OMB, the reporting framework in the documents below has been updated and enhanced to capture additional spending data from prime recipients and subrecipients of federal financial assistance Recovery Act awards. Further, OMB has worked with the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board to deploy a nationwide data collection system to reduce the information reporting burden on recipients. These supporting documents provide more information:
On June 30th, Vermont revised its McKinney Vento ARRA Funding for FY 2009–10. This funding to local education agencies (LEAs) is intended to assist with excess transportation expenses to schools of origin, as well as school supplies and other allowable expenses that eliminate barriers for homeless students to enroll, attend, and succeed in school. Read the revised document here (PDF).
On June 26th, the New York State Education Department posted a FAQ on its site based on the latest guidance from the U.S. Department of Education. These questions centered on State Fiscal Stabilization Funds, Cultural Education and Libraries, Title I, and IDEA. The site indicates that these questions and topics are subject to change, so they will continue to provide updates as they receive additional information. Moreover, New York is set to receive an additional $5 billion in federal stimulus funds over the next two years. On its Recovery site, NYSED posted a considerable amount of information related to ARRA guidance and reporting (required by the U.S. Department of Education).
On June 25th, Maine Governor John E. Baldacci and First Lady Karen Baldacci joined philanthropists, donors, supporters, and federal, state and local officials to break ground on the first Educare Center in New England. Educare Centers are uniquely designed to support the young child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development during critical years of learning. Educational classrooms are organized as “community neighborhoods.” Each neighborhood includes an infant and toddler room (birth to age 3) and preschool room (ages 4–5) creating continuity between and among staff and children as they develop and grow in the program together. The Maine Educare Center is scheduled to open in September of 2010.
For more information, visit these Recovery.gov websites across the Northeast and Islands Region:
Connecticut
http://www.recovery.ct.gov/recovery/site/default.asp
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2703&Q=322296
Maine
http://www.maine.gov/recovery/
http://www.maine.gov/education/recovery/index.html
Massachusetts
www.mass.gov/recovery
http://www.doe.mass.edu/arra/
New Hampshire
http://www.nh.gov/recovery/
http://www.ed.state.nh.us/education/recovery/index.htm
New York
http://uspeny.nysed.gov/arra/
Rhode Island
http://www.recovery.ri.gov/
http://www.ride.ri.gov/Finance/Funding/ARRA/
Vermont
http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/dept/recovery_act.html
Puerto Rico
http://www.buengobiernopr.com/arra/index.html
U.S. Virgin Islands
http://www.governordejongh.com/recovery/index.html
U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/index.html
Knowledge Alliance
http://www.knowledgeall.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=87&Itemid=34
Council of State Governments: StateRecovery.org
http://www.staterecovery.org/education
