GREEN BAY, Wis. (WTAQ) - Brown County residents saw $132 million directly from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

That's according to a study by the Wisconsin Budget Project. Research Analyst Tamarine Cornelius says the numbers don't reflect the so-called "shovel ready" projects.

"This one is just money that wound up in people's pockets directly in terms of tax cuts and benefit levels," Cornelius says.

Of that money between February 2009 and May 2010, $70.6 million came in the form of the Making Work Pay tax credit and $42.8 million went for extended or increased jobless insurance benefits.

Cornelius says people and the local economy did benefit.

"The direct benefits that are aimed at the people who are struggling the most, benefit us all in that it helps support the economy as the money gets spent," Cornelius says.

Other parts of the money include $9.8 million from the Economic Recovery Payments, $6.2 million from increased Food Share benefits and $2.3 million from COBRA premium assistance.

Director of the Wisconsin Budget Project Jon Peacock warns that most of the direct benefits are provisional measures and are drawing to a close.

"We know that the Recovery Act has helped create jobs, but there's still a lot of concern about how the economy will respond as the funding it has provided expires," Peacock said. "We hope Congress will keep an eye on unemployment rates and consider extension of some of these direct benefits as needed, " he said.

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