Indiana

>To: Interested Parties
Fr: White House Communications
Da: April 22, 2009
Re: The Obama-Biden economic plan: creating jobs, strengthening the economy for Indiana 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 Indiana in the first three months of his administration.

IMPACT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ECONOMIC POLICIES ON INDIANA

Working Families:

Making Work Pay: The President’s tax-cut – which covers more Americans than any in history – is putting more than $ 1.3 billion back in the pockets of more than 2.4 million hard-working Indiana families.
$42,764,321 to support child care for working families.

Energy:

$42,380,100 in block grants to foster energy efficiency in building, transportation, and a wide range of other improvements.
$131,847,383 to support the weatherization of homes, including adding more insulation, sealing leaks and modernizing heating and air conditioning equipment.
$68,621,000 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:

$1,528,043,885 potentially available to Indiana 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:

$2,600,000 to fund 2 new Community Health Centers, which will serve an estimated 15,210 patients and create a projected 115 jobs.
$4,931,859 to expand services at 19 existing Community Health Centers, which will expand service to an additional 39,175 patients and create or save a projected 164 jobs.
$1,945,401 to provide meals to low-income seniors.
$247,163,403 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.
$4,171,697 in vaccines and grants to ensure more underserved Americans receive the vaccines they need.

Transportation:

$657,967,707 in highway funds to help build and repair roads and bridges.
$84,285,780 to repair and build public transportation infrastructure.
$2,598,333 to address airport safety and security, infrastructure, runway safety, increased capacity, and mitigation of environmental impacts.

Law Enforcement:

More than $35.3 million 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 INDIANA

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

Indiana Governor Said $132 Million Would Be Invested in Energy Conservation, Creating 2,300 Jobs. "Governor Mitch Daniels announced plans to distribute $132 million in federal stimulus funds for energy conservation. The money will go to weatherization projects for low income homeowners who are already a part of the state's energy assistance program. The program's budget will be expanded by a multiple of 11. Groups looking to do the work can apply beginning next week. ‘We will be looking for those organizations, non-profit in every case, who can make a good showing that they can achieve the most conservation, help the most Hoosier households per dollar spent in the shortest amount of time,’ said Gov. Daniels. Daniels said 2300 jobs will be created by the stimulus money." [WLFI-TV, 3/20/09]

Elkhart Learned It Would Receive $6.4 Million In Stimulus Money The Day After Mayor Dick Moore Told Mitch Daniels The City Needed Help Fast. "Elkhart has learned it will receive $6.4 million in federal economic stimulus funding a day after Mayor Dick Moore told Gov. Mitch Daniels the city needed help fast. The city, reeling from job cuts in the recreation vehicle industry, will receive $4.2 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to rehabilitate a runway at the Elkhart Municipal Airport and $2.25 million in neighborhood stabilization funding through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. ‘This funding is great news for Elkhart,’ U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly said in announcing the grant Thursday. ‘Fixing up the runway at Elkhart Municipal Airport will put shovels in the ground and people to work.’ Elkhart, a city of 52,000, is home to the state's worst unemployment problem. Elkhart County had an 18.3 percent jobless rate in January. Moore was at the Statehouse on Wednesday to lobby for the stimulus money. He also talked with President Barack Obama during a visit to Elkhart last month. The city also hired a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., and created a local stimulus committee. The housing money can be used to purchase foreclosed or abandoned homes to rehabilitate, resell or redevelop them, Donnelly said. Other northern Indiana cities are receiving help as well. South Bend will receive $4.1 million in housing money and Kokomo will receive $2.2 million." [AP, 3/21/09]

26 People In 6,400-Person North Manchester Are Expected To Be Hired To Build Water Treatment Plant (WITH VIDEO). "Even in the quiet college town of North Manchester, Ind., 26 people are expected to be hired to build a water treatment plant. Economists say 26 people in a town of 6,400 can have a huge impact." [ABC News, 3/4/09]

Mayor Said That $9 Million In Road & Sidewalk Projects Are Ready For Funding & Could Provide 200 Jobs (WITH VIDEO). "In Elkhart, Ind., where the collapse of the RV industry sent the city's unemployment rate soaring from 4.4 to 12.4 percent last year to the highest in the nation, Mayor Dick Moore says projects are already in the works. Moore told ABC News that $9 million in road and sidewalk projects are ready for stimulus funding, expected to bring jobs to 200 workers." [ABC News, 3/4/09]

Howard County Highway Dept Hired Indianapolis Firm to Appraise Boulevard Improvement Project, Which Stimulus Funding Will Facilitate. "Federal stimulus funds for Howard County will provide $3 million toward the cost of the Dixon Road project. That leaves money open for other projects, including additional road paving this year. Ted Cain, superintendent of the Howard County Highway Department, said the money will be used for the paving of county roads in 24 locations… Cain said the county has $275,000 set aside for the widening of Dixon Road and if the project receives federal funding, the county will shift funds from other projects. Another project awaiting federal funding is the widening of traffic lanes on Boulevard from Goyer Road to the new U.S. 31 freeway. Cain said the road will have to be brought to federal standards. The planned improvement to Boulevard is to widen the road to 48 feet. Cain said the county will have to purchase right of way to widen the road to the new freeway interchange. The county has hired the Indianapolis engineering firm of Butler, Fairman & Seufert for the appraisal, review and cost of the property along Boulevard." [Kokomo Tribune, 4/14/09]

Herald Bulletin Editorial: Stimulus Dollars Being Well Spent. "Gov. Mitch Daniels announced last week that he will spend $24 million of the state’s federal stimulus money to improve state parks and the aesthetic of Indiana and give 2,000 young people summer jobs. This is an admirable use of some of those funds…The work will have a positive effect on the state’s economic development efforts. The Herald Bulletin, in past editorials, has noted the connection between aesthetically pleasing surroundings and companies looking for nice places to relocate. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that there is a state park here in Madison County that could be made even better and used as a selling point for county economic development teams. It’s also good for Hoosiers who like to visit state facilities for camping, horseback riding and picnicking. The parks will be in better shape. The downside is that after two years the money will be gone, and it will be up to the state to provide such maintenance. Also, the jobs will be gone. Having that working experience, however, could give a lot of young people a chance to move onto other jobs, as the governor noted. The jobs and work could start as early as May 1. If you’re visiting a state park and notice a flurry of improvement activity, you’ll know the stimulus dollars are being well spent in Indiana." [Herald-Bulletin, 4/8/09]

$82 Million in Amtrak Funding Will Create 125 Jobs in Indiana and Delaware at Facilities Rebuilding and Restoring Train Cars. "A $1.3 billion federal investment in Amtrak will trickle down to the Beech Grove Amtrak maintenance facility, the White House announced Friday. The local facility, which employs about 500, will share $82 million in federal stimulus projects with another facility in Delaware in order to fulfill an order to rebuild or repair 68 stored or damaged passenger train cars. The project could mean up to 125 new jobs for Amtrak here and in Delaware. In Beech Grove, the hiring has already begun. A handful of machinists have been brought back, and others should be hired soon, said Mike Fisher, a 21-year employee who made the national spotlight last year by sharing his economic worries with the Obama campaign. ‘I know they are already in the process of doing interviews and bringing a lot of people back to work, including many of my friends,’ Fisher said. ‘We had been told that possibly by the end of 2009, the Beech Grove facility could be gone without this.’" [Indianapolis Star, 3/14/09]

Indiana Will Receive $24 Million In Stimulus Funds To Hire 2,000 Young People Who Will Improve Natural Habitats As Members Of The Young Hoosiers Conservation Corps. About $24 million in federal stimulus money will be used in Indiana to hire 2,000 young adults over the next two summers to improve parks, trails and natural habitats. ‘Our template for stimulus funds is jobs, speed and lasting value,’ Gov. Mitch Daniels said Tuesday. ‘This program puts young people to work, does it quickly and adds the best kind of enduring legacy in the enhanced natural beauty of Indiana.’ The new state program, dubbed the Young Hoosiers Conservation Corps, will be funded with $21 million in stimulus money. Marion County will receive $3 million for programs to train and hire young people…Daniels said that preference will be given to those currently receiving unemployment benefits and veterans, so most of those hired will be closer to age 24 than 16. The jobs will pay $8.50 an hour and will be scattered across the state." [Chicago Tribune, 3/31/09]

Indiana Airports Will Receive Stimulus Funding To Improve Safety And Create Jobs. International airports in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne will each receive about $1.3 million in federal economic recovery funds. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Wednesday the money will help create jobs while "investing in the long-term safety and economic vitality of our airports." The Federal Aviation Administration will provide $1.33 million to Indianapolis International for aircraft rescue and fire fighting vehicles. Fort Wayne International will receive $1.27 million for installation of install guidance signs. The two Indiana airports are among some 3,400 nationwide that are eligible to receive funds from the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. [Chicago Tribune, 4/8/09]

Indiana Arts Commission Will Receive $273,000 To Preserve Jobs in Nonprofit Arts Sector. "The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) announced today that a number of qualified Indiana arts organizations may apply to receive funds either directly from the National Endowment for the Arts NEA) or through the IAC as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide $50 million to the NEA to be distributed nationally in grants to fund art projects and activities which preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector. Forty percent of these funds will be distributed to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations while the remaining 60 percent will be competitively awarded directly by the NEA. "The NEA believes the Indiana Arts Commission is uniquely positioned to provide funds that will preserve jobs in Indiana’s nonprofit arts sector,’ said Lewis C. Ricci, IAC executive director. "In just the past few months, many of our state’s cultural organizations have announced staff reductions. These organizations are particularly threatened by declines in philanthropic and other financial support during this economic downturn.’ The IAC expects to receive approximately $273,000 from the NEA for the ARRA grant program." [Inside Indiana, 3/20/09]

Stimulus Money Going to Two Indiana Health Centers. Two health care centers in Indiana are receiving $2.6 million in federal stimulus money to help Hoosiers in need. Congressman Andre Carson (D-7) says the money will help people, many without health insurance, obtain comprehensive and preventive health care services. Carson says it will also create 115 jobs. Indiana Health Centers Inc. in Indianapolis and a facility at Purdue University in West Lafayette will receive the financial support.LINK

Health clinic network gets stimulus grant. An Indianapolis-based network of health clinics is among Indiana's first recipients of federal economic stimulus money, Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indianapolis, announced Monday. Indiana Health Centers, which provides health services to low-income families outside Marion County, was awarded part of a $2.6 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Carson's office said in a statement. The center will share the grant with Purdue University, the statement said. LINK

Purdue nursing clinics share $2.6M: Patients at Purdue University's North Central Nursing Clinics in Delphi and Monon will be able to receive more comprehensive care, thanks to a significant grant from the federal stimulus package. The White House announced Monday that Purdue and Indiana Health Care Centers Inc. are recipients of a combined $2.6 million that will provide health care to those who might otherwise not get it. About 90 percent of patients at Purdue's clinics in Delphi and Monon fall below the poverty line, said Julie Novak, professor of nursing and director of the Purdue School of Nursing Clinics. LINK

Indiana Governor Announced a Second List of 29 Transportation Projects Throughout the State Valued at $43 Million. "Gov. Mitch Daniels on Friday announced a second wave of highway projects to be funded with federal stimulus money. Indiana's share of the stimulus package includes $658 million for building and maintaining the state's roads. Some of that money goes to local governments, but the majority — $440 million — goes to the state. Daniels and the Indiana Department of Transportation plan to spend the money in 10 rounds. Friday's list included 29 projects in 21 counties and carries a $43.6 million price tag. Earlier this month, INDOT announced 26 projects valued at $39 million. Those projects are planned and ready to begin now, and the state will take bids from construction companies starting March 25, the governor said." [Evansvile Courier & Press, 2/27/09]