Arizona will get a quicker-than-expected infusion of federal stimulus funds to help it deal with its tight budget situation.
The state received $124 million of budget stabilization funding from the stimulus in June, but was not slated to receive the remaining $61 million until the fall. However, the money was released early nationwide in response to worsening state finances.
The stimulus package’s state fiscal stabilization fund is intended to give states flexibility to deal with budget gaps. Arizona received $681 million of stimulus funds this year, including the $185 million earmarked for budget stabilization.
Gov. Jan Brewer said she will divide the $61 million between a number of budget sectors, including education and public safety, but provided no details.
