Pictured: Rep. Ken Fleming, R-Louisville, shares his thoughts on the procurement process for the “last mile” broadband expansion project.

The Cleaner Water Program, a grant program to improve drinking water and wastewater, is part of the $1.3 billion Building a Better Kentucky Plan, which will create 14,500 jobs expanding broadband, delivering clean drinking water and building new schools.

Today, the U.S. Department of Treasury released new guidance on the State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund (Recovery Fund), part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The 2021 Legislative Session was short but eventful, with legislators addressing many important county issues.

HB 320 sets aside $250 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to provide broadband access to unserved and underserved areas in Kentucky and allows electric coops to deploy broadband services.

At the last minute, lawmakers amended legislation to allocate millions of dollars to county jails devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the final hours of session, the General Assembly gutted a bill and allocated millions of the state’s American Rescue Plan Acts dollars to the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA) for drinking water and wastewater programs.

HB 556, sponsored by Rep. Danny Bentley and co-sponsored by Rep. Jason Petrie, allocates $20 million to the Rural Hospital Operations and Facilities Revolving Loan Fund.