D.C. Watch

BUILD America 250 Act

The U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee introduced the BUILD America 250 Act on May 17 as the successor to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which expires Sept. 30. The bill incorporates several provisions from the BASICS Act, a direct result of advocacy efforts by the Texas Association of Counties and the National Association of Counties. Counties and local governments are estimated to be eligible for 22% of proposed total funding.

Top county wins include:

• Bridge Formula - Funding would increase from $5.5 billion to $9.2 billion a year, including a new 25% set-aside for locally owned bridges.
• Surface Transportation Block Grant - The share of Highway Trust Fund dollars would increase from 28.74% to 31%.
• Surface Transportation Accelerator Grant - A new $2.4 billion-per-year competitive grant program, with 50% reserved for local and regional projects.
• Safe Streets & Roads for All - Reauthorized exclusively for local governments, scaling to $1 billion a year by FY2031.
• Federal Lands Access Program - Reauthorized at $314 million to $338 million a year for counties with federal public lands.

A full county impact report is available by contacting William Chapman.

Farm Bill Passes House

The Farm, Food, and National Security Act (H.R. 7567) passed the U.S. House by a vote of 224-200. Key provisions include rural water and wastewater infrastructure, broadband expansion and U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development eligibility raised to populations of 50,000. The bill now heads to the Senate ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline.

Reconciliation 2.0

A proposed $70 billion package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection through 2029 is moving through Congress, with Senate passage targeted by June 1.