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Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Stimulus package - Washington and Oregon summary

As Andrew noted, earlier today the U.S. Senate passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The bill now goes to conference committee to iron out the differences between the versions passed by the House and Senate.

But what's in it for Washington state? Senator Patty Murray gives us the lowdown.

Below are some of the critical investment in Washington state Senator Murray worked to make in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009:

TAX CUTS: Includes income tax cut of up to $1,000 for Washington workers and their families.

HIGHWAYS: Includes more than $495 million to improve Washington state roads, highways, and bridges and create jobs. Also includes $5.5 billion for nationwide competitive grant program for projects of major national or regional importance.

TRANSIT: Includes over $200 million in new transit funding for Washington state to keep residents moving and create jobs.

FERRIES: The bill includes a $60 million nationwide grant program to fund ferry and ferry terminal upgrades.

STATE SUPPORT (State Stabilization Fund): Will provide Washington with $648 million to help with education and other services in the face of deep budget deficits. The state can use this funding for a number of different purposes including funding higher education tuition assistance and a variety of K-12 services.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE: Will give another $100 per month in unemployment insurance benefits to 404,000 workers in Washington, Will provide extended unemployment benefits to an additional 44,000 laid-off workers.

WORKER TRAINING: Includes over $64 million to train unemployed Washington state workers and get them the skills needed to embark on new careers.

This is only a partial list of the items included in the stimulus package that relate to Washington. For Senator Murray's complete list, go visit her website.

As for Oregon, Senator Ron Wyden has a summary of what was included in the package.
Building on the Wyden-authored Build America Bonds program which provides state and local governments with a new tax credit bond to stimulate investment in infrastructure projects;

Creating thousands of new jobs and restoring the health of the state’s choked forests by providing $500 million for fire management including the reduction of fuels in the forest that endanger communities with increased risk of fire;

Increasing broadband access in underserved areas through a $7 billion investment in the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, 50 percent of which will be focused on rural communities;

Expanding on “mini-COBRA” programs that exist in Oregon and other states by helping many people who have lost their jobs in small businesses keep the coverage they had—or something similar to it;
For a more complete list of what is in the bill for Oregon, please visit Senator Wyden's website.

Comments:

Blogger imee said...

Hurray for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. I am so happy the bill was successfully passed, and I wish for nothing but the best not just for your state but for the entire country as well.

Imee

February 11, 2009 12:27 AM  

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