WASHINGTON – Tonight, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) voted to pass the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and send it to the President’s desk for signature. This bill makes critical and long overdue investments across our Commonwealth to repair and rebuild roads and bridges, modernize our ports and airports, improve public transit, and make needed updates to our passenger and freight rail systems.

The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act originally passed the U.S. Senate in August by a vote of 69-30 and Houlahan has worked since then to bring it to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. It passed the House 228-206.

“This is an important day for our community, for everyone who relies on efficient, reliable, and safe transportation options to commute to work, get to school, transport goods, and remain connected online,” said Houlahan. “In its most recent report card, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the Commonwealth a C-, reflecting both the age and deterioration of our infrastructure. Once enacted, this bipartisan legislation will raise that score and I look forward to working with state and local leaders to put this money to good use in our community. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will repair and modernize infrastructure across our Commonwealth, create jobs, grow our economy, and improve the quality of life for Pennsylvanians.”

“Given that our community is still recovering from flood damage caused by Hurricane Ida, I’m pleased that this bill includes $280 million for existing municipal stormwater management grants and another $50 million in competitive grants specifically for innovative new stormwater control technologies,” Houlahan continued. 

Over 100 organizations have endorsed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act including the AFL-CIO, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Association of Counties, the Small Business Roundtable, and The Nature Conservancy.

Once enacted, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will deliver:

• $110 billion for roads, bridges, and major projects, including $40 billion of new funding for bridge repair, replacement, and rehabilitation and $16 billion for major projects that will deliver significant economic benefits to communities. 
• $66 billion to eliminate the Amtrak maintenance backlog, modernize the Northeast Corridor, expand rail service nationwide, and improve rail safety. 
• $65 billion in clean energy transmission to upgrade our power infrastructure, including resilient transmission lines to facilitate the expansion of renewable energy. 
• $65 billion for broadband deployment to help ensure every American has access to reliable high-speed internet. The IIJA will also help to lower prices for internet service by requiring funding recipients offer affordable plans as well as help more low-income households access the internet. 
• $55 billion for clean drinking water, including funding to replace all of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines, as well as funding to remove the dangerous chemical PFAS.  
• $50 billion to make our communities safer and more resilient from the impacts of climate change and cyber attacks, including protection against extreme weather events.
• $39 billion of new investment to modernize transit – including millions to SEPTA – and improve accessibility, repair and upgrade aging infrastructure, modernize bus and rail fleets, bring transit service to new communities, and replace thousands of transit vehicles with clean, zero-emission vehicles.  
• $25 billion in airports to address repair and maintenance backlogs, reduce congestion and emissions near ports and airports, and drive electrification and low-carbon technologies 
• $21 billion in environmental remediation to address blight and pollution and clean up Superfund sites nationwide.
• $17 billion in port infrastructure to address repair and maintenance backlogs, reduce congestion and emissions near ports and airports, and drive electrification and low-carbon technologies 
• $11 billion in transportation safety programs, including a new program to help states and localities reduce crashes and fatalities in their communities, especially for cyclists and pedestrians.
• $7.5 billion to build out the first-ever national network of EV (Electric Vehicle) chargers in the U.S. to facilitate long-distance travel and provide convenient charging including rural, disadvantaged, and hard-to-reach communities. 
• $5 billion for zero-emission clean busses and $2.5 billion for ferries. This will drive demand for American-made batteries and vehicles and protect our children from diesel air pollution 
• $1 billion for a new program to reconnect communities divided by transportation infrastructure, in particular the significant portions of the interstate highway system build through Black neighborhoods 

Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, an engineer, a serial entrepreneur, an educator, and a nonprofit leader. She represents Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, which encompasses Chester County and southern Berks County. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Small Business Committee. She is the recipient of the Democracy Award for Transparency and Accountability given by the Congressional Management Foundation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award which “recognizes members who demonstrate the bipartisan leadership and constructive governing necessary to move our country forward.”

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