How to Read Obama's Economic Stimulus Plan Online (The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)

On February 17, 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was passed into law in Denver, Colorado when US President Barack Obama signed what's popularly been called the Economic Stimulus Plan, the Economic Recovery Bill, and the Economic Stimulus Package, not to mention its more volatile names. If you want to know how this key law is going to affect the United States, then the first step is reading the text of the ARRA. Read on to find out how to read Obama's economic stimulus plan in detail.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Read the text for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1) at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/ARRA_public_review/, or see the active link in the Resources section. You may read the economic stimulus package text in five parts, either in .pdf or ASCII format.

2. Understand what happens now that the "recovery bill" has gone into effect. Various federal agencies, such as the Dept. of Education and the Dept. of Energy, determine which health centers, state governments, schools, contractors, organizations, or other recipients receive grant money and funds. The stimulus package is intended to be used to stimulate scientific advancement, encourage research and development toward achieving a "green" energy infrastructure, modernize land and water transport passages such as roads and canals, revitalize education, increase job opportunities, and make health care more accessible.

3. Visit Recovery.org, the website set up by the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board to help U.S. citizens track where the money goes, as part of the "transparency and accountability" agenda that Barack Obama stated is a critical component of the Act. Bookmark the site so that over time, you can chart the distribution of stimulus payments issued under the Act and how the funds are being used by the grant recipients.

4. For all information about government spending (not just that stemming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009), see USASpending.gov.

Tips & Warnings

• You may have connectivity problems at the link to read Obama's economic stimulus plan, due to the high volume of traffic. If so, try again.

Resources

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)
• Recovery.gov
• USASpending.gov
• Economic stimulus plans still a ways from finish line.: An article from: Pro Farmer
• Great Jobs in the President's Stimulus Plan
• The Great Crash of 1929
• Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940: How Americans Lived Through the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression
• The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression

[iamwrite]

on 9/8/2009 Going right to the source is the best way to get the facts. Great article!