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State lands federal grant for storm recovery Friday, Jun 20, 2008 Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded Arkansas a $1.9 million grant to pay for temporary workers to assist in storm and flood cleanup. The state's congressional delegation announced the grant award Thursday, the same day the House was set to vote on a emergency war funding bill that includes more than $2.6 billion in disaster aid. Arkansas lawmakers did not know Thursday how much money, if any, from the spending measure would be dedicated to the state's recovery efforts. The Senate last month passed a version of the war spending bill that contained $39 million dedicated to help Arkansas recover from springtime floods. The money in the House bill was to be set aside to for flood aid to the Midwest, Iowa in particular. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., said she hoped Arkansas and its needs weren't forgotten. "Just because the disaster happened to us a month or so ago doesn't mean it's," any less of a disaster, she said. "We've been fighting hard to get this language into the bill and we want to make sure the needs we have are met," Lincoln added. The Labor Department grant was awarded to the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services. It is intended to fund salaries of temporary employees who clean up, demolish, repair, renovate and reconstruct structures and public lands in affected areas. The state targeted Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Conway, Izard, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Newton, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Saline, Searcy, Sharp, Stone and Washington counties for assistance through the grant. |
