WASHINGTON DC (July 2, 2020) — Representative Dave Loebsack praised House passage of HR2, the Moving Forward Act, a comprehensive infrastructure bill that includes key investments toward our surface transportation, broadband, and public education infrastructure, on Monday, July 1.
“It’s all too clear for many Iowans that our roads and bridges are in dire need of repair, schools are falling apart, and everyone should have access to broadband internet, no matter where they live. That is why I have been calling for a large infrastructure plan, such as HR2, for many years. I am pleased that this bill takes action to deliver the urgently-needed investments that Iowa and our nation need to address the crumbling infrastructure we see in in our local communities. Additionally, this legislation immediately creates thousands of quality, good-paying jobs, right here in Iowa. It is past time that Congress finally act on a bill to fix up our nation. Now the Senate must act on an infrastructure bill so we can make needed improvements and boost our economy.”
Rep Loebsack priorities included in the Moving Forward Act:
- Accessible, Affordable Internet For All Act — As co-chair of the House Rural Broadband Task Force, Rep Loebsack worked alongside Majority Whip James Clyburn to author this legislation to invest $100 billion to promote competition for broadband internet infrastructure to unserved and underserved rural, suburban, and urban communities;
- Support for bus transit funding — This bill puts historic levels of funding towards bus transit, modernizing, and expanding bus-fleets to provide Iowans with reliable and accessible transit-services. Important provisions include $1.725 billion to zero-emissions bus-programs, increases in funding for the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No-Emission (Low-No) Bus grants by 500%, and clarifications on eligibility requirements in the Bus Facilities and Fleet Expansion competitive-grant program to allow for more direct and meaningful assistance to local transit authorities; and
- Renew America’s Schools Act — The condition of the buildings where our students learn and educators teach has an immense impact on the quality of education our children receive. Unfortunately, many of our nation's school buildings are in a state of disrepair. Rep Loebsack’s bill would provide $100 million over five years in federal grants to America’s schools to make critical infrastructure upgrades that improve energy efficiency and reduce costs.
Additional items included in the Moving Forward Act:
- Modernizes our energy infrastructure for a clean energy future by investing more than $70 billion to transform our electric grid, promote new renewable-energy infrastructure and strengthen existing infrastructure, help develop an electric vehicle-charging network, and support energy-efficiency and climate-resilience;
- Invests boldly in affordable housing by directing over $100 billion to reduce housing-inequality, create jobs, stimulate the economy, improve living conditions, and increase environmental-sustainability and climate-resilience;
- Upgrades hospitals and health-care infrastructure by investing $30 billion 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;
- Ensures all communities have clean water by investing tens of billions to remove dangerous contaminants from our drinking water and invests in new, safe wastewater infrastructure;
- Delivers a 21st Century Postal Service by modernizing infrastructure and pursuing a zero-emissions postal fleet; and
- 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.
