Obama to states: Help is on the way

Non-traditional infrastructure projects such as improved medical information technology and expanded broadband Internet capacity are among those slated for action if states get the funding assistance they are requesting from the incoming Obama administration, reports The New York Times.

The economic crisis is tearing holes in most state budgets, and President-elect Barack Obama promised the nation's governors at a meeting in Philadelphia on Dec. 2 that he would come to their aid as soon as he takes office with an ambitious program to build or repair roads, bridges, schools and other public projects, including medical IT and broadband Internet.

The governors are seeking $136 billion for infrastructure projects already on the books and ready to break ground within months, and $40 billion to cover increased Medicaid costs.