Van Hollen Secures Key Maryland Priorities in Infrastructure Modernization Bill Signed Into Law
Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the President’s signing into law of the infrastructure modernization bill, which includes over $7 billion in funding for Maryland:
“Marylanders rely on our infrastructure every day. For many, it begins with a drive to school in the morning or ends with their commute home from work at night. But it’s also so much more than that – it’s the water our children drink, the internet our businesses rely on, and the services that keep our communities running. Today marks a historic, once-in-a-generation investment bringing over $7 billion in funding to Maryland to fix our roads and bridges, improve public transit, connect every person in our state with high-speed internet, create jobs, and so much more. It will also ensure access to clean water, bring more resources directly to our efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, and support our efforts to combat the climate crisis. I’ve been proud to work alongside the White House and my colleagues in Congress to secure key wins for Maryland in this bill, and I was proud to join President Biden as he signed it into law today. This is a big win for our state, our economy, and our workers.”
In addition to working on the wide range of measures that will bring federal resources to Maryland as part of federal transportation formula funds, Senator Van Hollen worked to secure the following Maryland-specific and other provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill:
· Provisions of his, Senator Cardin, and Senator Carper’s Reconnecting Communities Act to remove harmful infrastructure projects of the past in order to reunite neighborhoods. The legislation was based on a pilot program Senator Van Hollen authored in 2019 aimed at addressing the Highway to Nowhere in West Baltimore.
· $238 million in funding for the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay and meet the pollution reduction targets of the Bay Agreement.
· Provisions of his Transit Worker and Pedestrian Protection Act to help improve safety for frontline transit workers and commuters.
· $42.250 billion to expand broadband to get more Americans across the country online and $14.2 billion to make broadband more affordable for low-income Americans.
· Reauthorization of WMATA at $150 million annually and provisions to strengthen the WMATA Inspector General’s authority in order to improve oversight and safety. This funding continues the investment the federal government authorized in 2008 via then-Congressman Van Hollen’s bipartisan amendment to the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act.
· $8 billion for Capital Investment Grants, the Federal Transit Administration program that supports the Purple Line and had previously supported the Red Line project in Baltimore City and language to ensure consideration of projects previously in the program, such as the Red Line.
· $17 billion for ports across the country. The Port of Baltimore is a key asset to our state and powerful economic driver for Baltimore and the region.
· Provisions of the Senator’s Promoting Infrastructure by Protecting Our Subcontractors and Taxpayers Act of 2021 to ensure sound financial footing of public-private partnership projects using Federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act (TIFIA) financing.
To view estimated funding Maryland would receive from this plan, as projected by the White House, click here.
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