The Fed's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or stimulus, has helped save or create some 14,000 jobs in Maryland, according to a reporte released by Gov. Martin O'Malley last week.
"Thanks to President Obama's leadership, and our ability as a State to implement these funds as quickly and efficiently as possible, there are more than 14,000 Marylanders working today that otherwise would be facing unemployment," says Gov. O'Malley. "And that's just the first round. Over the next several months, we'll continue to move forward to put Recovery Act funds to work, reporting every penny spent and every job saved or created providing unprecedented transparency for the people of Maryland."
The release of the jobs report in Maryland came just one day before the White House was set to release the national figures, and the Governor made the announcement at a local company, P. Flanigan and Sons, Inc., a more than 120-year-old contractor that was directly impacted by the infrastructure projects in Maryland funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The family-owned business has participated in two Recovery Act-funded projects in Maryland, supporting over 100 jobs so far, and expected to support many more before the projects are complete. As of yesterday, the company was informed they have been awarded another Howard County resurfacing contract as well.
"2009 has been a challenging year," said Steve Whitecotton, Vice President of P. Flanigan and Sons, Inc. "In this tough economy the Recovery Act funded projects have preserved jobs and funded many important infrastructure projects that improve the safety and efficiency of our transportation system. My conservative estimate is that between our employees and our subcontractors up to 150 jobs would have been lost without the Recovery Act."
Today's jobs announcement encompasses what are termed direct, indirect and induced jobs. Direct jobs are those supported by Recovery Act dollars, such as the construction worker on a highway project funded through the Act. Indirect jobs are those that support Recovery Act dollars, including an employee at an asphalt company that supplies the highway project. Induced jobs are created by increased consumer activity, such as the construction worker purchasing a car, or going to a restaurant, resulting in those companies increasing employment due to sustained or increased business.
For a complete breakdown of jobs supported by Recovery Act funding in Maryland, see the StateStat presentation of the data.
As of September 30th, the State of Maryland received awards of over $2 billion, approximately half of all Recovery Act funding expected through 2011. By comparison, the State expended only eleven percent of these funds, or $229,191,801, covering the period contained within the jobs reports.
Of the $413 million in highway construction funding, 84 projects worth $184 million have already started construction. And approximately $900 million in Recovery Act money has supported 1,809 teachers in America's number one ranked public school system, allowing full funding of the Thornton Bridge to Excellence Plan.
Gov. O'Malley announced that StateStat, Maryland's signature performance evaluation tool created by the O'Malley-Brown Administration, would be the centralized place for tracking and reporting Recovery Act funds and their impact on communities. Days after President Obama signed the Recovery Act in 2008, Gov.O'Malley announced the launch of recovery.maryland.gov to track the funds in Maryland, and since then, the website has received the distinction as best in the nation according to Good Jobs First, a non-profit research center based in Washington, DC.
Source: Gov. Martin O'Malley, Maryland
Writer: Walaika Haskins