Post by Tim Collins on Jan 29, 2009 12:34:56 GMT -7
Everyone is yapping about the new "Stimulus Package" and how evil it was for Republicans in the House to vote no in mass (11 Dems joined them).
Here is the link for the CBO Cost estimates, www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9968/hr1.pdf it is 23 pages long, but provides lots of details. The actual bill is MUCH longer. Here is the link for the bill. thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.00001:
Now tell me how can we allow our representatives to vote on such a massive and expensive piece of legislation in such a short time - tell me more than a handful involved in the writing even read it. This is insane.
Here is a short (?) list of where the money is going.
Division A¡ªAppropriation Provisions
Title I¡ªGeneral Provisions. Title I would appropriate $248 million for Inspectors General for several agencies and the Government Accountability Office. CBO estimates that almost all of those funds would be spent by the end of fiscal year 2010. (Oversight by Department)
Title II¡ªAgriculture, Nutrition, and Rural Development. CBO estimates that title II would increase spending by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) by $26.9 billion over the 2009-2019 period. That amount includes:
¡ñ An estimated $20.0 billion over the next five years to temporarily increase the maximum benefit under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp program);
¡ñ $2.8 billion to expand broadband Internet service in rural areas; and
¡ñ About $4 billion for programs to develop rural communities and improve
infrastructure.
CBO expects that increased SNAP spending would begin soon after enactment of H.R.1 and would largely span fiscal years 2009 through 2013. The proposed funding for USDA to help extend broadband Internet service to rural areas would significantly exceed the existing funding of roughly $20 million in 2009. CBO expects that many of the larger
projects initiated with funds provided by H.R. 1 would take up to five to seven years to complete.
Title III¡ªCommerce, Justice, and Science. Title III of Division A would appropriate $14.2 billion for science and criminal justice programs as well as initiatives to expand the commercial use of technology. That amount includes:
¡ñ $3.0 billion for grants to improve the criminal justice system,
¡ñ $3.0 billion for grants to fund science and technology research as well as
$1.0 billion for periodic censuses and programs,
¡ñ $2.8 billion for grants to extend broadband Internet services;
¡ñ $1.0 billion for programs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration;
¡ñ $1.0 billion for the Community Oriented Policing Services program; and
¡ñ $2.4 billion for other activities.
In general, CBO expects that funds appropriated under title III would be spent over the same number of years as would be typical for existing programs, with one primary exception. CBO anticipates that funds provided to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to administer the broadband grant would take longer
to spend¡ªeight years¡ªbecause the new appropriations would far exceed the agency's 2009 funding of $17 million and the legislation would require grant recipients to deploy such services with technological features that are not widely available today.
In total, about two-thirds of the funds provided in title III would be spent during fiscal years 2009 through 2011.
Title IV¡ªDefense. Title IV of Division A would provide:
$4.5 billion to the Department of Defense to repair, maintain, and renovate its facilities; for energy-efficiency projects, including the modernizing of heating/cooling and electrical systems; and for improving Army barracks.
Title IV also would provide $350 million for energy-related research and
development.
CBO expects that more than 80 percent of those funds would be spent in
fiscal years 2009 and 2010.
Title V¡ªEnergy and Water. Title V of Division A would provide $48.9 billion in budget authority over the 2009-2019 period for programs related to energy and water resources. That amount includes:
$43.9 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE),
$4.5 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers, and
$500 million for the Bureau of Reclamation.
Most of the funding provided to DOE would promote nondefense activities
related to energy supply and conservation, including:
¡ñ $18.5 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs (including $6.2 billion to expand existing weatherization activities and $7.9 billion for energy-related grants to states);
¡ñ $8.0 billion to cover the subsidy costs of federal loan guarantees for renewable energy systems and electric transmission projects;
¡ñ $6.5 billion for capital investments by certain federal power marketing
administrations in electric power transmission systems;
¡ñ $4.5 billion to modernize the nation¡¯s electricity grid; and
¡ñ $6.4 billion for various other activities.
CBO expects that most funds provided under title V would ultimately be spent within seven years¡ªa cumulative rate that is largely consistent with spending patterns for existing energy and water programs. However, the amounts provided would be significantly higher than DOE¡¯s current funding levels for related programs. (For example, the proposed $18.5 billion appropriation for energy efficiency and renewable energy is nearly 10 times the current 2009 funding of roughly $1.9 billion.) We therefore
expect that the proportion of spending that would occur in the first few years would be lower than that for existing programs, reflecting the time it would take DOE to establish new programs and to ramp up its spending from current levels.
CBO estimates that about three-quarters of these funds would be spent during fiscal years 2009 through 2013.
Title VI¡ªFinancial Services and General Government. Title VI would appropriate $8.7 billion to promote energy efficiency and conservation at federal facilities and to support small businesses. Most of that amount¡ª$7.7 billion¡ªwould be appropriated to the General Services Administration¡¯s Federal Buildings Fund to construct and repair
federal facilities. That amount represents a significant increase relative to current funding levels, which have averaged about $1.3 billion annually in recent years.
CBO estimates that about three-quarters of those funds would be spent during fiscal years 2009 through 2013.
Title VII¡ªHomeland Security. Title VII would appropriate $1.1 billion for a variety of programs administered by the Department of Homeland Security. Largely based on historical spending patterns for affected programs, CBO estimates that most of those funds would be spent over the 2009-2011 period.
Title VIII¡ªInterior and Environment. Title VIII would appropriate a total of nearly $15 billion, including nearly $8.4 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs). Under both programs, EPA provides grants or "seed money" to all 50 states plus Puerto Rico to capitalize state loan funds used by local governments to build water infrastructure projects. For the past few years, the SRFs have received federal funding of about $1.5 billion to about $2 billion annually.
Historically, money appropriated to the SRFs is spent slowly (about half is spent over the first three years), and we expect that a similar pattern would apply to the funds provided in title VIII. The remaining appropriation of about $6.6 billion would fund various programs, including capital improvements and maintenance for the Forest Service and National Park Service, the Superfund program, and wildland fire management. Historically, those activities expend funds over about four years. Because the legislation would significantly increase resources for those programs, we expect that spending would be slower initially as agencies prepare to contract for new projects. Overall, CBO estimates that most of the
funds provided in this title would be spent in fiscal years 2009 through 2012.
Title IX¡ªLabor, Health and Human Services, and Education. CBO estimates that title IX would increase funding by $92.3 billion over the 2009-2019 period for a variety of programs. That amount includes:
¡ñ $20.4 billion for programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services;
¡ñ $4.6 billion for employment and training programs administered by the
Department of Labor;
¡ñ $20.0 billion to renovate elementary and secondary schools;
¡ñ $17.6 billion for Pell grants and other student financial assistance and facilities at post-secondary institutions including federal student loan programs; and
¡ñ $29.1 billon for other education programs aimed particularly at elementary and secondary education.
CBO expects that most of the funds provided by title IX would be spent within two and a half years¡ªa cumulative rate that is largely consistent with spending patterns for existing programs administered by affected agencies. We expect that the initial rate of spending would be lower, however, reflecting the time it would take the agencies to establish new
programs and to ramp up their spending from current levels.
Title X¡ªMilitary Construction and Veterans Affairs. Title X would provide an additional $6.0 billion in 2009 budget authority for military construction projects of the Department of Defense, an increase of 27 percent compared with appropriations provided for the current year to date. Those funds would primarily be used for constructing hospitals, barracks, and day care centers. The process of prioritizing and planning for
those projects will take some time. For that reason, and because the funds would be provided later than is typical, CBO estimates that those funds will be spent at the same rate as regular appropriations, but with a six-month lag.
The title also includes $1.0 billion for the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to maintain and repair VA medical facilities and cemeteries¡ªan increase of about 20 percent over appropriations provided for those purposes in the current year. Those accounts have recently received significant increases in funding and most of those additional amounts have gone unspent in the year they were provided. Consequently, CBO estimates that VA would spend only 20 percent of those funds in 2009¡ªrather than the usual first-year rate of 70 percent¡ªbut that spending would increase in the second year so that, by the end of fiscal year 2010, we estimate that almost 80 percent of the funds would be spent.
Title XI¡ªDepartment of State. Title XI would provide $500 million to the Department of State. Of that amount, $276 million would be provided to the Capital Investment Fund for specific information-technology (IT) projects, and $224 million would be provided for construction requirements of the International Boundary and Water Commission,United States and Mexico. Because the IT projects are still in the planning stage, CBO estimates that only 15 percent of the funds for information technology¡ªabout half the normal rate¡ªwould be spent in the first year and that 50 percent would be spent by the end of fiscal year 2010.
Title XII¡ªTransportation and Housing and Urban Development. Title XII would appropriate $59.5 billion for programs administered by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). That amount includes:
¡ñ $30.0 billion for highway construction;
¡ñ $13.1 billion for other transportation programs administered by DOT;
¡ñ $11.1 billion for housing assistance programs administered by HUD; and
¡ñ $5.2 billion for grants to states and cities for activities related to community development.
For the programs funded in this title, projects often take several years to complete. CBO estimates that about 85 percent of the funds provided by title XII would be spent over the 2009-2013 period.
In fiscal year 2008 (and at an annualized rate under the continuing resolution for fiscal year 2009), state and local governments have been allocated $41.2 billion per year for highway programs and $10.4 billion per year for transit programs. The $39 billion provided for those purposes in H.R. 1 would nearly double the recent funding levels.
Grantees would be required to move quickly to obligate the new funds (that is, commit them for specific projects). After obligation of funds, grantees would need to muster significant staff and private-sector resources to undertake the projects. Simple projects typically take several months from the time the funds are obligated to the start of construction. Complicated projects can take significantly longer. Scheduling many
projects during the warmer months (as would be necessary in some areas of the country) and ensuring that adequate traffic management measures are taken (such as nighttime work hours) can also affect the pace of spending. Many projects funded under these programs take several years to complete. Historically, money appropriated for highways and transit is spent at a slow rate in the first year and has an extremely long ¡°tail,¡± in that funds provided in a particular year are frequently spent over a six-to-eight-year period.
As a result, when those programs have seen previous significant increases in budgetary resources, outlays have increased more slowly.
For this estimate, CBO consulted with transportation officials in nearly half of the states, accounting for roughly two-thirds of annual highway spending. CBO found that many states are anxious to receive additional funding and can probably begin some projects quickly, but that many states are also concerned about how quickly local governments
can undertake new projects. In addition, concerns exist about how quickly state and local governments can adjust their contracting procedures to accommodate the significant increase in the amount of funding. On balance, CBO concludes that many states would probably move as rapidly as possible to obligate new funds, but that much of the construction and procurement work associated with highway and transit projects would
occur over an extended period of time, leading to federal outlays over several years.
CBO estimates that funds provided to HUD for housing assistance programs would be spent over the next several years at rates consistent with historical spending patterns for the affected programs. HUD grants for community development would be spent similar to the slow pace of expenditure historically observed for the Community Development
Block Grant program, CBO estimates.
Title XIII¡ªState Fiscal Stabilization Fund. Title XIII would create a fiscal stabilization fund to provide grants-in-aid to states. The fund, to be administered by the Department of Education, would make $39.5 billion available to states each year¡ªon July 1, 2009, and July 1, 2010 (the last quarter of fiscal years 2009 and 2010, respectively). Of this total, about $32 billion would be allotted by formula, of which at least 61 percent would be used for education and up to 39 percent for general government
activities. An additional $7.5 billion in each year would be reserved for incentive grants to be given to states on a competitive basis in fiscal year 2010, based on states meeting specified criteria in how they spent their initial allocations. States would have to allocate at least 50 percent of those funds to local education agencies.
Because funds would be available very late in the fiscal year, CBO estimates that spending in 2009 would be low. We estimate that the entire $79 billion would be spent by 2013, with the bulk of those outlays occurring in the first three years.
Here is the link for the CBO Cost estimates, www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9968/hr1.pdf it is 23 pages long, but provides lots of details. The actual bill is MUCH longer. Here is the link for the bill. thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.00001:
Now tell me how can we allow our representatives to vote on such a massive and expensive piece of legislation in such a short time - tell me more than a handful involved in the writing even read it. This is insane.
Here is a short (?) list of where the money is going.
Division A¡ªAppropriation Provisions
Title I¡ªGeneral Provisions. Title I would appropriate $248 million for Inspectors General for several agencies and the Government Accountability Office. CBO estimates that almost all of those funds would be spent by the end of fiscal year 2010. (Oversight by Department)
Title II¡ªAgriculture, Nutrition, and Rural Development. CBO estimates that title II would increase spending by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) by $26.9 billion over the 2009-2019 period. That amount includes:
¡ñ An estimated $20.0 billion over the next five years to temporarily increase the maximum benefit under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp program);
¡ñ $2.8 billion to expand broadband Internet service in rural areas; and
¡ñ About $4 billion for programs to develop rural communities and improve
infrastructure.
CBO expects that increased SNAP spending would begin soon after enactment of H.R.1 and would largely span fiscal years 2009 through 2013. The proposed funding for USDA to help extend broadband Internet service to rural areas would significantly exceed the existing funding of roughly $20 million in 2009. CBO expects that many of the larger
projects initiated with funds provided by H.R. 1 would take up to five to seven years to complete.
Title III¡ªCommerce, Justice, and Science. Title III of Division A would appropriate $14.2 billion for science and criminal justice programs as well as initiatives to expand the commercial use of technology. That amount includes:
¡ñ $3.0 billion for grants to improve the criminal justice system,
¡ñ $3.0 billion for grants to fund science and technology research as well as
$1.0 billion for periodic censuses and programs,
¡ñ $2.8 billion for grants to extend broadband Internet services;
¡ñ $1.0 billion for programs of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration;
¡ñ $1.0 billion for the Community Oriented Policing Services program; and
¡ñ $2.4 billion for other activities.
In general, CBO expects that funds appropriated under title III would be spent over the same number of years as would be typical for existing programs, with one primary exception. CBO anticipates that funds provided to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to administer the broadband grant would take longer
to spend¡ªeight years¡ªbecause the new appropriations would far exceed the agency's 2009 funding of $17 million and the legislation would require grant recipients to deploy such services with technological features that are not widely available today.
In total, about two-thirds of the funds provided in title III would be spent during fiscal years 2009 through 2011.
Title IV¡ªDefense. Title IV of Division A would provide:
$4.5 billion to the Department of Defense to repair, maintain, and renovate its facilities; for energy-efficiency projects, including the modernizing of heating/cooling and electrical systems; and for improving Army barracks.
Title IV also would provide $350 million for energy-related research and
development.
CBO expects that more than 80 percent of those funds would be spent in
fiscal years 2009 and 2010.
Title V¡ªEnergy and Water. Title V of Division A would provide $48.9 billion in budget authority over the 2009-2019 period for programs related to energy and water resources. That amount includes:
$43.9 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE),
$4.5 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers, and
$500 million for the Bureau of Reclamation.
Most of the funding provided to DOE would promote nondefense activities
related to energy supply and conservation, including:
¡ñ $18.5 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs (including $6.2 billion to expand existing weatherization activities and $7.9 billion for energy-related grants to states);
¡ñ $8.0 billion to cover the subsidy costs of federal loan guarantees for renewable energy systems and electric transmission projects;
¡ñ $6.5 billion for capital investments by certain federal power marketing
administrations in electric power transmission systems;
¡ñ $4.5 billion to modernize the nation¡¯s electricity grid; and
¡ñ $6.4 billion for various other activities.
CBO expects that most funds provided under title V would ultimately be spent within seven years¡ªa cumulative rate that is largely consistent with spending patterns for existing energy and water programs. However, the amounts provided would be significantly higher than DOE¡¯s current funding levels for related programs. (For example, the proposed $18.5 billion appropriation for energy efficiency and renewable energy is nearly 10 times the current 2009 funding of roughly $1.9 billion.) We therefore
expect that the proportion of spending that would occur in the first few years would be lower than that for existing programs, reflecting the time it would take DOE to establish new programs and to ramp up its spending from current levels.
CBO estimates that about three-quarters of these funds would be spent during fiscal years 2009 through 2013.
Title VI¡ªFinancial Services and General Government. Title VI would appropriate $8.7 billion to promote energy efficiency and conservation at federal facilities and to support small businesses. Most of that amount¡ª$7.7 billion¡ªwould be appropriated to the General Services Administration¡¯s Federal Buildings Fund to construct and repair
federal facilities. That amount represents a significant increase relative to current funding levels, which have averaged about $1.3 billion annually in recent years.
CBO estimates that about three-quarters of those funds would be spent during fiscal years 2009 through 2013.
Title VII¡ªHomeland Security. Title VII would appropriate $1.1 billion for a variety of programs administered by the Department of Homeland Security. Largely based on historical spending patterns for affected programs, CBO estimates that most of those funds would be spent over the 2009-2011 period.
Title VIII¡ªInterior and Environment. Title VIII would appropriate a total of nearly $15 billion, including nearly $8.4 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs). Under both programs, EPA provides grants or "seed money" to all 50 states plus Puerto Rico to capitalize state loan funds used by local governments to build water infrastructure projects. For the past few years, the SRFs have received federal funding of about $1.5 billion to about $2 billion annually.
Historically, money appropriated to the SRFs is spent slowly (about half is spent over the first three years), and we expect that a similar pattern would apply to the funds provided in title VIII. The remaining appropriation of about $6.6 billion would fund various programs, including capital improvements and maintenance for the Forest Service and National Park Service, the Superfund program, and wildland fire management. Historically, those activities expend funds over about four years. Because the legislation would significantly increase resources for those programs, we expect that spending would be slower initially as agencies prepare to contract for new projects. Overall, CBO estimates that most of the
funds provided in this title would be spent in fiscal years 2009 through 2012.
Title IX¡ªLabor, Health and Human Services, and Education. CBO estimates that title IX would increase funding by $92.3 billion over the 2009-2019 period for a variety of programs. That amount includes:
¡ñ $20.4 billion for programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services;
¡ñ $4.6 billion for employment and training programs administered by the
Department of Labor;
¡ñ $20.0 billion to renovate elementary and secondary schools;
¡ñ $17.6 billion for Pell grants and other student financial assistance and facilities at post-secondary institutions including federal student loan programs; and
¡ñ $29.1 billon for other education programs aimed particularly at elementary and secondary education.
CBO expects that most of the funds provided by title IX would be spent within two and a half years¡ªa cumulative rate that is largely consistent with spending patterns for existing programs administered by affected agencies. We expect that the initial rate of spending would be lower, however, reflecting the time it would take the agencies to establish new
programs and to ramp up their spending from current levels.
Title X¡ªMilitary Construction and Veterans Affairs. Title X would provide an additional $6.0 billion in 2009 budget authority for military construction projects of the Department of Defense, an increase of 27 percent compared with appropriations provided for the current year to date. Those funds would primarily be used for constructing hospitals, barracks, and day care centers. The process of prioritizing and planning for
those projects will take some time. For that reason, and because the funds would be provided later than is typical, CBO estimates that those funds will be spent at the same rate as regular appropriations, but with a six-month lag.
The title also includes $1.0 billion for the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to maintain and repair VA medical facilities and cemeteries¡ªan increase of about 20 percent over appropriations provided for those purposes in the current year. Those accounts have recently received significant increases in funding and most of those additional amounts have gone unspent in the year they were provided. Consequently, CBO estimates that VA would spend only 20 percent of those funds in 2009¡ªrather than the usual first-year rate of 70 percent¡ªbut that spending would increase in the second year so that, by the end of fiscal year 2010, we estimate that almost 80 percent of the funds would be spent.
Title XI¡ªDepartment of State. Title XI would provide $500 million to the Department of State. Of that amount, $276 million would be provided to the Capital Investment Fund for specific information-technology (IT) projects, and $224 million would be provided for construction requirements of the International Boundary and Water Commission,United States and Mexico. Because the IT projects are still in the planning stage, CBO estimates that only 15 percent of the funds for information technology¡ªabout half the normal rate¡ªwould be spent in the first year and that 50 percent would be spent by the end of fiscal year 2010.
Title XII¡ªTransportation and Housing and Urban Development. Title XII would appropriate $59.5 billion for programs administered by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). That amount includes:
¡ñ $30.0 billion for highway construction;
¡ñ $13.1 billion for other transportation programs administered by DOT;
¡ñ $11.1 billion for housing assistance programs administered by HUD; and
¡ñ $5.2 billion for grants to states and cities for activities related to community development.
For the programs funded in this title, projects often take several years to complete. CBO estimates that about 85 percent of the funds provided by title XII would be spent over the 2009-2013 period.
In fiscal year 2008 (and at an annualized rate under the continuing resolution for fiscal year 2009), state and local governments have been allocated $41.2 billion per year for highway programs and $10.4 billion per year for transit programs. The $39 billion provided for those purposes in H.R. 1 would nearly double the recent funding levels.
Grantees would be required to move quickly to obligate the new funds (that is, commit them for specific projects). After obligation of funds, grantees would need to muster significant staff and private-sector resources to undertake the projects. Simple projects typically take several months from the time the funds are obligated to the start of construction. Complicated projects can take significantly longer. Scheduling many
projects during the warmer months (as would be necessary in some areas of the country) and ensuring that adequate traffic management measures are taken (such as nighttime work hours) can also affect the pace of spending. Many projects funded under these programs take several years to complete. Historically, money appropriated for highways and transit is spent at a slow rate in the first year and has an extremely long ¡°tail,¡± in that funds provided in a particular year are frequently spent over a six-to-eight-year period.
As a result, when those programs have seen previous significant increases in budgetary resources, outlays have increased more slowly.
For this estimate, CBO consulted with transportation officials in nearly half of the states, accounting for roughly two-thirds of annual highway spending. CBO found that many states are anxious to receive additional funding and can probably begin some projects quickly, but that many states are also concerned about how quickly local governments
can undertake new projects. In addition, concerns exist about how quickly state and local governments can adjust their contracting procedures to accommodate the significant increase in the amount of funding. On balance, CBO concludes that many states would probably move as rapidly as possible to obligate new funds, but that much of the construction and procurement work associated with highway and transit projects would
occur over an extended period of time, leading to federal outlays over several years.
CBO estimates that funds provided to HUD for housing assistance programs would be spent over the next several years at rates consistent with historical spending patterns for the affected programs. HUD grants for community development would be spent similar to the slow pace of expenditure historically observed for the Community Development
Block Grant program, CBO estimates.
Title XIII¡ªState Fiscal Stabilization Fund. Title XIII would create a fiscal stabilization fund to provide grants-in-aid to states. The fund, to be administered by the Department of Education, would make $39.5 billion available to states each year¡ªon July 1, 2009, and July 1, 2010 (the last quarter of fiscal years 2009 and 2010, respectively). Of this total, about $32 billion would be allotted by formula, of which at least 61 percent would be used for education and up to 39 percent for general government
activities. An additional $7.5 billion in each year would be reserved for incentive grants to be given to states on a competitive basis in fiscal year 2010, based on states meeting specified criteria in how they spent their initial allocations. States would have to allocate at least 50 percent of those funds to local education agencies.
Because funds would be available very late in the fiscal year, CBO estimates that spending in 2009 would be low. We estimate that the entire $79 billion would be spent by 2013, with the bulk of those outlays occurring in the first three years.