On Tuesday this week, the Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a $1.2 trillion bipartisan bill that takes aim at the nation’s failing infrastructure. The plan includes funding for roads and bridges, broadband infrastructure and access, electric vehicle charging stations and research, and aged water systems.
“Today the Senate takes a decades overdue step to revitalize America’s infrastructure and give our workers, our businesses, our economy the tools to succeed in the 21st century,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
The largest share of the bill — $110 billion — is set aside for roads and bridges. But it also includes:
- $73 billion for the electric grid and power infrastructure
- $55 billion for water systems and infrastructure
- $65 billion for broadband investments
- $15 billion for electric vehicles
The bill now awaits a vote by the House. If approved, Illinois should receive more than $15 billion for projects, according to the White House and Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.
These state-specific funds include at least $100 million to expand broadband access and make it more affordable. Illinois would also see $149 million funneled to the expansion of electric vehicle charging networks.
“Illinoisans from Chicago to Cairo will see the tangible impacts of this bill and the jobs it will create,” Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said in a statement.
The infrastructure bill now heads to the House, but its future is uncertain, as some critics have argued the legislation doesn’t go far enough to combat climate change.
Following the senate’s vote on the infrastructure bill, the body voted to begin work on another critical piece of legislation–an ambitious $3.5 trillion budget bill that is a companion to the infrastructure proposal. The budget measure will include bold carbon emission reductions and clean energy development provisions, according to an outline released by Sen. Schumer.
