Senate leaders have, however, released their plans for how to spend the American Rescue Plan funds, and they have started passing them. Dueling strategies will almost certainly result in end-of-session negotiation between a few leaders from each chamber. It will likely take weeks for Mississippians to learn how lawmakers will spend the historic amount federal funds. Although the House is currently passing bills, they don’t always place the exact amount of funds within the bill. Jason White, R-West House Pro Tem, stated that the exact amounts would be determined in conference between Senate and House leaders at the conclusion of the session. The Senate approved Tuesday’s largest ARPA bill, which would have used $750 million of that money to establish a match between the state and cities, counties, and rural water associations infrastructure projects. The state would match the ARPA funds received directly from the federal government by local governments. Federal law permits ARPA funds to go to local governments for their water and sewerage infrastructure. Senate Bill 2822 would offer a dollar for dollar match to large cities and counties for qualified water, sewerage, and stormwater projects. The state would match $2 to $1 for qualified projects in smaller cities that receive less than $1million in ARPA money. Rural water associations that have 250 customers or more would be eligible for grants up to $2.5 Million. READ MORE: Senate announces $1.8 billion plan to fund federal pandemic stimulation Sen. John Polk is the chair of the Senate subcommittee dealing with ARPA spending. He stated that the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality would approve and vet applications for projects based on a scale. Polk explained that this grade would consider whether a system is subject to federal orders to improve it or has problems like high lead levels. It would also give more weight to projects that are “ready to go in six months”. Sen. Derrick Simmons (D-Greenville) said that the state fund should be focusing on the poorest water and sewer systems and those in communities with the lowest ability to pay for upgrades. John Horhn (D-Jackson), said federally ordered upgrades should be given priority. Polk stated that the grading system, which includes a $2-to-1 match for smaller cities, would address these issues to some degree. However, “We must keep it fair for all.” Each area has its needs.” Senator David Blount (D-Jackson) said that he believed this bill and the appropriations bill would be the most important things we pass in this session. This is a one-time bill that we won’t see again. Blount asked Polk if the ARPA spending proposed would be sufficient to address Mississippi’s water and sewerage needs. “I do not,” Polk said. Polk stated, “I don’t.” READ MORE: Lawmakers sought input about spending $1.8 billion on pandemic stimuli. They received $7 billion in requests. On Tuesday, the Senate passed several ARPA spending bills to the House, including one that would provide upto $10 million for infrastructure projects at private college campuses, and another that would provide death benefits to COVID-19-affected first responders. Senate Bill 2721 was also approved by the chamber. This ARPA workforce bill would provide training, loan repayment, and higher pay for nurses and health workers. White stated that federal funds should be used to help local governments address their water and sewer problems and aid health care providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a pandemic. He said that we have the money due to the pandemic so we should spend at least some of it to help the pandemic. White stated that he doesn’t know of any area where one-time funds could have a greater impact than local water and sewer requirements. White said that he sees the area receiving $400 million to $600 millions in the first year. White said that he doesn’t believe all funds should be used during the session 2022. House legislation that passed: Federal officials are currently looking into the Jackson water system, which is outdated. They have expressed concerns about its water quality. The system also frequently fails in extreme cold conditions. Representative Chris Bell (D-Jackson) said that negotiations are ongoing to determine how much state support the city will get. He said that communication between the city officials and the legislative leaders is positive as they are determining how much help the city will receive. He said, “Absolutely they are good.” In addition, the House passed legislation to provide $1,000 premium pay for local law enforcement officers and firefighters (including volunteers) during the pandemic. Hospitals could be eligible for grants up to $250,000 to assist with coronavirus treatment. These funds could be used for the payment of their health care staff. A program to help expand community college nursing programs would also be created under legislation that passed the House. Similar spending is being proposed by the Senate for nursing programs. FOLLOW THE MONET: Follow Mississippi’s historic influxes of federal cash. Support this work by making a recurring gift today to celebrate our Spring Member Drive. This will allow us to continue important work such as this one.