In The News

States Must Use Caution When Spending ARPA Funds to Avoid Waste

From: Citizens Against Government Waste

The American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) included $350 billion in the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, $195.3 billion of which was given to the states, with the remaining $154.7 billion divided among local governments, tribal governments, and territories.  Because states are not required to obligate their share of the funds until December 31, 2024, or spend them until December 31, 2026, several states have elected to take a patient approach to distribution.  The National Council of State Legislatures reported that 13 states have yet to allocate any funds sent to them by the Department of the Treasury, while the most of the others have allocated only a fraction of the funds given to them.

Thus far, local governments have used their portion of the grants on a wide array of projects ranging from the expansion of broadband access and infrastructure repair to the promotion of green energy and the development of athletic fields.  In Alabama, the state’s only use of APRA funds has been the allocation of $400 million for the construction of two prisons.  Hawaii’s legislature designated $1 million for a Sea Urchin Hatchery in addition to $300,000 for an engineering assessment of Aloha Stadium.  Use of grant money designed to provide relief from the COVID-19 pandemic for these and similar projects takes a page from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-N.Y.) infrastructure playbook, when she claimed that paid leave, child care, and caregiving are all infrastructure.  Just as everything fits under infrastructure, so too can anything be sold as COVID relief, sea urchins included.

As state and local governments prepare to appropriate their remaining ARPA funds in their upcoming 2022 legislative sessions, governors and legislators must allocate the money with caution to avoid funding wasteful projects unrelated to COVID relief or creating unsustainable programs that will be unaffordable when the federal well runs dry. Read more.

Kent County approves $5 million in grants for small businesses, hotels

From: Delaware Live 

Kent County Levy Court has approved a $5 million grant program for small businesses and hospitality companies affected by the pandemic.

The measure, which passed unanimously during a Nov. 9 meeting, is Kent County’s first use of the $35.5 million it received in American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The grant program includes $3 million in grants for businesses with less than 100 employees to pay for employee wages and other business expenses and $2 million for hotels, event venues and other tourism hospitality industry companies.

Judy Diogo, president of the Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce, said it’s important to remember that many small businesses had to close during the pandemic by no choice of their own.

She doesn’t know exactly how many small businesses were forced to close permanently because not all of Kent County’s businesses are members of the chamber, but she is aware of 58 member businesses having closed because of COVID-related impacts.

Under the program, at least 633 small businesses would be able to qualify for aid, Diogo said.

County administrator Michael Petit de Mange said grants can be used for any type of business expense that would otherwise be paid for with the revenue that has been lost.

“It’s going to be spelled out in the grant application, but it could be paying bills, it could be covering payroll or business supplies or other expenses related to the business utility expenses,” he said.

Grant applications will be processed by Dover accounting firm Faw Casson to check for compliance and eligibility.

They will then be reviewed by the Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce and Kent County Tourism Corporation, who will send their final recommendations to the Levy Court for approval.

Once the applications are determined to be accurate and complete, they will be referred to the Levy Court, which will vote on their approval. Payment will be issued directly by the county. Read more.

State to invest $2 million in farmers, local food supply chain

From: Delaware Live

Delaware will spend $2 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to establish a seed fund aimed at stabilizing and strengthening small and mid-sized farmers and local food supply chain operations.

The First State Integrated Food System Program, announced Thursday by Gov. John Carney, will be paid for using funds the state received from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Delaware received $925 million from the federal stimulus bill, which is designed to hasten the economic recovery from the pandemic.

In a press release announcing the investment, Gov. John Carney said the seed fund will provide a “coordinated approach” to improving local access to affordable and nutritious Delaware-produced foods while supporting Delaware farmers.

“We know the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted small-scale food businesses and Delaware families’ access to food,” Carney said. “That’s why the Council on Farm and Food Policy will work with partners to develop and administer a diverse portfolio of grants and loans to improve the availability and accessibility of local produce, animal protein, value-added products, and other foods, promoting overall economic growth here in Delaware.” Read more.

NEW STUDY: Pandemic Response Grew Government ‘Barriers to Opportunity’ for Entrepreneurs

From: Pacific Research Institute

Government actions to “help” small businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened pre-pandemic government-imposed burdens to entrepreneurship, finds the final paper in the Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity series released today by the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute, a California-based, free-market think tank.

“The federal government’s economic pandemic response was wasteful and ineffective, worsening the government-created obstacles to prosperity entrepreneurs faced before the pandemic – such as taxes, regulations and lack of access to credit,” said Dr. Wayne Winegarden, Pacific Research Institute senior fellow in business and economics.

“Promoting Economic Recovery Through Entrepreneurship Not Government” analyzes the impact of the federal government’s COVID-19 relief effort on small businesses.

Winegarden makes the case that the historic increase in the government’s burden on the private sector economy – including $5.9 trillion in newly-authorized federal spending – paves the way for higher future taxes that will diminish the after-tax returns and incentives to start or expand new businesses. Read more.

Commentary: Accountability, transparency reform needed to rebuild public trust

From: Bay to Bay News ,By Rep. Bryan Shupe

The debate over whether indicted State Auditor Kathleen McGuiness should resign or take a leave of absence from her post highlights a larger systematic failure on the issue of government accountability and transparency in Delaware.

Over the last 18 months, we have seen five Delaware elected officials accused of misconduct. While every citizen should find this disturbing, almost as troubling is that each case has been treated differently. As it stands, legislators pick and choose which colleagues will be held accountable and which ones will be subject to a lesser standard.

I do not believe justice is something that should be decided on an arbitrary sliding scale, based on the personal whims of legislators or the political affiliation of the accused. There should be clear protocols for handling all cases of official misconduct involving elected officials in an equitable fashion. Without a systematic approach written into law, legislators cannot expect to retain the public’s trust, which is the foundation of our republic. Read more.

Legislators eye ‘Ready in 6’ bills next year

From: Delaware Business Times

DOVER  — With the business in Delaware stabilizing in a new normal, legislators are reportedly drafting bills to expedite development in the First State.

Rep. Bill Bush (D-Dover) told Dover business leaders last week that he was working on bills that will move the needle on the state permitting process and ideally land regional development projects as a result. Bush is the chair of the Economic Development Committee and also sits on the board of the Delaware Propensity Partnership, the state’s public-private economic development agency.

“It’s been talked about for years, but it seems like stakeholders are really on board with this,” Bush told the Downtown Dover Partnership executive committee during its October meeting. “I’m looking forward to next year, and hopefully the governor will have it on his agenda for the State of the State [address], but we will see.” Read more.

How States Can Responsibly Expand Broadband

From: American Action Forum 

Delaware Senate Leader Supports Creation of Inspector General’s Office

From WDEL News: State Senate President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola supports the creation of an inspector general’s office in Delaware.

States Bolster Program Evaluation Work With American Rescue Plan Funds

From: The Pew Charitable Trusts  The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides funding for states to address immediate challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to develop sustainable solutions to help their economies recover. To meet these goals, the law includes $195 billion in flexible funding for states to use for various services and capacity-building efforts. And in a push to improve the efficacy of state programs, the money can be used for “data analysis, targeted consumer outreach, improvements to data or technology infrastructure, and impact evaluations.”

Since ARPA’s enactment in March, Results First has encouraged states to focus on that last potential use of the federal money: investing in impact evaluations. These are rigorous assessments of programs’ effectiveness that can inform decisions about which interventions to support, revise, or eliminate; they are key components of evidence-based policymaking efforts. Read more.

Keeping Local Governments’ Hands out of the Broadband Cookie Jar

From: Citizens Against Government Waste

Despite the availability of $800 billion for infrastructure projects, including broadband, the bipartisan infrastructure package includes another $65 billion for broadband deployment.  The funding is being made available with few, if any, guardrails against local governments using the funding to overbuild over top existing broadband networks, and it is neither vendor nor technology neutral.

The need for access to broadband was never made clearer than during the COVID-19 pandemic, when tens of millions of Americans suddenly needed to go online to work, learn, and socialize.  As a result of the investment of more than $1.8 trillion by the private sector to create the technology necessary to build the world’s most resilient networks, a competitive marketplace, and mostly light touch regulations, the U.S. telecommunications network held up far better than its global counterparts.  In June 2020, a few months into the lockdowns and shutdowns, fixed and mobile broadband download speeds in the U.S. were 150 percent and 75 percent higher, respectively, than the comparable global median download speeds.

Americans can now get connected through multiple means, including cable, fiber, fixed wireless, mobile, wireline DSL, and satellite broadband.  Families and businesses in hard-to-reach areas of the country have found that newer technologies like TV white space and low-earth orbit satellites are making the internet more accessible.  Consumers continue to reap the benefits of these technologies.  U.S. Telecom reported in its “ 2021 Broadband Pricing Index” that the U.S. has made three times the investment in broadband deployment and adoption as the European Union, resulting in better service and higher speeds at a lower cost, even with the increased usage during the pandemic.

While the best way to allow this incredible progress to continue would be to keep the government out of the way, President Biden’s June 9, 2021 “competition” Executive Order (EO) and his American Jobs Plan both prioritize a single technology (fiber) and networks owned or operated by local governments, cooperatives, and nonprofits rather than private companies.  The resiliency and success of broadband service and access depends on multiple technologies and a competitive marketplace.  A single technology and limited providers will result in higher prices, fewer choices, and less innovation, among other adverse consequences. Read more here.