Data Dumps and Maryland Stimulus News

More data, more debates.

Last Friday, the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board—the folks charged with keeping ARRA clean—released new quarterly data. As usual, the job numbers—755,454 jobs nationally supported with stimulus money this quarter– grabbed most of the attention.

Maryland recipients reported receiving about $1.3 billion of the $4.6 billion total expected.

On Tuesday, The Daily Record unpacked a different set of stimulus numbers—this one by Federal Funds Information for States. The report (subscribers only) shows Maryland has the 10th-lowest percentage of stimulus money spent so far.

Gov. Martin O’Malley’s spokesman Shaun Adamec told The Daily Record, “There was a very deliberate strategy not to spend every penny all at once.”

Also on Tuesday, Senators McCain (R – AZ) and Coburn (R – OK) released another of their semi-regular reports criticizing what they say is wasteful stimulus spending (pdf). The report highlights 100 projects; coming in at 93 is Maryland’s sole contribution this time around—the Silver Spring-based Palladian Partners, Inc. project funded by NIH that we reported on in January.

Red State called the report a “must read,” Biden’s chief economist called it “an inaccurate and misleading attack,” and CNN did some old-fashioned fact-checking.

Other Maryland stimulus news this week:

The Capital reported on tweaks to Maryland’s “cash for appliance” program.

The Sun’s Maryland Politics blog outlined the two local sites vying for the Social Security Administration’s new stimulus-funded National Data Center.

Richard Webster at Examiner.com sized up what Harford County stands to gain from rural broadband money.

The News Journal in Delaware reported on transportation authorities studying running passenger rail along the Delmarva Peninsula.

And the Baltimore Business Journal sized up the impact the Senate jobs bill could have in Maryland.

That bill has now cleared the Senate and is headed toward a House vote on Tuesday. Tune in to Maryland Morning Tuesday to see if Sheilah’s guest Rep. Frank Kratovil (D – MD, 1st district) has anything to say about how he’ll vote on that bill.