NV stimulus Web portal unveiled

Nevada launched its American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Web site earlier this month to keep Nevadans up-to-date about how federal stimulus money is being spent in the state and enhance transparency in government spending.

“Creating jobs and kick-starting the economy are my top priorities,” Governor Jim Gibbons said, “My staff is working hard to cut through the miles of government red tape and get stimulus funds injected into our economy as quickly as possible.”

The Web site tracks the number of jobs created or retained by ARRA expenditures in addition to the distribution of the stimulus funds to the state's various departments and agencies. The site also provides links to state agencies awarding stimulus-funded contracts and the federal recovery Web site, which maintains in-depth information on each state's ARRA funding and contracts.

Since the ARRA was enacted in January 2009, sixteen Nevada departments and agencies have received an estimated $2.1 billion from the legislation. The state's Department of Transportation (NDOT) is one of the biggest recipients, with an estimated $208 million of stimulus money being earmarked for the agency.

Virtually all of the stimulus funds going to NDOT are being used for highway, road, and bridge planning and construction projects.

To visit the Nevada ARRA Web site, visit: www.nv.gov/recovery

To visit the federal recovery Web site, visit: www.recovery.gov

Figures show public sector spending up nationwide in 2009

Public spending on construction projects increased by 6.1 percent nationwide from September 2008 to September 2009, according to federal figures released at the beginning of the month. In 2008, governments spent only $308 billion on public sector construction compared to $326 billion this year.

Education-related construction expenses reached $88.7 billion, with highway and street construction closely trailing at $85.5 billion. Also, health care and power construction grew over the past year by 5.1 percent and 7.7 percent, respectively. Conservation and development projects, however, fell by 8 percent.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's (ARRA) $90 billion dollar investment in the public sector has been the major factor in the increased spending.

“With the economic downturn, local and state governments have been slashing spending wherever possible,” said DBE Goodfaith Inc. Director of Operations Jose Altamirano. “The federal stimulus package definitely helped many state and municipal agencies execute their construction plans this past year.”

The federal government is continuing its commitment to growth in the public sector. At the end of August, the U.S. House and Senate extended the Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU), which authorizes the investment of federal money in transportation infrastructure projects, until mid-December. The legislation had expired at the end of September.

The extension is meant to be only a stop-gap measure. Democrats on Capitol Hill intend to bring a successor bill to SAFETEA-LU to the House floor for a debate before Christmas. If the draft legislation does not garner enough support, lawmakers may resort to another short-term extension of SAFETEA-LU.

The federal report also contained private construction figures. Spending in this sector has, as many experts predicted, declined over the same period of time by 20.6 percent.

To view the federal government's construction figures, visit:
http://www.census.gov/const/C30/release.pdf

To read more about SAFETEA-LU extension, visit:
http://www.logisticsmgmt.com/article/367098Transportation_infrast
ructure_Surface_transportation_funding_gets_another_extension.php

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