Decoding the American Rescue Plan Act with Van Ness Feldman

Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Senate’s version of the $1.9T American Rescue Plan, which President Biden signed into law. In addition to providing $1,400 direct payments to individuals that meet certain income criteria, the legislation provides over $7B in stimulus and other payments to Washington state, its cities, counties, and other local governments.  

In today’s talk on decoding the American Rescue Plan Act, we heard from three experts at the federal (and state) law firm Van Ness Feldman.

Rick Agnew, partner at Van Ness Feldman, represents a variety of clients before Congress and federal agencies, particularly on matters relating to federal laws and permits governing energy projects, environmental matters, and the uses of natural resources.

He is Chief Republican Counsel for the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs (now the Committee on Natural Resources) of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Rick is active in Bar Association Continuing Legal Education activities and has been a frequent speaker on natural resource, Native American, and electric policy issues.

Jenna Peth is a public policy professional providing strategic advice and representation on federal legislative, executive, and regulatory issues. She focuses on matters relating to federal energy, environmental, natural resources, transportation, and municipal policy.

She provides clients with a comprehensive view of major issues and activities on Capitol Hill and the Executive Branch through the coverage of Congressional hearings and briefings in the energy, natural resources, municipal, and environment sectors.

Finally, Michael Platner, Senior Tax Counsel, provides strategic counsel on legal, legislative and regulatory issues, including tax, energy, and international trade. Michael has extensive experience developing and implementing successful government relations programs.

In today’s program, we covered:

·      Broad highlights of the American Rescue Act Plan

·      How much money is going to the state of Washington, and to its local governments

·      What kind of “strings” are attached to the money

·      What ports can do to access these funds 

The experts of Van Ness Feldman kindly offered to answer any detailed questions ports may have about the contents of their presentation. You can find their contact information in their presentation below, on the last slide.

View a copy of their presentation

Watch the recording of today’s meeting