South Carolina

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

IMPACT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ECONOMIC POLICIES ON SOUTH CAROLINA

Working Families:

  • Making Work Pay: The President’s tax-cut – which covers more Americans than any in history – is putting more than $800 million back in the pockets of more than 1.7 million hard-working South Carolina families.
  • $36,316,257 to support child care for working families.

Energy:

  • $31,449,200 in block grants to foster energy efficiency in building, transportation, and a wide range of other improvements.
  • $58,892,771 to support the weatherization of homes, including adding more insulation, sealing leaks and modernizing heating and air conditioning equipment.
  • $50,550,000 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:

  • 1,089,722,991 dollars potentially available to South Carolina 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:

  • $5,961,923 to expand services at 20 existing Community Health Centers, which will expand service to an additional 28,163 patients and create or save a projected 85 jobs.
  • $1,436,821 to provide meals to low-income seniors.
  • $2,520,000 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.
  • $2,613,856 in vaccines and grants to ensure more underserved Americans receive the vaccines they need.

Transportation:

  • $463,081,483 in highway funds to help build and repair roads and bridges.
  • $41,154,218 to repair and build public transportation infrastructure.
  • $6,200,000 to address airport safety and security, infrastructure, runway safety, increased capacity, and mitigation of environmental impacts.

Law Enforcement:

  • More than $37.9 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 SOUTH CAROLINA

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

Company That Makes Energy Efficient Windows And Doors That Qualify For Recovery Act Tax Credits And Benefits Will Locate A New Production Plant In Laurens County, Which Could Lead To Approximately 200 Jobs. "Force V Environmental LLC of Clinton will locate a new window and door production plant in Laurens County, which could lead to about 200 jobs, state development officials said. The plant should open next month in the former Timken facility. Force V makes windows and doors designed to be energy efficient and qualify for the tax credits and benefits under the new federal stimulus plan. Force V also makes hurricane windows and doors that meet the energy star codes. The company recently acquired the vinyl division from German-based Schuco and will locate their new facility in the former Timken facility in Laurens County." [The State (South Carolina), 3/11/09]

Stimulus Funds Will Be Used to Pay for Clean Up of the Savannah River Site Nuclear Weapons Complex, Creating 3,000 Jobs. "The U.S. Department of Energy says it will hire as many as 3,000 workers to clean up the Savannah River Site, a nuclear weapons complex with a legacy of radioactive contamination. A day after the energy department announced $1.6 billion in federal stimulus funds for SRS, details began to emerge of a plan supporters hope will pump up the economy in the Aiken-Augusta area near SRS… According to the stimulus plan, Energy Department contractors will hire about 1,000 workers by this summer, with the goal of completing cleanup work by 2011. The site now employs about 11,000 people. The DOE and its contractors will look for a variety of workers, ranging from people with nuclear backgrounds to laborers and administrative assistants. About 40 percent of those hired won’t need any nuclear experience, said Jim Giusti, a spokesman for SRS." [The State, 4/2/09]

Columbia Will Use Stimulus Funds to Improve Bus System, Hire Contractors to Run Bus Route, Customer Service. "More than $5 million of federal stimulus dollars have been awarded to Columbia’s bus system, and now officials with the bus system have a plan on how to spend it. The plan, which the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority approved unanimously Monday, still must be approved by the Central Midlands Council of Governments and could change. Here’s how it breaks down: 10 new buses for the system... Many board members, including Columbia Mayor Bob Coble, are advocating for fuel-efficient buses… Upgrades to the transit center… Customer service. Plans include a telephone service for people who don’t have access to the Internet… Money can go to hire contractors for some operational functions. For example, officials could hire a contractor to operate a bus route from Lake Murray to downtown Columbia. Specific projects have not been decided." [The State (Columbia, SC), 4/21/09]

Tri-County Area In South Carolina Will Receive Nearly $4.7 Million In Stimulus Funds To Retrain Workers Who Have Been Laid Off. "Almost $4.7 million in federal stimulus money is on its way to the tri-county area to retrain people who have been laid off and to employ low-income youth this summer…The Charleston County Council is expected to accept the money at its Tuesday meeting. The county administers workforce funds for itself as well as Berkeley and Dorchester counties. Connerty said this would be the first time in a decade that federal funds have been available for a summer youth employment program. There's $1.7 million in the funding package for that program, which pays the salaries and benefits of youths, ages 14 to 24, who will be placed in public and private jobs between April 1 and Sept. 30…There also will be $2.1 million in stimulus funds to beef up an existing program that helps laid-off workers gain new training as they look for work. The stimulus money soon may provide a small cash stipend to laid-off workers who exhaust their unemployment benefits while in training programs." [The Post and Courier, 4/6/09]

Stimulus-Funded Airport Projects in South Carolina Are Expected to Create 115 Jobs. "A $4.8 million federal stimulus grant will pay for expansion of the tarmac at Myrtle Beach International Airport, a project that will create about 80 jobs, officials announced Friday. The announcement was welcome news to Horry County, which is in the midst of a $129.8 million airport expansion that will double its size and increase the number of gates from seven to 12. The money comes on the heels of a $2.1 million stimulus grant that will fund new lighting at Grand Strand Airport and provide about 35 construction jobs. Both grants come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which provided $1.1 billion to the FAA to give to qualified airports, according to Bill McKown, chairman of the Horry County Airport Advisory Committee." [The Sun News, 3/28/09]

North Charleston Police Department Hopes To Receive Recovery Act Funding To Fill 10 Positions And Possible Add A Dozen More. "Stimulus money could mean more manpower for the North Charleston Police Department. Budget woes have caused the department to leave 10 positions unfilled, but expected money coming in from stimulus funds could fill those positions and possibly add about 12 more. Chief Jon Zumalt says the new officers could be on the payroll and in training by July. They will serve as ‘line officers’ and work in high crime areas at peak crime times. He is looking for problem solvers who are able to communicate with residents in North Charleston. Zumalt is also making an effort to hire more minorities to fill the positions, specifically African Americans. He is concerned that the department does not mirror the demographics of North Charleston…Zumalt is also looking to add more Hispanic and Spanish-speaking officers to the force as well as more female officers." [WCBD (Charleston, SC), 3/9/09]

Sheriffs Praised Incoming Law Enforcement Funding. "Dozens of law-enforcement agencies in South Carolina will divide $14.8 million in stimulus funds sent to them directly. The S.C. Department of Public Safety will receive an additional $23.2 million, most of which will go to local agencies through competitive grants. ‘We are very much looking forward to working with the sheriffs and chiefs of police in our criminal-justice agencies to solicit grant applications,’ said Bert Fitzpatrick, grants administrator for the state agency. ‘We want to get this money in hands of law enforcement as soon as we can.’ Once those grants are awarded, law-enforcement agencies in the Midlands are expected to get more than $5.8 million, with $888,245 going to the Richland County Sheriff’s Office and $597,483 to the Columbia Police Department. ‘The law-enforcement stimulus money is great,’ said Richland Sheriff Leon Lott. ‘It re-establishes funding that was previously taken away.’" [McClatchy, 3/6/09]

Public Housing Developments Will Receive $1.3 Million For Renovations. "Public-housing developments in Georgetown, Conway and Atlantic Beach will receive a combined $1.3 million in federal stimulus money for renovations, officials announced Tuesday. Georgetown will receive $614,714, Conway will receive $600,206 and Atlantic Beach will receive $99,332, all based on federal formulas. The money is intended to create and save jobs through the local contracts awarded for the renovation work. In Conway, operations director Montele Burton said the money will be spent to install energy-efficient electric air-conditioning systems in the authority's 300 units, none of which have central air." [Sun News, 3/25/09]

Six South Carolina Military Bases Will Receive Upgrades, Including Improved Living Conditions. "More than $56 million in federal stimulus funds is being pumped into three Midlands military installations and 19 S.C. National Guard armories. The money is part of nearly $80 million worth of projects slated for six bases in South Carolina. The breakdown includes: $32 million for Shaw Air Force Base; $18.6 million for Fort Jackson; $4.8 million for the Army Guard; $1.4 million for McEntire Joint National Guard Base. An additional $1 billion is already slated to be spent on Midlands bases as they expand for future missions and upgrades. The project list for Midlands bases includes a $22.5 million dorm for airmen at Shaw Air Force Base, road-paving projects at Fort Jackson, and upgrading heating and air-conditioning systems of buildings at the bases. The stimulus funds should get projects under way in a matter of weeks and months, officials said. ‘The projects have been in the system and ready to go,’ said Karen Soule, spokeswoman for Fort Jackson. ‘They just haven’t had the money to pay for them.’"[The State, 3/25/09]