Who decides how the money will be distributed?
– For the programs administered by federal agencies, those agencies will publish their criteria and decision process online. For programs administered by state agencies, decisions will be made under the same process currently used by those state agencies, which includes objective criteria and a rigorous review and approval process. The vast majority of programs available under the ARRA have pre-existing rules and regulations regarding appropriate uses of funds and appropriate funding criteria. As a result, state and local agencies have much less discretion over the distribution of the funds than they might otherwise.
