An analysis of state applications for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 reveals that its maintenance of effort provision appears to have successfully limited the amount of disinvestment in higher education during the current recession. This suggests that federal incentives and disincentives can help assure that states maintain adequate financial support to public colleges and universities, and in so doing, can contribute to college affordability. This brief explores the arguments for and against such "maintenance of effort" provisions. It also explores the relationships and responsibilities of the federal government and state legislatures in providing affordable higher education access, and discusses the prospects for the continued use of this federal-state accountability measure. (Contains 1 figure, 2 tables, and lists 19 resources.)[Contributers to this brief were F. King Alexander, Thomas Harnisch, Daniel Hurley, and Robert Moran.]