......On The Move..........President Barack Obama made good on one of his most important campaign pledges when, within weeks of taking office, he succeeded in enacting a major Stimulus Plan to get the U.S. Economy working again........................................THE FEDERAL STIMULUS PACKAGE, OFFICIALLY THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2009, also known as ARRA, will give Illinois much needed help with its budget deficit, as well as funnel aid to local governments and individuals struggling under the weight of the current Economic Crises.................................State and local governments will get federal aid for a variety of programs, though some of it depends on matching funds and other requirements. Illinois is eligible for: $2.9 billion in new federal dollars for Medicaid programs, which help fund developmental disablity services as well as medical assistance to low-income citizens.............................$2.8 billion for local school districts and institutions of higher educagtion;..........................$103 million for Head Start and other early childhood programs;.................................$373 million in flexible funds, which can be used for aid to local governments;..................$109 million for unemployment services, including funds to hire staff;..............................$178 million for public housing authorities;......................$970 million for ready-to-go highway projects;...........................$430 for mass transit; and $260 million for water infrastructure improvements.........AFSCME lobbyists in Washington played a key role in convincing Congressional leaders to include aid to state and local governments in the stimulus plan. Unfortunately Republicans--especially in the Senate--vehemently opposed that aid and succeeded in having it cut back somewhat in the final package...................................................................Resource: On the Move, Illinois Council 31--American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees/AFL-CIO, Henry Bayer, Executive Director, AFSCME, Chicago, IL, Send Correspondence to lincoln@afscmeillinois.org, C April 2009