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W E E K L Y  U P D A T E  June 22nd, 2020
 
In this Week's Issue:
Webinar Explores the Endless Frontier Act Proposed in U.S. Congress
House Democrats Introduce New Infrastructure and Stimulus Bill
Senate Passes Public Lands Package That Includes LWCF
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Webinar Explores the Endless Frontier Act Proposed in U.S. Congress
 
A webinar on June 12 hosted by the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC), the American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative (AMCC), and the Northeast-Midwest Institute explored the proposed Endless Frontier Act and its promise of "a new American Century."  
A recording of the webinar is available here:
 
Titled "How the Endless Frontier Act Can Spark a New American Century," the webinar highlighted the major provisions of the proposed legislation and discussed its potential to spur long-term technological and scientific advance by massively expanding the mission and impact of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The opening of the webinar featured Jon Cardinal, Director of Economic Development in the Office of U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who presented major provisions of the proposed legislation.

The Endless Frontier Act is bipartisan, bicameral legislation that proposes a $100 billion increase in funding for the National Science Foundation along with $10 billion to establish regional technology hubs across the country to launch new companies, revive American manufacturing, and create new jobs to jump-start local communities.
House Democrats Introduce New Infrastructure and Stimulus Bill

This week Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives released the Moving Forward Act ( H.R. 2), a more than $1.5 trillion proposal aiming to rebuild U.S. communities through infrastructure and innovation improvements. The bill, which is comprised of work by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Education and Labor, Financial Services, Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, Oversight and Reform, and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva, seeks to increase investments in America's roads, bridges, transit, rail, schools, housing, broadband, drinking and wastewater systems, postal service, clean energy sector, and health care infrastructure.

The bill incorporates the nearly $500 billion INVEST in America Act, which includes a multi-year surface transportation bill that was approved by the House Transportation Committee last week. Other key components of the Moving Forward Act include:
  • 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.
  • Upgrades to 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.
  • An increase $100 billion into affordable housing infrastructure to create or preserve 1.8 million affordable homes.
  • An increase of over $25 billion for 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.
  • An increase of $70 billion for America's 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.
  • An increase of $100 billion to promote competition for broadband internet infrastructure in unserved and underserved communities, prioritizing those with persistent poverty.
  • An increase of $30 billion to upgrade hospitals to increase capacity and strengthen care to help respond to COVID-19 and future public health emergencies.
  • An increase of $25 billion to modernize the U.S. Postal Service.
  • The promotion of 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.
Senate Passes Public Lands Package That Includes LWCF

The U.S. Senate last week passed The Great Outdoorsman Act ( S. 3422), legislation that permanently and fully reauthorizes and funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), providing it with $900 million annually from offshore oil and gas revenue. The bill also creates a five-year, $9.5 billion trust fund to address an estimated $20 billion backlog of deferred maintenance projects at national parks and other public lands. 

The bill will now be sent to the House where many expect it to be taken up in the future. While House Democratic leaders have signaled strong support of the permanent authorization and funding of the LWCF, they have not committed floor time during an already packed upcoming legislative schedule.
This Week in Washington

In the House:

In the Senate:

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