(By State Auditor Nicole Galloway)Through November, the state of Missouri has spent $344.6 million of the $1.81 billion received under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act for COVID-19 recovery efforts, a report released today by State Auditor Nicole Galloway shows.
The report tracks spending of ARP funds, which Missouri began receiving in May 2021, and is in addition to monthly reports on CARES Act funding the state is receiving.
The report for November on ARP spending is part of Auditor Galloway's ongoing review to help ensure accountability for the billions of federal dollars coming into Missouri for COVID-19 response and recovery. Since June 2020, the State Auditor's Office has released monthly reports on the $5.1 billion Missouri has received to date through the CARES Act and other federal programs for COVID-19 response efforts.
The ARP Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden in March 2021. The funding received by or made available to Missouri state government agencies help pay for the state's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. ARP funding includes state and local recovery aid, funding for K-12 schools and institutions of higher education, and funding for various other assistance and benefit programs.
Additionally, the ARP Act makes available a two-year 5% increase in federal funding because Missouri implemented Medicaid expansion, and also provided temporary enhanced federal matching funds for other Medicaid programs administered by MO HealthNet. Through November, the state has received approximately $111 million additional Medicaid funding under the ARP Act.
With approximately $738,000 disbursed in November, the state has now distributed approximately $221 million to local governments from the Coronavirus Local Government Fiscal Recovery Fund. Approximately $1.2 million has been disbursed by the state so far under ARP to support COVID-19 screening and testing to maintain in-person learning in schools. More than $1.34 billion has been received for the Coronavirus State Government Fiscal Recovery Fund, but has not been appropriated by the legislature as of Nov. 30.
The ARP also makes available approximately $2.6 billion for distribution to Missouri's K-12 and higher education institutions. While none of this funding has been accessed to date, it is available until September 30, 2023.
The complete Federal ARP Act Funding for COVID-19 Recovery report for November can be found here.
The most recent CARES Act report from Auditor Galloway is here.
No comments:
Post a Comment