Arkansas lawmakers green light $170M in ARPA spending

A legislative subcommittee on Wednesday endorsed requests for nearly $170 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports .

• About $60 million would go to water and wastewater projects; another $49.7 million would help implement the LEARNS education act.

The big picture: Arkansas received $1.6 billion in ARPA funding in 2021. The money is to be spent on one of eight criteria .

State of play: The state Department of Agriculture requested $55 million for water, wastewater and stormwater projects, along with $5 million for the Arkansas Rural Water Association.

• The Department of Education request includes $20 million for the high-impact tutoring program ; $10 million for the merit teacher incentive program ; $8.5 million for supplemental education services; $6.2 million for literacy coaches; and $5 million for the transportation modernization grant program.

The Legislative Council's Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) subcommittee also OK'd agency requests for $48 million in ARPA money for the heightened industry readiness through educational development grant program and nearly $12 million for implementation of the Arkansas Workforce Strategy .

What's next : The spending would need approval from the Legislative Council , which is scheduled to meet today.