A decade ago, the state posted how it was allocating the money received from the federal government to ease the recession that was underway. The state is doing that now for the billions of dollars coming in to help address the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The state is posting two spreadsheets on the Bureau of the Budget website that list all of the federal money coming into Maine as the result of several federal actions, including the CARES Act. It is also posting a spreadsheet that shows how the money that flows through state government is being allocated.
Finance Commissioner Kirsten Figueroa says the state is trying to be as transparent as possible.
“It is our intention to post information so that it is obvious how the CARES Act funds are being obligated,” Figueroa says.
The spreadsheets have a lot of information, and include federal dollars from four separate measures.
So far, nearly $3.7 billion has flowed into the state, with the largest sum under the Paycheck Protection Program, about $2.2 billion as of the first of the week. That money went directly to small businesses. Other federal funds went directly to hospitals and higher education facilities.
