Jun 21, 2024 - News

Arkansas lawmakers green light $170M in ARPA spending

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Arkansas State Capitol building front entrance in Little Rock. (Photo by: Don & Melinda Crawford/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) — The Arkansas Capitol. Photo: Don & Melinda Crawford/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

A legislative subcommittee on Wednesday endorsed requests for nearly $170 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.

About $60 million would go to water and wastewater projects; another $49.7 million would help implement the LEARNS education act.

The big picture: Arkansas received $1.6 billion in ARPA funding in 2021. The money is to be spent on one of eight criteria.

State of play: The state Department of Agriculture requested $55 million for water, wastewater and stormwater projects, along with $5 million for the Arkansas Rural Water Association.

The Department of Education request includes $20 million for the high-impact tutoring program; $10 million for the merit teacher incentive program; $8.5 million for supplemental education services; $6.2 million for literacy coaches; and $5 million for the transportation modernization grant program.

The Legislative Council's Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) subcommittee also OK'd agency requests for $48 million in ARPA money for the heightened industry readiness through educational development grant program and nearly $12 million for implementation of the Arkansas Workforce Strategy.

What's next: The spending would need approval from the Legislative Council, which is scheduled to meet today.

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Arkansas lawmakers green light $170M in ARPA spending

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