American Rescue Plan Act

Worcester must decide by the end of the year how it will spend its remaining $44.3 million in federal pandemic relief money. With that deadline looming, some local nonprofit leaders are criticizing the city for inequitably dispersing some of the money in prior grant rounds — and urging officials to do better.

City officials gathered at the site of a newly built affordable two-family home in Mattapan Friday to announce a $60 million investment of federal funds to help moderate- and low-income families buy homes in Boston as part of the Welcome Home Boston initiative.

With new funds flowing into the state from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the bipartisan infrastructure bill, experts warn that Massachusetts is ill-prepared to spend that money equitably without major changes to state law.

The Massachusetts House of Representatives voted last week to approve HB 4219 — a comprehensive $3.82 billion spending plan aimed at aiding industries and individuals impacted by COVID-19.