Gov. Gregoire details Washington state job creation through Recovery funds

For Immediate Release: February 1, 2010

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced that approximately 14,500 jobs were created or sustained in Washington state during the last quarter of 2009 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

�Washington state is proving that the Recovery Act is working,� Gregoire said. �We have been transparent and responsible with our investments to put people to work, keep businesses afloat and improve our communities. I know many Washingtonians are still looking for work, and I am focused on helping our businesses hire more people. But without the stimulus funds Congress invested in Washington state, we would have more people unemployed and more businesses hurting�

As required by the federal government, on Saturday, January 30th, Washington state completed the second round of quarterly reporting on job creation/retention and expenditures, covering the period of October 1-December 31, 2009. Since the Recovery Act was signed in early 2009, approximately $7.4 billion of Recovery Act grants and contracts have been awarded in Washington state to help spur job creation.

�Success of the Recovery Act must be judged by our ability to dodge the second Great Depression -- and we believe we succeeded at that,� said Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA 01), who joined Gregoire today at a news conference. �We aren�t celebrating, we have constituents that are still looking for work. But our economy is showing signs of life and that has been made possible because of the recovery package.�

Of the jobs created in Washington state, about 7,300 result from funds coming through state agencies, and break out into the following areas:

Transportation: 690 (9%)
Public Safety: 3,283 (45%)
Education: 1,975 (27%)
Workforce: 763 (10%)
Health and Human Services: 387 (5%)
Energy and Technology: 110 (2%)
Other: 86 (2%)

Gregoire today also highlighted the state�s Recovery Act website, www.recovery.wa.gov, which increases the state�s transparency in using Recovery Act funds. Visitors of the site can see what projects have been supported by Recovery Act dollars, and how many jobs have been created.

�I encourage all Washingtonians to keep checking our website,� Gregoire said. �We�re committed to showing the immense value every Washington town and community is receiving from the Recovery Act.�