On 13 February 2009, both the House and Senate passed the conference version of H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The primary purposes of the ARRA focus on promoting economic recovery, assisting those most affected by the recession, improving economic efficiency by "spurring technological advances in science and health," investing in infrastructure, and stabilising state and local government budgets. This book provides a brief overview of the key provisions of the ARRA including the agriculture, nutrition, and rural provisions; medicaid provisions; a summary and legislative history of the Act; and the estimated impact on employment and economic output as of September 2009.

The United States Congress approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) on February 13, 2009. U.S. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on February 17, 2009. ARRA was passed in response to widespread fears that the United States was in danger of slipping into a 1930s-style economic depression. After ARRA was enacted, related economic debate centered on tax reductions versus direct federal-government spending. Old arguments resurfaced about the effectiveness of the “New Deal” programs instituted by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt; the 1936-1938 recession; and the theoretical views of both Keynesian and neoclassical economists.Since ARRA was passed, a number of economists have criticized the effectiveness of the stimulus program. Criticisms have ranged from arguments that “the stimulus was too small to be effective” to assertions of ARRA's failure to address the shortage of qualified workers in the labor force.I briefly review some of these arguments and conduct empirical tests to determine their validity.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act delineates an important set of responsibilities in the accountability community. GAO's bimonthly reviews of selected states' and localities' uses of the Recovery Act funds will examine how funds are being used and achieving the stated purposes of the Recovery Act. A core group of 16 states has been selected to follow over the next few years to provide an ongoing longitudinal analysis of the use of these funds. These states contain about 65% of the U.S. population and are estimated to receive about 2/3 of the intergovernmental grants funds available through the Recovery Act. In addition, localities within these states will be sampled to provide a perspective on the use of funds at the local level.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009—better known as the Stimulus Act—leaves no business, no American untouched. Signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was established to address the current economic crisis facing the United States. The provisions of the Act call for investments in infrastructure, health care, education, the environment, energy, housing and other needed services. This set includes one volume containing the complete and official text of the Act and a separate volume full of essential documents related to the creation of, response to, and signing of the Act, including: * The President's American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan * Establishment of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board * Economic Stimulus: Issues and Policies (Congressional Research Service Report) * Financial Stimulus Plans: Recent Developments in Selected Countries * Budgetary Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 * Macroeconomic Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 * White House Statements on ARRA regarding Working Families, State by State Jobs, Congressional District Jobs, Education, Energy, Health Care, and Infrastructure * Accountability Measures: Bill Language, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act * Ensuring Responsible Spending of Recovery Act Funds (Presidential Memorandum) * Interim Guidance Regarding Communications with Registered Lobbyists about Recovery Act Funds (Memorandum from the Director, Office of Management and Budget)

Full text of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.