Delaware

To: Interested Parties
Fr: White House Communications
Da: April 22, 2009
Re: The Obama-Biden economic plan: creating jobs, strengthening the economy for Delaware families

Facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, President Obama started his Presidency with decisive action -- proposing and quickly passing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Since the bill went into effect, the ARRA has already helped put money back in the pockets of 95 percent of working Americans, created and saved jobs across the country and made key investments in our community to help kickstart the economy. To ensure that the funds are spent efficiently and effectively, President Obama tasked Vice President Biden with overseeing the implementation of ARRA, and projects have already begun to come in under budget across the country. As the President prepares to introduce the details of his budget and further plans to revitalize the economy, here’s a look at how his policies have impacted Delaware in the first three months of his administration.

IMPACT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ECONOMIC POLICIES ON DELAWARE

Working Families:

  • Making Work Pay: The President’s tax-cut – which covers more Americans than any in history – is putting more than $200 million back in the pockets of more than 300,000 hard-working Delaware families.
  • $4,545,736 to support child care for working families.

Energy:

  • $15,918,700 in block grants to foster energy efficiency in building, transportation, and a wide range of other improvements.
  • $13,733,668 to support the weatherization of homes, including adding more insulation, sealing leaks and modernizing heating and air conditioning equipment.
  • $24,231,000 to the State Energy Program, available for rebates to consumers for energy saving improvements; development of renewable energy projects; promotion of Energy Star products; efficiency upgrades for state and local government buildings; and other innovative state efforts to help save families money on their energy bills.

Education:

  • $164,626,294 dollars potentially available to Washington, D.C. to lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save thousands of teaching jobs at risk due to state and local budget cuts.

Health Care:

  • $1,299,330 to fund a new Community Health Center, which will serve an estimated 5,680 patients and create a projected 40 jobs.
  • $933,211 to expand services at 4 existing Community Health Centers, which will expand service to an additional 5,207 patients and create or save a projected11 jobs.
  • $485, 000 to provide meals to low-income seniors.
  • $60,652,541 made available in Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) to protect health care for the families hit hard by the economic crisis and some of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.
  • $664,808 in vaccines and grants to ensure more underserved Americans receive the vaccines they need.

Transportation:

  • $121,828,650 in highway funds to help build and repair roads and bridges.
  • $17,643,474 to repair and build public transportation infrastructure.

Law Enforcement:

  • More than $10.9 for state and local law enforcement assistance available through the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. The JAG Program supports a variety of efforts such as hiring and support for law enforcement officers; multijurisdictional drug and gang task forces; crime prevention and domestic violence programs; and courts, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives.

REAL RESULTS IN DELAWARE

Thanks to the Obama Administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, real impact is already being felt across the state.

Wilmington News Journal: "Westside Healthcare gets stimulus funds": A Delaware health center that focuses on poor and uninsured patients will get $1.3 million in federal stimulus money to add staff and open a medical office in Bear later this year. The money will help serve 5,680 people and create 40 medical, support and construction jobs, officials said. The news came as a welcome surprise to Lolita Lopez, president and chief executive officer of Westside Family Healthcare. The nonprofit organization had applied for two federal grants last year, and Lopez said she feared the tough economy had sunk the group's chances for approval. LINK

$122 Million in Stimulus Funds Allocated For Delaware Transportation Projects. "Nearly $122 million in federal stimulus money is on its way to Delaware for transportation projects, but local officials aren't yet ready to say exactly where it will be spent. Local planning officials are coming to the end of their mandatory 30-day review of the long list of projects that Gov. Jack Markell and the Delaware Department of Transportation proposed last month." [Wilmington News-Journal, 3/4/09]

$7.7 Million in Stimulus Funding Will Help Pay for Delaware Sewer Projects. "Critical projects to expand central wastewater in Sussex County, thereby eliminating failing septic systems, improving water quality and ultimately protecting the environment, will get a boost from the federal stimulus package. County administrator David B. Baker announced at council's March 24 meeting that Sussex County has been approved by the Delaware Clean Water Advisory Council to receive approximately $7.7 million in grants under the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Those grants, also known as debt forgiveness, and approximately $6.9 million in loans, will help pay for a variety of sewer projects, including the new Johnson’s Corner and Angola Neck sewer systems, the proposed Woodlands of Millsboro project, as well expansions to the Oak Orchard sewer system and a regional treatment facility. Combined, the projects will cost nearly $78 million and serve approximately 10,000 customers in parts of eastern Sussex County, principally around the Inland Bays." [Sussex Countian, 3/24/09]

Delaware Will Receive $100 Million for Amtrak Funding, Including $21 Million to Restore Wilmington Station. "Delaware will catch more than $100 million of a $1.3 billion surge in money for Amtrak, officials said Friday, part of a package aimed at saving jobs, putting people back to work and helping to restore the nation's long-struggling passenger railroad. The stimulus package outlay announced by Vice President Joe Biden includes $21 million to restore Amtrak's historic Wilmington station, along with $58.5 million for railroad car restorations and repairs in Amtrak's Bear maintenance facility and other spending on improvements to tracks, power supplies and other rail facilities." [Wilmington News Journal, 3/14/09]

Close To $1 Million In Stimulus Money Has Been Allocated To Community Health Centers In Delaware; Funds Will Be Focused On Providing Services To The Uninsured. "The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has allocated close to $1 million to expand services offered at community health centers in Delaware. The funds were made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a portion of the federal stimulus package that aims to combat the rising number of uninsured residents. ‘The dollars coming into the state will be focused on supporting access for families and individuals who don't have insurance and need health services,’ said Miguel McInnis, chief executive officer for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Community Health Centers. Four health centers in Delaware split the $933,211. Recipients included Delmarva Rural Ministries Inc. of Dover and the Henrietta Johnson Medical Center and West Side Health Center, both of Wilmington. In Sussex, La Red Health Center in Georgetown received $192,608 to recruit a full-time family nurse practitioner. Each agency was given $6 per patient and an additional $19 per uninsured patient. Funding was based off 2008 statistics, officials said. According to La Red CEO Brian Olsen, demand for services, especially walk-in services, has been on the rise and additional personnel is necessary to meet the community's needs. ‘We're at a crucial juncture at this point,’ he said. ‘We have added a large number of patients and hope to use this new position to address the added walk-in patients.’"[DelMarvaNow.com, 4/9/09]