Oct 30, 2009 6:23 pm US/Central
White House: Stimulus Behind 14,315 Minn. Jobs
ST. PAUL (AP) ―
The White House said Friday that the federal stimulus package created or saved more than 14,000 jobs in Minnesota through the end of September, which is about 2,500 more jobs than state officials counted weeks ago.
President Barack Obama's administration reported 14,315 Minnesota jobs in a release.
Preliminary state reports earlier this month attributed 11,800 jobs to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- about half of them in public schools, colleges and universities and a tenth in public safety programs.
Minnesota finance officials said the new White House number included jobs from stimulus grants and contracts not handled by state administrators, giving them their first look at those positions. Statewide stimulus coordinator Michelle Weber said the jobs tied to state-administered stimulus programs changed only slightly, from 11,832 on Oct. 10 to 11,852 on Friday.
"It is confusing for folks to understand the difference between a state-administered program and the programs that are administered directly from the federal government," Weber said. "We are continuously talking about the difference."
Minnesota's revisions included identifying another 200 transportation jobs not initially reported by contractors and eliminating 180 education positions -- some that were double-counted at first and others that were incorrectly tied to new stimulus-funded kitchen equipment.
The state and federal numbers deal only with jobs directly tied to stimulus dollars. Weber said federal officials will separately calculate indirect employment, such as positions created to serve stimulus-paid workers.
The White House said Friday that 650,000 jobs were saved or created nationwide under Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus plan. A White House economic adviser said the plan has created or saved more than a million jobs when positions linked to tax cuts are factored in.
State finance officials are preparing to release more information about stimulus spending at the county level next week.
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The The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, commonly referred to as "Obama's stimulus package," was signed into law in February and included nearly $800 billion in tax breaks and spending in an effort to revitalize the economy.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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