On July 14, AGC outlined its priorities for the bipartisan infrastructure package to the group of bipartisan senators who are drafting the legislation. In addition to significant investments in physical infrastructure, AGC calls for investing in the construction workforce, streamlining the federal environmental review and permitting process, improving the construction supply chain, as well as ensuring provisions restricting the expansion of highway capacity are not included. AGC and industry stakeholders continue to meet with the Senate offices working on this legislation to highlight construction industry priorities. The timing for when the legislation will be released and ultimately voted on continues to be unclear. However, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said the Senate will push to vote on it before the chamber breaks for the August recess.

On July 1, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America Act, a $715 billion federal investment in America’s roads, bridges, transit, passenger rail, and drinking and wastewater infrastructure. AGC lobbied against several of the policies included in the bill. However, its passage in the House is a first step towards enacting record levels of federal investment in infrastructure. It continues to remain unclear how this legislation will intersect with larger infrastructure package negotiations between the White House and a bipartisan group of senators. The AGC summary of the INVEST in America Act can be viewed here. AGC will continue to push for policy improvements to the bill.

On June 23, Democratic House Leadership announced it will attach $168 billion in water and wastewater infrastructure legislation to the $547 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill for a vote on the House floor the week of June 28.

The week of June 28, the House is set to vote on the INVEST in America Act, legislation to reauthorize the nation’s surface transportation programs. This legislation passed the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee earlier in the month on a near party-line vote. In addition to the $547 billion included in the legislation for surface transportation programs, the package also includes two other bills to reauthorize the nation’s waste and drinking water programs. While AGC is supportive of the House continuing the reauthorization process, we have reservations about some of the policies contained in the bill, such as a lack of environmental review and permitting reforms and a limitation on the ability to construct new highway capacity. As the legislative process moves forward, AGC will continue to encourage House members to make necessary improvements to the bill that will address these policies concerns.

On June 23, a bipartisan group of senators announced an agreement on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure framework with the White House. The framework—found here —includes $579 billion in new spending to rebuild America’s roads and bridges, improve public transit systems, invest in broadband infrastructure, and upgrade our airports. While this plan does appear to have bipartisan support, the path forward remains unclear, as Speaker Pelosi announced that she would not move similar legislation in the House until the Senate passed both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and partisan reconciliation infrastructure bill. In addition, there are a significant amount of details that have yet to be determined.

AGC Warns of Negative Impacts on Project Delivery and Environment

Legislation would invest $40 billion in the clean water state revolving fund

On June 16, a bipartisan group of senators—10 Democrats and 10 Republicans— announced an agreement on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. The two-page plan includes $579 billion in new spending (on top of reauthorized transportation programs) to rebuild America’s roads and bridges, improve public transit systems, invest in broadband infrastructure, and upgrade our airports. Of that total, $110 billion would be dedicated for roads, bridges, and major projects. The group states the plan would be paid for in part by repurposing unspent COVID relief funds, indexing the gas tax to inflation, implementing a fee on electric vehicles, and adjusting customs user fees. Several of these pay-fors have been rejected in the past by the Biden Administration in talks with Senate Republicans led by Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).

On June 10, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved legislation to reauthorize federal-aid highway and transit programs, on a mostly partly line vote. This five-year, $547 billon bill will now go to the full House for a floor vote at a yet to be determined date. An AGC analysis of this legislation as passed by committee may be found here. While AGC is supportive of the investment levels in this legislation, the association has significant concerns with the bill’s significant restrictions to building new highways and expanding highway lanes and lack of environmental review and permit streamlining initiatives, among other things.

Expands Renewable Energy & EV Tax Credits; Attaches Labor Requirements