The House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on Nov. 5, 2021 by a vote of 228 – 205. NASDA supported this bipartisan bill, President Biden signed into law on November 15, 2021. Highlights include:

  • Broadband
    • $40 billion for states to deploy broadband
      • States will get at least $100 million with the rest allocated based on the number of unserved and underserved households.
        • States will also receive $5 million for broadband planning.
      • This funding is expected to be deployed no later than 180 days after being signed into law- May 13, 2022
    • $2 Billion for USDA’s ReConnect program
      • $1.96 billion of this will go to existing ReConnect loan and grant programs.
  • Hard Infrastructure
    • $127 billion for hard infrastructure investments such as roads, bridges and ports
      • $2.5 billion for replacing the Mississippi River locks and dams that was authorized by Congress in 2007. This funding speeds up the process and Lock and Dam 25 located north of St. Louis, Missouri, will begin construction immediately.
      • $8 million is being set aside for the Georgia Port Authority to clear congestion at the Port of Savannah to convert inland facilities to pop-up container yards.
  • Forest Service
    • Two pots of money for forest and burned area rehabilitation
      • $3.3 billion to fight wildfires though controlled burns, mechanical thinning and firefighting resources.
        • $300 million of is allocated specifically towards wildfire resilience
      • $45 million per year over five years for Forest Service to carry out burned area rehabilitation programs.
  • Climate Project
    • $3.5 billion for carbon removal projects to establish four regional hubs.
  • Water Resources for the West
    • $8.3 billion to the Bureau of Reclamation for Water, geared towards water infrastructure in the West.
      • $1.15 billion for water storage, ground water storage and water conveyance.
    • $500 million will go to Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations program, which is administered through USDA NRCS.
  • Cybersecurity
    • $1 billion for local and state government cyber security investments to be distributed in grants and loans
      • State, local, tribal, and territorial governments will have to present a comprehensive cybersecurity plan to be able to access and use any grant money from the program.
      • Funds are to be distributed over 5 years

Timing of roll out of funds will vary. Some programs are built out and are gaining additional funds immediately, while others will require new offices and programs to be built to complete the work. There is a focus to quickly increase capacity at ports around the country to combat supply chain delays.

NASDA will continue to monitor and engage with federal agencies about implementation.

Updated on November 17, 2021