WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the bipartisan Senate infrastructure working group, applauded the U.S. House of Representatives today for passing the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in a historic vote.
Senator Rosen was “one of the architects of the legislation” as part of the bipartisan group that negotiated the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package and helped write key airport and broadband sections of the bill as she worked to secure critical wins for Nevada. The final infrastructure package also includes the text of three of Senator Rosen’s bills: the Middle Mile Broadband Deployment Act, the TOURISM Act, and the Cyber Sense Act. Senator Rosen joined 68 senators of both parties in voting to pass the landmark infrastructure package in August. Having passed the Senate and the House, the Rosen-backed bill can now go to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
“Our bipartisan package is the most significant investment in American infrastructure since we built the interstate highway system, and I’m honored to have played a role in shaping this legislation, making it work for Nevada, and fighting for its passage,” said Senator Rosen. “The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes a number of my bills and other provisions spearheaded by my team to upgrade, expand, and modernize our nation’s physical infrastructure. I’m proud to have worked with Democrats and Republicans to help write major sections of the bill that will increase broadband connectivity for communities across Nevada and deliver vital funding to improve and expand our state’s airports. This bipartisan package is going to boost America’s economy and our global competitiveness by creating millions of good-paying jobs and rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure for the 21st century, and I look forward to President Biden signing it into law as soon as possible.”
The following full sections of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act were co-written by Rosen as part of the bipartisan infrastructure working group:
- BROADBAND: $65 billion in overall investment to make broadband available and affordable.
- $42.45 billion for state broadband deployment grants to connect unserved and underserved communities to high-speed internet (built to at least 100/20 Mbps), a new program developed by Rosen and about a dozen of her working group colleagues, based on the Collins-Rosen American Broadband Buildout Act and Cornyn-Manchin-Collins-Rosen American Broadband Buildout to Eliminate the Digital Divide Act, and including a Rosen-drafted provision prioritizing contractors with a record of compliance with labor and employment laws;
- $14.2 billion for an Affordable Connectivity Program providing $30/month benefit for households up to 200% of the poverty line;
- $1 billion for creating middle-mile connections to build a high-speed backbone to facilitate last-mile connections to communities, businesses, and anchor institutions like schools/libraries, mirroring the text of Rosen’s Middle Mile Broadband Deployment Act;
- $2.75 billion for digital equity;
- $2 billion for USDA rural broadband;
- $2 billion for Tribal broadband; and
- $600 million for Private Activity Bonds.
- AIRPORTS: $25 billion in overall investment for airport infrastructure.
- $15 billion in flexible spending to allow airports to fund their key construction, expansion, upgrade, and repair projects;
- $5 billion for Airport Terminal Program to allow bigger airports to access larger amounts of money in order to build their higher cost terminal projects; and
- $5 billion for upgrades to Air Traffic Control facilities.
The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes the text of three of Senator Rosen’s bills and several of her amendments:
- The Middle Mile Broadband Deployment Act, which funds critical broadband infrastructure to connect internet carriers to local networks and community institutions to increase broadband access to unserved and underserved communities;
- The bipartisan Travel Optimization by Updating and Revitalizing Infrastructure to Support Mobilization (TOURISM) Act, which requires the Department of Transportation to update its National Travel and Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan to develop an immediate-term and long-term strategy for using infrastructure investments to revive the travel and tourism economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic; and
- The bipartisan Cyber Sense Act, which creates a voluntary program at DOE to test the cybersecurity of products and technologies intended for use in the bulk power system.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act also includes the following Rosen-led or backed efforts:
- The Murkowski-Manchin-Risch-King-Rosen Protecting Resources On The Electric grid with Cybersecurity Technology (PROTECT) Act, which enhances electric grid security by incentivizing electric utilities to make cybersecurity investments and establishes a Department of Energy (DOE) grant and technical assistance program to deploy advanced cybersecurity technology for utilities not regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC);
- Two Rosen-drafted provisions to support travel and tourism – one making “increasing tourism opportunities” a primary selection criteria for the Department of Transportation (DOT) when choosing which local and regional surface transportation proposals to fund; and one requiring DOT to assess its ability to evaluate travel and tourism needs when awarding federal grants; and
- A Rosen-led bipartisan amendment adopted on the Senate floor that adds wildfires as a specified damage for which federal assistance from the National Highway Performance Program may be used to rebuild damaged highways.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act also includes the following key provisions that will benefit Nevada:
- ROADS, BRIDGES, & HIGHWAYS: $110 billion in new nationwide funds for roads, highways, bridges, and major projects, and a reauthorization of the surface transportation program for the next five years, all critical for the future expansion of Interstate-11
- $40 billion in new funding for bridge repair, replacement, and rehabilitation.
- $11 billion in transportation safety programs.
- TRANSIT: $39 billion of new investment to modernize transit and improve accessibility.
- WATER: $8.3 billion in overall investment for western water systems.
- $1 billion for water recycling and reuse projects.
- $300 million for implementing the Colorado River Basin Drought Contingency Plan
- The Drought Contingency Plan is a 7-state agreement – which includes Nevada – to avoid catastrophic water supply shortages in the western United States, and is the result of a years-long, state-driven process conducted during the previous and current federal administrations.
- Senator Rosen was an original cosponsor of the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act, which was signed into law in 2019. It directed the Secretary of the Interior to execute and carry out the Colorado River Drought Contingency Management and Operations.
- $250 million for design, study, and construction of aquatic ecosystem restoration and protection projects
- $50 million for endangered species recovery and conservation programs in the Colorado River Basin.
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