(The Center Square) - Oklahoma's Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding approved allocations from the American Rescue Plan Act for more than 60 projects on Tuesday.
The money distributes almost all of the state's $1.87 billion from the federal spending program. The full Legislature, expected to meet in a special session soon, must approve the projects.
The biggest piece of the pie was awarded to broadband expansion. More than $381 million is set aside for grants. The committee also created a $60 million revolving grant fund for industrial sites to improve broadband or water systems.
The committee agreed to $130.5 million for water projects across the state. An additional $100 million was allocated to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board for water and dam projects.
Also included is $22.1 million for a state-of-the-art holistic health and fitness center for first responders and military members.
"Many of these frontline workers deal with post-traumatic stress issues and need a facility tailored to their specific needs," said Rep. Chris Kannady, R-Oklahoma City. "This state of the art facility is going to allow us to take care of the men and women who serve our state every day."
The list represents just a fraction of the 1,400 projects submitted to the committee for approval.
"The effort put into this process by members of our working groups and the joint committee cannot be understated," said Rep. Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston, co-chair of the committee. "There were a lot of late nights and early mornings as we worked through the over 1,400 submissions to decide which projects would benefit the most people in our state."
Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa, said some projects would help the state's workforce.
"The committee's investment into Oklahoma's workforce via the American Rescue Plan was directed specifically to support workforce training programs that invest in strategic industry areas such as 21st-century manufacturing, trucking, and aerospace," Blancett said in a statement. "Moreover, we also chose to invest in out-of-school childcare programs which is a key workforce challenge that still needs our attention as well as shoring up our beleaguered arts & culture sector, which is central to talent attraction and retention."
A full list of the approved projects can be viewed here.
via Oklahoma's Center Square News