Morning Cup of Stimulus: Happy (Two Month) Birthday, Stimulus!

This is the latest roundup from our stimulus blog.

The Associated Press reports that several states are complaining of not having enough money to oversee the disbursement of the billions of dollars they're receiving from the feds. Nebraska's governor's office told lawmakers at an Appropriations Committee hearing that it expects to spend more than $1.2 million over two years to oversee the spending of about $1.5 billion in federal stimulus funds.

The Texas state Senate voted yesterday to accept $555 million in stimulus money for its jobless fund, defying Republican Gov. Rick Perry, who does not support expanding the unemployment insurance program. The measure received bipartisan support but still has to pass the state House. Perry is one of a number of Republican governors who threatened not to accept federal stimulus money.

In Jefferson, Mo., yesterday, Vice President Joe Biden and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced details of how the Department of Energy will dole out $3.3 billion in funding for building an electrical smart grid. Under the plan, the Department of Energy will provide grants up to $20 million for smart grid technology projects.

And yesterday, the Government Accountability Office released a report (PDF) stating that plans from the Small Business Administration for an emergency lending program are nearly six weeks overdue. It's been exactly two months since President Barack Obama signed the stimulus bill, and deadlines are already creeping up.

Project of the day: Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen broke ground on the state's first Recovery Act project -- replacing three aging timber bridges that are nearly four decades old.