Web Only Update: February 17, 2009

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Congress Approves 'American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009'
STIMULUS PACKAGE SENT FOR PRESIDENT'S SIGNATURE

Congress sent the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" to the White House on February 13, meeting its self-imposed deadline to approve a stimulus package before leaving for the week-long Presidents Day recess. President Obama is expected to sign the stimulus package into law on February 18. Last Friday night, the Senate passed the final version of the economic stimulus package in a 60-38 vote. Earlier in the day, the House voted 246-183 to approve the $789 billion economic stimulus package. No House Republicans voted in favor of the bill, seven Democrats voted against it, and one voted "present."

In this issue:

F E D E R A L
Congress Approves 'American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Previous issues

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allocates $48 billion to transportation funding, including $27.5 billion for highway infrastructure investment and $8.4 billion for transit. The conference agreement also includes $9.3 billion in funding for intercity passenger rail and high speed rail corridors. Key HUD programs received almost $10 billion, including $1 billion for Community Development Block Grants.

Housing funds in the conference remain similar to the House and Senate bills, with some funds shifted between pots. The Public Housing Capital Fund will be allotted $4 billion, while CDBG will receive $1 billion. Funding for Neighborhood Stabilization was a compromise at $2 billion, from $4.2 in the House and nothing in the Senate, and the HOME Program was allocated $2.25 billion, the same as in the Senate but an increase from the House.

Energy efficiency programs will receive slightly less than what was offered in either the House or Senate bills. Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block grants were reduced to $3.2 billion from $3.5 billion and $4.2 billion in the House and Senate, respectively. Funds to the GSA for green federal building and repair were cut by about $2 billion to $4.5 billion. Only Smart Grid investment remained intact at $4.5 billion in all versions of the legislation.

The $819 billion House bill was approved January 28 by a vote of 244-188, and the $839 billion Senate bill was approved on February 10 by a vote of 61-37. An amendment by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Neb.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Me.) removed $108 billion in spending from the Senate bill. Conference negotiators then worked to remove another $50 billion from the Senate bill's bottom line.

Selected ProgramsHouse BillSenate BillFinal Passage
Highways and Bridges$30 billion$27 billion$27.5 billion
Transit$12 billion$8.4 billion$8.4 billion
Amtrak$800 million$850 million$850 million
High Speed RailFunding priority$2 billion$8 billion
Discretionary Multi-ModalNo provision$5.5 billion$1.5 billion
CDBG$1 billionNo provision$1 billion
Energy Efficiency Block Grants$3.5 billion$4.2 billion$3.2 billion
Neighborhood Stabilization$4.2 billionNo provision$2 billion
Water Revolving Fund Programs$8 billion$6 billion$6 billion
Federal Green Buildings$6.7 billion$6 billion$4.5 billion
School Construction$14 billion No provision$6 billion

See the comparison matrix for more details on the formula allocations and obligation deadlines:

Economic Recovery Act Side-by-Side House, Senate, and Conference Bills (pdf)