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Noon Edition

State Legislators and the Economy

Ellettsville State Senator Vi Simpson says she's trying to clear up confusion about the federal stimulus package. Speaking on WFIU's "Noon Edition," Simpson said it's important to note there is no person or branch of government designated to distribute the money.

"There are about two-hundred separate pots of money and many different committees of Congress created these different pots and there are different strings attached to each one" said Simpson.

Simpson says some of these pots of money have deadlines for their distribution, others have specific purposes, and still more has no designation at all. Simpson says it's now the job of the legislature to work with those Federal guidelines.

"What we're trying to do now is trying to figure out each pot of money and what are the strings attached and how can we use that money within the parameters we've all set for ourselves" said Simpson.

Even though Indiana will receive around five billion dollars of the Federal Stimulus Package, Simpson warns it's one-time money and can't be used to supplement ongoing expenditures. Rather, Simpson says she'd like to see the money spent on small businesses and job creation.

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