Congressman Rick Larsen's Online Office

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement after voting for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which cleared the House by a vote of 246-183. An agreement on the final bill was reached by the House and Senate earlier this week, and the legislation is expected to pass the Senate and be signed into law by the President in the next few days.

“I am confident that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will achieve the following goals: create save or create approximately 3.5 million jobs, help those hurt the most by the recession and set a foundation for economic recovery and long-term growth.

“The recovery package provides $739 million to modernize roads, bridges, transit and water infrastructure in Washington state.  This investment in our infrastructure will create good-paying jobs and help get our economy moving again.

“It invests $60 million in ferry boat and terminal construction and repairs.  I fought alongside my Washington state colleagues to make sure that funding for ferries was included in the final bill.

“To invest in clean, efficient energy and create jobs, the recovery package increases BPA’s borrowing authority by $3.25 billion to help modernize Washington state’s electricity grid and integrate wind power and other renewable energy sources.
 
“For our neighbors who have been hit hard, it provides a temporary 13 percent increase for food stamps to help over 630,000 Washington residents feed their families and $150 million to help food banks across the country keep their shelves stocked.

“The economic recovery package delivers help for cash-strapped school districts -- $1.4 billion for school districts in Washington state, with over $44 million for the 2nd Congressional District, including the first-ever major federal investment in school modernization.  The legislation also provides $100 million for Impact Aid to help school districts across the country, including Marysville and Oak Harbor, that serve a large number of military families.

“Finally, the economic recovery package provides a tax cut for 95 percent of working Americans so they can put that money back in the economy.

“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a critical step on the road to economic recovery.  Moving forward, I will continue fighting to create jobs, help our neighbors hit hard, and set a foundation for economic recovery and long-term growth.”

District-by-District School Funding

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will invest over $44 million to modernize schools, fund special education and help kids learn, including investments in Title I, IDEA and school modernization and repair for the following school districts in the 2nd Congressional District. 

Please note that in addition to the funding below, 2nd District schools are also eligible for resources from the $1 billion in state stabilization funds the recovery package provides for Washington state.

Anacortes:            $893,000
Arlington:                $1,335,000
Bellingham:            $3,516,000
Blaine:                    $572,000
Burlington-Edison:    $1,049,000
Concrete:                $541,000
Conway:                $167,000
Coupeville:            $310,000
Darrington:            $209,000
Everett:                    $6,764,000
Ferndale:                $1,719,000
Granite Falls:            $684,000
Index:                    $11,000
La Conner:            $224,000
Lakewood:             $599,000
Lake Stevens:            $1,695,000
Lopez:                    $113,000
Lynden:                $904,000
Marysville:            $3,416,000
Meridian:                 $490,000
Monroe:        $1,550,000
Mount Baker:             $833,000
Mount Vernon:            $2,492,000
Mukilteo:                $4,770,000
Nooksack Valley:        $609,000
Oak Harbor:            $1,863,000
Orcas Island:            $217,000
San Juan Island:        $233,000
Sedro-Woolley:        $1,382,000
Shaw Island:            $6,000
Skykomish:            $32,000
Snohomish:            $2,312,000
South Whidbey:        $609,000
Stanwood:            $1,460,000
Sultan:                   $718,000

*The above numbers are estimates based on existing federal formulas.

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