Yesterday, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) helped secure $550 billion in new federal investment in surface infrastructure, high-speed internet, and the environment by sending H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to President Biden for his signature. It will set the tone for the country’s investment in roads, bridges, rail, airports, and ports. It also addresses key environmental needs including climate change, clean drinking water, replacing lead service lines, and wastewater as well as environmental remediation, resilience, and justice. It modernizes America’s energy infrastructure and supports programs that connect rural communities with high-speed internet.
In addition to creating millions of jobs that will help drive the economy, the bill is financed by several means, including redirecting certain unspent emergency relief funds and concluding tax credits meant to address challenges faced in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, targeted corporate user fees, strengthening tax enforcement of cryptocurrency, requiring rebates from manufacturers of certain drugs administered under Medicare Part B, and other bipartisan measures.
The Senate voted 69-30 to approve the bill in August. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill by a bipartisan vote of 228-206.
“Congress is making the largest federal investment in our vital infrastructure that we have ever seen which presents many opportunities for Georgians. This includes expanding the Interstate 14 designation through Columbus to Augusta, supporting new intercity passenger rail routes which can connect communities along the Interstate 75 corridor, increasing our commitment to rural broadband, and making smart investments in clean energy that will create more good-paying manufacturing jobs,” said Congressman Bishop. “These are just a few ways that every community across Middle and Southwest Georgia can benefit from this bill. We also worked tirelessly to make sure that the jobs created by this bill will be for hardworking Americans by including significant Buy American protections.”
The bill expands the Interstate Highway 14 designation as a high priority corridor, which currently only runs for 25 miles near Fort Hood, Texas. The expanded highway would create a new 1,300 mile corridor running from Texas — through Columbus — all the way to Augusta, Georgia. The proposed route would upgrade existing roads between Interstate Highways 10 and 20, connecting military facilities and promoting new economic opportunities for Georgia.
Other programs supported by the bill include:
- $40 billion for a new Bridge Investment Program that can help repair and improve the nearly 400 bridges that are rated to be in fair or poor condition across Georgia
- $15 billion for the Airport Improvement Program which can be used to repair and expand regional airports that are transportation hubs through which thousands of people and goods from across Georgia flow
- $14.6 billion as part of reauthorizing the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grants program which can assist cities and towns across the district with their storm and wastewater systems which would help keep utility rates lower for residents
- $5 billion for a new grant program to help improve the resiliency and reliability of electrical grid infrastructure against disruption caused by natural disasters, like hurricanes which have caused hundreds of millions of damage to Georgia in recent years
- $2 billion for broadband improvements to provide high-speed internet connections for students, educators, small businesses, and families in rural communities
- $500 million for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that will help families with utilities costs and weatherization improvements to reduce those costs
- $200 million to eliminate non-native plants and animals as well as pests that harm properties, farms, and other businesses across the region
- $30 million that can provide assistance to local governments that need updated emergency communications equipment
- Transformative investments to combat climate change, including creating a new program for local schools to purchase electric school buses so that our children have a healthy environment on their commute to the classrooms
“In Middle and Southwest Georgia, provisions of the bill would help improve VA facilities, help address the physician and nurse shortage in rural hospitals and clinics, and caps the price of certain prescription drugs, including insulin at no more than $35 for a 30 day supply,” said Congressman Bishop. “I look forward to reviewing the Congressional Budget Office official score of the Build Back Better Act so that we can pass this bill that will help our communities in so many ways.”
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