Governor Bill Lee’s Office announced Thursday that $100 million in state funds have been made available for 13 Tennessee counties impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties are eligible to request immediate financial assistance through the new Helene Emergency Assistance Loans (HEAL) Program.
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The State University System of Florida’s Board of Governors approved regulations Thursday that will prohibit using state funds for race- or sex-based programs, according to Inside Higher Ed.
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 266 into law in June, which prohibits the funding of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for higher education, in the state. The new regulations defines DEI as “any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation” and promotes different treatments of people based on those factors, according to Inside Higher Ed.
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Tennessee plans to spend $102 million of its $3.7 billion American Rescue Plan allocation on a learning loss intervention program for Tennessee students.
The program — including summer learning camps, after-school learning mini-camps, and learning loss bridge camps — was approved in 2021 by Tennessee’s Legislature at a cost of $36 million per year, including a mix of state and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds.
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In a new poll, 61% of likely voters in Tennessee oppose the state giving $500 million toward a new Tennessee Titans stadium.
The poll, conducted by Targoz Market Research for the nonprofit policy group the Beacon Center of Tennessee, showed that 69% of those polled in East Tennessee disapproved of the move while 57% in Middle Tennessee disapproved and 55% in West Tennessee disapproved.
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Missouri’s Department of Economic Development (DED) recently previewed how Gov. Mike Parson plans to allocate the state’s $2.6 billion portion of federal pandemic funds.
In late December, Maggie Kost, acting director of the DED, outlined major priorities for Missouri’s portion of the more than $195 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. A total of $350 billion will be delivered to the 50 states and the District of Columbia and local and Tribal governments throughout the nation to support the response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The total amount of ARPA funds, passed in March 2021, is $1.9 trillion.
“We want to give you an idea of what to expect as we get into the legislative and budget session here in January,” Kost said. “As you’re planning and setting priorities locally for communities, we want to make sure you have an idea of what’s to come so you can think about how to leverage state funds as you’re building out your local priorities.”
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A group of Arizona state lawmakers on Wednesday urged Governor Doug Ducey to take direct action against school districts that have seemingly ignored a new state law that prevents mask mandates.
In total, 26 legislators called on Ducey to withhold funding from school districts with mask mandates and authorize temporary school vouchers for students in the districts with mandates.
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