JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri has spent $222 million of the $1.7 billion received under the American Rescue Plan, or ARP, Act so far, based on State Auditor Nicole Galloway’s reports. The reports are the first to track the state’s spending of ARP funds, which Missouri began receiving in May. July and August reports on ARP spending are part of Galloway’s ongoing review of the billions of federal dollars coming into Missouri for COVID-19 response and recovery. Since June 2020, her office has released monthly reports on the $4.77 billion Missouri has received through the CARES Act and other federal programs for COVID-19 response efforts. Congress and President Biden signed the ARP Act into law in March. The funding received by or made available to Missouri state government agencies are meant to help pay for the state’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. ARP funding includes state and local recovery aid, temporary additional federal matching...