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Washington, March 3 – States that did not receive funding for school food equipment under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but were offered funding in fiscal 2010 as part of a second wave of funds, are being told by the Food and Nutrition Service that they may opt to use the funds now or postpone accepting them until a later date.

Washington, March 1 – Calls from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and other public interest groups looking for a broadband stimulus deadline extension fell on deaf ears at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration which has decided to adhere to it’s March 15^th deadline.

Washington, Feb. 26 – Neglecting to follow grantor agency policies for complying with applicable federal laws can derail even the best planned project. Just ask the Bay Area Rapid Transit District in California, which just lost out on $70 million for a project it had been working on for years. Grantees are reminded to stay abreast of any agency policy changes that could affect their program and to respond accordingly.

Washington, Feb. 23 – Marking the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Vice President Joe Biden released a detailed report chronicling the successes of the stimulus package, including the creation or retention of approximately 2 million jobs.

Washington, Feb. 22 – Congress enacted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in February 2009 as a stimulus to boost economic growth and create jobs. A year later, opinions are mixed on the success of the law. One state financial official, however, said the Recovery Act in some ways has simply kept some entities afloat and questions whether the funds could have gone to more worthwhile programs.

Washington, Feb. 18 – As the one-year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Pub. L. 111-5) passes, the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials is touting the progress and jobs created, while advocating for more long-term transportation funding from Congress.

Washington, Feb. 16 – At 8 a.m. this morning, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Rural Utilities Service began accepting applications for the $4.8 billion in Recovery Act funds that remain available for round two of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program and the Broadband Initiatives Program.

Washington, Feb 11 – A pilot program that allows state agencies to begin taking steps to address Office of Inspector General recommendations to boost internal controls of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-supported programs months before they would have under traditional single audit timelines, is already paying benefits

Washington, Feb 4 – State agencies should set realistic performance goals and proactively establish standard procedures for managing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to avoid such obstacles California faces in implementing its Recovery Act Weatherization program. As of Dec. 1, 2009, no homes in the state had been weatherized using Recovery Act funds even though the U.S. Department of Energy six months earlier made some $93 million available to the state Department of Community Services and Development.

Washington, Feb. 2 – When President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law almost one year ago, he vowed the $787 billion package of grants, loans and other federal assistance would be distributed with “unprecedented transparency and accountability” so as to prevent waste, fraud and abuse of the landmark spending program. Since then, federal agencies have scrambled to make good on that pledge by implementing strict regulations to track the funds, and grantees have reported their expenditures in greater detail than ever before.