WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate passed bipartisan legislation to invest in America’s core infrastructure by a vote of 69 to 30. U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee and the top Republican on the Surface Transportation Subcommittee, voted in favor of the bill. It now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.

“This bipartisan bill makes long-awaited investments to rebuild and develop our nation’s core infrastructure. While not perfect, it includes resources for Nebraska in the key areas I wanted to see such as roads, bridges, water infrastructure, airports, and broadband.

“I am also pleased that the bill includes provisions I pushed for such as increased flexibility for livestock haulers and assistance for communities in rural America to meet transportation needs. 

“Additionally, the final bill included my bipartisan amendment that would create an online mapping tool for viewing the progress of federal broadband deployment projects all in one place. This will avoid duplication, maximize federal funding dollars, and help connect as many households as possible,” said Senator Fischer.

More information on the bill, known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act:

Roads and Highways:

• $110 billion in new spending for investments in the national highway system
• This includes $2.5 billion for Nebraska to maintain and repair its roads and highways
  
  
• $2 billion for the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program

 

Water and Ports:

• $17.4 billion for ports and waterways, including funding increases for Army Corps infrastructure programs
  
  
•  $55 billion for water infrastructure
• Includes $216 million to Nebraska for water revolving funds through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
• This bill provides opportunities for funding for many water infrastructure projects in Nebraska

Airports:

• $15 billion for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which provides grants to improve aircraft operations such as runways and taxiways
• In May, Nebraska received over $12 million from the AIP
  
  
•  Also funds $1 billion annually for a new Airport Terminal Improvement Program

Bridges:

• $40 billion in funding for bridge construction, maintenance, and repairs
• Of that, roughly $27.5 billion will be apportioned by formula to ensure every state’s bridges are provided for
  
  
• Nebraska currently has 15,348 bridges, including 1,302 classified as “structurally deficient”

Broadband:

• $65 billion to address broadband availability and accessibility—expanding networks to unserved and underserved areas and helping connect Americans to the internet
  
  
• $42.5 billion in grants to states provided by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
• Grants would be allocated to states, which would develop statewide deployment plans for which Nebraska is well situated

Multimodal and Freight Transportation:

• Authorizes $15 billion for a National Infrastructure Project Assistance grant program for nationally and regionally critical projects
  
  
• Authorizes $15 billion for a Local and Regional Project Assistance Program, formerly known as BUILD grants

Reducing Red Tape:

• Streamlines the government approval process for large infrastructure projects
  
  
• Ensures that a single federal agency will be the point of contact for a project sponsor for environmental permits
  
  
• Sets a goal for completing environmental reviews within two years

Additional Fischer Provisions:

• Fischer Amendment 2164—Passed unanimously during the Senate’s consideration of the infrastructure package, the amendment increases transparency for all federal funding that supports broadband infrastructure deployment through the creation of a publicly accessible, online mapping tool
• This will maximize responsible use of federal dollars among different agencies and avoid duplication, ensuring funding reaches as many households as possible that are in need of internet connectivity
  
  
• HAULS Act—Includes a critical part of S. 792, the HAULS Act, to allow for an additional 150 air miles on the destination of a livestock hauler’s haul to ensure they can transport their critical goods safely and efficiently
• Senator Fischer has long been a leader in pushing for livestock hauler flexibility and championed inclusion of this provision
  
  
• ROUTES Act—Authorizes the Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success Office at USDOT, which Senator Fischer authored in her S. 1985 legislation.
  
  
• Blocked crossings portal—Authorizes the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) blocked railroad crossing portal, allowing the public to provide information to the FRA on blocked crossings; Senator Fischer introduced S. 700, the legislation this provision was pulled from 
  
  
• SCOPE Act—Requires NHTSA to finalize a rule requiring vehicles with keyless ignitions to automatically shut off after a certain period of time
• Senator Fischer worked on this legislation with Sharon Shore, an Omaha woman whose parents died of carbon monoxide poisoning due to a keyless car
  
  
• Read more about their story here