American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides an extraordinary opportunity for state and local governments to fund critical economic development initiatives in their communities. Signed into law on March 11, 2021, ARPA provides a total of $130.2 billion for cities, municipalities and counties, largely to help such government entities respond to and cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the available funds, however, are prioritized for major investments in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure projects.

Bowles Rice has a long history of working with government entities throughout the region to help them realize the full benefits of federal economic development funding programs such as ARPA.  Among other things, our experienced team can help:

• Prepare and implement appropriate private contractor, public-private partnership or intergovernmental agreements;
• Identify supplemental funding opportunities through other state and federal programs and bond offerings;
• Comply with ARPA accountability obligations; and
• Navigate any and all regulatory processes associated with ARPA and other programs of this nature.

Bowles Rice is a full-service law firm. With decades of experience in the areas of Public Finance, Tax Law, Economic Development, Municipal Law, Government Relations, Broadband, Regulatory Law and more, our diverse team of lawyers stands ready to assist you and your community with the management of any ARPA funding. And with seven offices located in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Virginia, we are geographically well-positioned to assist clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic and surrounding regions.