SINCE THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY, the U.S. Congress has approved almost $1.2 trillion to stimulate the American economy and limit the severity of the current economic recession. While some of this assistance will come in the form of tax relief, the majority—approximately $911 billion—is new spending. These funds were included in two key pieces of legislation, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the stimulus bill), enacted on February 17 and the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, enacted on March 11. Federal agencies, state and local governments now face the daunting challenge of distributing the funds quickly, responsibly and broadly to have the maximum positive impact.  READ MORE...