May 31, 2021
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) is the third stimulus package passed by the United States federal government since March 2020. Stimulus funding aims to address gaps created because of the COVID-19 pandemic. ARP comprises $1.9 trillion in mandatory funding, programming, and tax policies to provide significant relief to Americans adversely affected by the pandemic. One of the major impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been in loss of employment. In addition to many state and local governments having to reduce their workforce, significant job losses have occurred in the private sector. Much of the economic recovery will be measured by the unemployment rate. State IT leaders can play a significant role in getting people back to work.