President Barack Obama signed the $787-billion American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law today amidst controversy over what the bill really includes and how it will benefit the ailing economy.
The legislation will create or save 69,000 jobs in Missouri and 148,000 jobs in Illinois, and Missouri will receive at least $10.33 billion and Illinois will get at least $22.74 billion from the package, according to pro-Obama sources. The mammoth piece of legislation includes funding for infrastructure, education, health care, unemployed workers and state aid, as well as some new tax breaks.
The City of Columbia is submitting a list of "shovel ready" infrastructure improvements today to the East-West Gateway, which is coordinating regional requests for stimulus funding. City officials have been told to expect an amount roughly equal to what is receiving during a normal annual cycle.
Some city and village leaders in Illinois are concerned that bottlenecks in state government will keep funds from being deployed in time to help the recovery. While Missouri officials began work to replace a dilapidated bridge over the Osage River today, no similar announcement was forthcoming from the Illinois Department of Transportation.
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