NEW MEXICO PROJECTS
New Mexico Transportation Commissioner Jim Franken speaks at the US 64/87 groundbreaking ceremony near Des Moines, N.M.
Overview
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a significant investment in New Mexico and its people.
Money is flowing throughout New Mexico's economy, from extra help for those in need to loans to jump-start private businesses.
The Recovery Act invests in those that need help the most – through increases in unemployment benefits, Medicaid payments, and food stamps.
The Recovery Act invests in New Mexico's infrastructure – more than $1.5 billion to build new roads, waste water systems, clean water projects, energy efficiency and other projects.
The Recovery Act gives hundreds of thousands of working New Mexicans a break through tax credits like the Making Work Pay tax credit and the First Time Homebuyer's tax credit.
Finally, the Recovery Act invests in New Mexico's future. Part of New Mexico's share will go to public schools and college students that need help the most. And New Mexico teams have worked hard to access extra millions in competitive grants that can strengthen high-speed Internet access, modernize the electric grid and invest in the best education reform possible.
Major Initiatives
In addition to direct awards, New Mexico has worked to take advantage of competitive grant opportunities, including:
Broadband
The broadband initiative was designed to bring New Mexico's people and resources together by implementing a statewide broadband effort that would ultimately benefit every community in the state regardless of size. Many rural communities stand to benefit from a variety of awards, which can lead to improved education, economic development and health care opportunities.
Health Information Technology
One of the largest national thrusts for stimulus funding is in the area of health information technology, an area in which New Mexico should be able to compete effectively. The focus of this effort is to expand the use of electronic medical records designed to improve health care quality and efficiency and, hopefully, reduce costs. To date, New Mexico has received about $13 million to expand health information technology efforts with competitive grant funds.
Green Jobs
The state has taken the initiative to coordinate applications for millions in Recovery Act federal competitive grants to provide additional training opportunities at various facilities, including selected colleges and universities. These initiatives will help make New Mexico a leader in training for the green jobs of the future. New Mexico has been awarded about $6 million for workforce training in energy efficiency.
TIGER Grants
New Mexico is receiving more than $329 million in Recovery Act funding to improve Interstate highways, state and county roads, and public transportation projects, among others. New Mexico has been awarded more than $31 million to rebuild parts of U.S. 491 in western New Mexico through the U.S. Department of Transportation's competitive grant program funded by the Recovery Act.
New Mexico's approach to competitive grants reflects coordinated, collaborative efforts to maximize benefits across programs, thereby giving our state the ability to compete as effectively as possible for stimulus funds and to benefit the maximum number of citizens and New Mexico communities.
BROADBAND
State of New Mexico Strategic Broadband Recommendations
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contains significant competitive grant funds to expand broadband access around the country. Read more about New Mexico's recommendations to the U.S. Department of Commerce (pdf).
