GOVERNOR KAINE ANNOUNCES UPDATES TO STIMULUS.VIRGINIA.GOV
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GOVERNOR KAINE ANNOUNCES UPDATES TO STIMULUS.VIRGINIA.GOV |
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Brothers and Sisters,
Below is language that the Governor released today concerning the Fire Programs Fund. The VPFF and the State Fire Chiefs joined in a coordinated effort to lobby members of the General Assembly and the Governor to restore funding for Fire Programs. President Mohler and Chief Chris Eudailey met with the Secretary of Finance and Director of Policy and Legislation with whom they requested the Governor restore the funding. Many of you called your legislators and wrote letters. Our work combined with the State Chiefs efforts has resulted in our localities being able to count on their ATL funds once again this year should the veto be sustained in the General Assembly.
We must be diligent in our efforts to restore these funds. Please call and write you legislators before the veto session next week and ask them to approve the Governor's veto on Fire Programs funding. The veto session is Wednesday, April 8th. I am asking each of you to generate at least 100 phone calls from each local and at least as many emails.
Art Lipscomb
Legislative Director
Governor Kaine's statement:
The enrolled appropriation bill includes the transfer of $1.1 million from the Fire Programs Fund to the general fund in FY 2010. This transfer was included in HB 1600 as introduced and is equivalent to a five percent reduction in the funding dedicated to the aid and training of local fire services.
When HB 1600 was introduced, this reduction to fire services was consistent with the reductions made to other first responders, including sheriffs' deputies and local police departments. Although any cut to first responders was difficult given their importance to public safety, such action was necessary to help balance our budget.
The additional funding provided through the federal recovery package allowed the General Assembly to restore the proposed reductions to sheriffs and local police departments.. Restoring these funds without restoring funding for firefighters creates an issue of fairness and equity. Furthermore, such an action sends an inconsistent message to first responders and citizens of the Commonwealth more broadly. Firefighters and local law enforcement typically work hand-in-hand, whether faced with a fire, a hazardous waste spill, a natural or man-made disaster, a serious car accident, or other crises.
Therefore, to ensure equal treatment between these first responders, I veto this transfer from the Fire Programs Fund.
Please call Chairman Staples or myself if you need any info.
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
Office
of the Governor
Timothy M. Kaine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Governor
March 31, 2009
Contact:
Gordon Hickey
Phone: (804) 225-4260
Cell Phone: (804) 291-8977
Internet:
www.governor.virginia.gov
GOVERNOR KAINE ANNOUNCES UPDATES TO STIMULUS.VIRGINIA.GOV
~ Information on competitive grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act now available; users may now sign up for email alerts ~
RICHMOND?Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the addition of competitive grant resources to Stimulus.Virginia.Gov. Federal agencies are now accepting applications for a wide range of project proposals for competitive grants made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Examples include electrified transportation through the Department of Energy, autism research through the Department of Health and Human Services, and neighborhood stabilization through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Additionally, as part of Stimulus.Virginia.Gov?s transition to a disclosure and transparency website, users may now sign up for email updates related to Virginia?s economic recovery efforts and implementation of the ARRA.
?Virginia has received substantial resources to assist in its recovery efforts, but there is much more available to qualifying projects in the Commonwealth,? Governor Kaine said. ?The competitive grants now available can advance worthy projects that will bring in even more significant aid aimed at helping Virginians with the economic recovery.?
Virginia will receive about $4.8 billion through the ARRA, but only a limited amount of that money will be available for projects chosen by the state. However, additional federal stimulus funding is available through the ARRA competitive grant process. Entities that submitted proposals to the original Stimulus.Virginia.Gov website in February are encouraged to stay current on the ARRA federal grants opportunities and apply for any appropriate grants as they become available.
Stimulus.Virginia.Gov will now feature an ?ARRA Competitive Grants Alert? that is compiled by the Virginia Liaison Office to reflect the most current grant programs available through the ARRA. The document lists competitive grants?also known as discretionary grants?for which a federal agency has the discretionary power to:
? Select the recipient from among all eligible recipients;
? Decide to make or not make an award based on the programmatic, technical, or scientific content of an application; and
? Decide the amount of funding to be awarded.
It is highly recommended that individuals or groups interested in researching or applying for a competitive grant register with the federal government as soon as possible to avoid delays in processing applications. More information on the federal grant application process is available through www.grants.gov.
Virginians also have a new method to stay up to date on Virginia?s recovery efforts. Interested citizens and organizations can sign up for email alerts relating to newly announced ARRA funding or policies. Those signed up will receive an email alert as soon as announcements are made with no delay or editing.
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