Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation executive vice president Doug Howgate said the number of earmarks in this item is not normal, but also not unheard of, especially in an arts, culture and tourism-related item. Earmarked items had been kept separately in the House and Senate version of the ARPA bill, Howgate said, but the earmarks were included within other items in the compromise conference package, causing a "cascade impact" where the money available for grants was reduced. "The ARPA bill itself is a bit of a brand-new world," Howgate said. "You see a fair number of things in this bill that you wouldn't normally see."
December 16, 2021
FY 2022
ARPA Bill's $135 Million For Massachusetts Cultural Council Not All That It Seems
Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation executive vice president Doug Howgate said the number of earmarks in this item is not normal, but also not unheard of, especially in an arts, culture and tourism-related item. Earmarked items had been kept separately in the House and Senate version of the ARPA bill, Howgate said, but the earmarks were included within other items in the compromise conference package, causing a "cascade impact" where the money available for grants was reduced. "The ARPA bill itself is a bit of a brand-new world," Howgate said. "You see a fair number of things in this bill that you wouldn't normally see."
