ARPA
The U.S. Federal Government signed ARPA into law in March 2021. ARPA established the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CSLFRF) which provides significant economic resources to state and municipal governments. The broad goals of the CSLFRF are to help overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, address the negative economic consequences of the pandemic, and provide resources to help lay a foundation for a strong economic and social recovery from the pandemic.
The period for the expenditure of ARPA funds is from March 3, 2021 through December 31, 2024. Costs committed by December 31, 2024 must be expended by December 31, 2026.
The broad goals of ARPA are to 1) meet immediate COVID-19 related health, economic and social challenges; 2) address long-term infrastructure and economic needs, and 3) confront any inequities exacerbated by the pandemic.
The U.S. Department of Treasury has issued guidelines on how ARPA funds can, and cannot, be spent. These guidelines can be found via these two links:
https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/FRF-Interim-Final-Rule.pdf
https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/SLFRPFAQ.pdf
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides COVID-19 recovery funding and includes the following broad areas of how funds can be utilized:
● To make necessary investments in water, sewer, or broadband structure.
● To address negative economic impacts caused by COVID-19 including assistance to households, small businesses, non-profits, and impacted industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality.
● For the provision of government services to the extent of reduction in revenue due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
● To respond to workers performing essential work during the COVID-19 public health emergency.