Senator Kelly Applauds House Passage of Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill
Today, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly released the following statement praising the House’s passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, legislation that he and a group of bipartisan Senators helped craft earlier this year which will now head to President Biden’s desk for his signature:
“This is a big deal for Arizona. This bipartisan infrastructure legislation will bring high-paying jobs to Arizona, fix our roads and bridges, expand high-speed internet access, upgrade our ports of entry in San Luis and Douglas, make Arizona more resilient to wildfires, and help us address this twenty year drought by improving our water infrastructure. These investments are long overdue, and today, they are one step closer to reaching our state.”
Kelly is one of the 22 members of the Senate bipartisan group that reached a $1.2 trillion infrastructure agreement, and was part of working groups made up of Senators to draft specific portions of the legislation, including those focusing on water and power infrastructure, superfunds and brownfields, permitting, and wildfire mitigation.
In total, the bill funds:
- $110 billion to repair bridges and roads and build major highway projects, including unsafe rural roads, $5 billion is expected to go to Arizona for federal-aid highway apportioned programs and $225 million for bridge replacement and repair;
- $65 billion to expand affordable, high-speed internet access, with at least $100 million expected to go to Arizona;
- $55 billion for drinking and wastewater infrastructure, with key funding for Arizona programs and projects;
- $8.3 billion for western water infrastructure, with specific funds going towards repairing aging dams in Arizona and funding the Drought Contingency Plan, among other things;
- $65 billion to improve grid reliability and resiliency and allow for the increased use of renewables, as well as a Kelly-authored bill to expand the use of energy management initiatives;
- $39.2 billion for public transit and $66 billion for passenger and freight rail, $884.3 million of which will go to Arizona transit systems;
- $25 billion for airports;
- $8.25 billion for wildfire management, including increasing firefighter pay and a Kelly-authored bill to study and recommend wildland fire prevention, suppression, management, and rehabilitation policies; and
- $3.85 billion for land ports of entry, including $147 million for the San Luis Port of Entry, $216 million for the new Douglas Port of Entry, and $184 million for rehabilitation at the current Douglas Port of Entry.
In addition, the following pieces of legislation sponsored or cosponsored by Senator Kelly are included in the bill: The Demand-Response Management Act of 2021; The Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission Act; The ROCKS Act; The Fixing Infrastructure Damaged by Disasters Act; The High Risk Rural Road Safety Act; and The Highway Cost Allocation Study Act of 2021, added via amendment.
For a full breakdown of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Senator Kelly’s work on it, click here.
