Stevens Statement on Moving Forward Act

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11) released the following statement after voting to pass the Moving Forward Act, a bill to rebuild American infrastructure while creating millions of good-paying jobs.

“Michigan’s incredible automotive industry put the world on wheels, but our roads and bridges are falling apart after decades of neglect. Our water infrastructure has also failed Michiganders, from the Flint Water Crisis to the Midland dam collapse to widespread PFAS contamination. Meanwhile, Michigan’s public school infrastructure is woefully outdated and our treasured Great Lakes ecosystem is threatened by pollution, erosion, and invasive species.

“These problems all stem from a disinvestment in our infrastructure, not just in Michigan but across the country. Our crumbling infrastructure puts lives at risk and hinders economic growth. The Moving Forward Act is the bold, comprehensive approach we need to rebuild America’s infrastructure while creating jobs. This bill would address our most urgent challenges, from fixing our roads and protecting our water supply to safeguarding the future of the United States Postal Service.

“The Moving Forward Act also makes necessary investments in the sustainable, modern, 21^st century infrastructure our nation needs. The bill will spark investment in electric vehicle technology, incentivize the purchase of electric vehicles, increase connectivity by expanding access to broadband, and modernize our electric grid to accommodate more renewable energy.

“These critical infrastructure projects will require the full might of America’s workforce, creating millions of good jobs right here in the United States. As a Member of Congress representing a state that has experienced more than its fair share of infrastructure failures, I am eager to see this bill signed in to law so we can begin rebuilding our nation.”

Click HERE to read a fact sheet on the Moving Forward Act.

The Moving Forward Act includes:

• The INVEST in America Act, a nearly $500 billion investment to rebuild and reimagine the nation’s transportation infrastructure by fixing our crumbling roads and bridges, improving safety, reducing gridlock, and putting the U.S. on a path toward zero emissions from the transportation sector by cutting carbon pollution, investing in public transit and the national rail network, building out fueling infrastructure for low- and zero-emission vehicles, and deploying technology and innovative materials. The INVEST in America Act is fueled by American workers and ingenuity thanks to strong Buy America provisions and labor protections.
• Invests in schools with the Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act, which funds $130 billion in school infrastructure targeted at high-poverty schools with facilities that endanger the health and safety of students and educators. This investment will help students get back to school and create more than 2 million jobs to help workers get back to work.  
• Addresses structural challenges and upgrades child care facilities by leveraging a 5-year, $10 billion federal investment to generate additional state and private investments in making sure that child care settings are safe, appropriate, and able to comply with current and future public health directives.
• Invests over $100 billion into our nation's affordable housing infrastructure to create or preserve 1.8 million affordable homes. These investments will help reduce housing inequality, create jobs and stimulate the broader economy, increase community and household resiliency in the face of natural disasters, improve hazardous living conditions, and increase the environmental sustainability of our housing stock.
• Protects access to safe drinking water by investing over $25 billion in the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and other programs to ensure all communities have clean drinking water and to help remove dangerous contaminants like PFAS from local water systems. 
• Modernizes our energy infrastructure for a clean energy future by investing more than $70 billion to transform our electric grid to accommodate more renewable energy, expand renewable energy, strengthen existing infrastructure, help develop an electric vehicle charging network, and support energy efficiency, weatherization, and Smart Communities infrastructure.
• Delivers affordable high-speed broadband Internet access to all parts of the country by investing $100 billion to promote competition for broadband internet infrastructure in unserved and underserved communities, prioritizing those with persistent poverty. Gets children connected to remote learning, closes broadband adoption and digital skills gaps and enhances payment support for low-income households and the recently unemployed. 
• Modernizes the nation’s health care infrastructure by investing $30 billion to upgrade hospitals to increase capacity and strengthen care, help community health centers respond to COVID-19 and future public health emergencies, improve clinical laboratory infrastructure, support the Indian Health Service‘s infrastructure, and increase capacity for community-based care.   
• Modernizes and strengthens the United States Postal Service by investing $25 billion to modernize postal infrastructure and operations, including a zero emissions postal vehicle fleet and processing equipment.
• Promotes new renewable energy infrastructure by incentivizing the development of wind and solar on public lands and building a workforce for offshore wind.
• Promotes investments in our communities by spurring private investment through the tax code, through a revitalized Build America Bonds program, expansions of Private Activity Bonds, and significant enhancements to the New Markets Tax Credit and the Rehabilitation Tax Credit.

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