11/28/2022 - Jefferson City, Mo.
The
latest monthly reports from State Auditor Nicole Galloway detailing state
government's use of federal stimulus dollars intended for the COVID-19 response
shows Missouri received $11.4 billion between April 2020 and September 2022. As
the state's financial watchdog, the State Auditor's Office has issued the
reports since June 2020 examining Missouri government's distribution and
spending of funding received under the federal CARES Act, American Rescue Plan
and other federal assistance programs.
The
most recent reports show Missouri's spending of federal assistance for the
months of July, August, and September 2022, as well as the cumulative
expenditures since the state began receiving funding in April 2020. Through the
end of September 2022, the state has spent $6.3 billion in funding made
available by the CARES Act and other federal programs, and $2.08 billion in
American Rescue Plan funds.
A significant portion of
expenditures to date are for services through the state's Medicaid program (MO
HealthNet) and other programs receiving federal matching funds. Under the
Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the federal government increased its
percentage share of the cost of the state's Medicaid program. The American
Rescue Plan also offered Missouri a temporary increase in the federal funds
matching rate in exchange for the state's Medicaid expansion. As of September
30, 2022, the increased cost share for the federal government has totaled over
$1.98 billion in additional federal funding for Medicaid in Missouri.
Other funding has been
provided to local governments, schools, institutions of higher education, child
care providers, long-term care facilities and developmental disabilities waiver
providers. Funds have also been used for mental health services, purchase of
personal protective equipment, virus testing, contact tracing, vaccine preparedness and access, workforce development, economic development programs for
small businesses, COVID-19 dedicated personnel costs, emergency rental
assistance and other disaster relief purposes.
In
addition to the monthly report examining the state's spending, the Auditor's
Office also has an online tool to give Missourians a detailed look at
expenditures. The COVID-19
Response page tracks not only how much is
received and expended in relief funds, but also lists which state and local
government departments, vendors and expense categories are receiving the most
funding. The information on the website provides data on expenditures and is
updated regularly.
Auditor
Galloway's efforts are similar to work
performed by the previous State Auditor's administration, which reviewed the state's use of funds received through the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Under Article IV, Section 13 of the Missouri
Constitution, the State Auditor has a duty to ensure the accuracy of the
state's accounting of its spending.
A
copy of the report on Missouri spending of federal CARES Act assistance in July
2022 can be found here, for August 2022 here, and September 2022 here. Reports are
here for American Rescue Plan spending for July 2022, August 2022, and September 2022.