The state of Tennessee launched a dashboard with data showing how the state has spent funds granted to it via the American Rescue Plan Act, a federal bailout package for states whose economies were decimated due to lockdowns during the COVID-19 panic.
The dashboard explains the parameters of the usage of federal funds, and notes that Tennessee received almost $4 billion of taxpayer money:
Under the American Rescue Plan Act, the State of Tennessee received $3.725 billion in funds awarded via the US Treasury ‘State Fiscal Recovery Fund’ (‘SFRF’). The availability of one-time SFRF funds presents a significant opportunity for Tennessee to: (i) Continue its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its secondary effects; (ii) Invest in initiatives that support a strong economic recovery; (iii) Strengthen state fiscal stability. Under the SFRF program, funds must be used for costs incurred on or after March 3, 2021. Further, funds must be obligated by December 31, 2024, and expended by December 31, 2026. This time period, during which recipients can expend SFRF funds, is the ‘period of performance.’
Though the dashboard provides some transparency about how the money was spent, specifics are difficult to come by.
For example, according to the dashboard, nearly $150 million were spent on “agriculture.” That section is further broken down into five categories: Ag Veterinary Lab, on which $5,122,600, Commercial Agriculture & Forestry Supply Chain Enhancement, on which $50 million was spent, Tennessee State University Ag Research and Education, which cost the taxpayer $32,250,000, the same program at the University of Tennessee, costing $50 million and a Meat Industry Workplace Training Facility at the University of Tennessee, which received $12.5 million.
Eighty million dollars was allotted for “Support for Tennessee Arts Organizations.”
Children’s Services received $62 million, while half a billion dollars was spent on broadband infrastructure.
Other massive expenses included more than $1.3 billion for “Enhancements to Water and Wasteland Infrastructure,” almost $200 million for various financial and administrative infrastructure, including about $51 million for cybersecurity and about $709 million for “Health,” which includes funds for forensic centers in Hamilton and Knox County, a state public health laboratory, and vague “healthcare capacity investments” and “workforce transformations.”
“Tennessee’s legacy of fiscal responsibility has ensured that our state’s economy can thrive, even amid significant challenges,” Gov. Bill Lee (R) said of the state’s stewardship of the federal funds. “I thank the General Assembly and all members of the Financial Stimulus Accountability Group for their efforts over the past three years to manage federal dollars wisely, prioritize transparency for Tennessee taxpayers and make strategic investments to strengthen businesses and families across the state.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Tennessee has become another money whore just like the rest of the money grubbing out of control tax & spend states like California & NY…
What disgrace 80 million to arts ? What in the heck does art have to do with the well being of the people in the state of TN !
Small business could have used a tax break and the people who pay the taxes should have gotten a tax refund…
Let the people who pay decide where to spend their money instead of the whores who squander it .
Have to wonder how much was spent on a worthless web site. And considering that the state funded it then it most likely does not work properly.
Borrowed money producing waste fraud and abuse. The Faucci Flu and all those responsible for it will forever be a stain on mankind.