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OKLAHOMA CITY – The Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding on Tuesday advanced the second slate of projects for consideration in the Legislature's upcoming special session on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. The nine ARPA requests that will now be considered by the full Legislature are:
The projects will be considered when the Legislature reconvenes the Second Extraordinary Session of the 58th Oklahoma Legislature, which was called for the purpose of evaluating ARPA projects advanced by the joint committee. "The goal of the joint committee when assessing and recommending ARPA projects for legislative consideration is to determine how these projects will benefit our state," said Speaker Pro Tempore Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow. "All of the projects recommended by the joint committee in this phase will not only provide a benefit to Oklahomans in the short term, but will also create a strong foundation for the future." Oklahoma took a unique approach to the allotted ARPA discretionary dollars by opening a public portal last year allowing any Oklahoman to submit requests for a share of state government's $1.8 billion in ARPA funding. In the time the portal was open, more than 1,400 submissions totaling in excess of $18 billion were received. “We have been working diligently to decide how to spend these federal funds as efficiently as possible on projects that will not only meet critical needs today but help support generations to come,” said Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry. “These projects will address crucial mental health and healthcare needs of our citizens and heroes, modernize the IT capabilities of various state agencies, and upgrade our state’s water infrastructure to ensure all Oklahomans have access to safe, reliable drinking water. I’m proud of the work we’ve accomplished and looking forward to presenting these projects to the Legislature.” Throughout the summer and fall, subject matter working groups will continue to consider objectives to be achieved for each of the priority areas established by the joint committee, program areas to advance specific outcomes, and potential projects to achieve the objectives. The working groups will make recommendations to the joint committee for specific projects to be funded. Program areas and specific projects approved by the joint committee will be placed into appropriations bills for consideration by the Legislature during the special session. The nine new projects are in addition to projects passed by the Legislature during the June convening of the Second Extraordinary Session which included:
ARPA projects approved during regular session included $75 million in water infrastructure grants, $50 million for higher education nursing programs, $4.5 million for medical professional training, $2 million for broadband mapping, $365,000 for a broadband technician training program, $7.5 million for pediatric emergency room behavioral health needs, and $634,000 for Career Tech nursing programs. -END- |