Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) voted in support of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, House Democrats’ comprehensive legislation to invest more than $1.5 trillion in modern, sustainable infrastructure while creating millions of good-paying jobs, combatting the climate crisis and addressing disparities in communities of color in Tampa and throughout the country.

“Floridians understand transportation gridlock and crumbling infrastructure and know that we can create millions of jobs when we invest. Today, I was proud to vote on the most forward-leaning, climate resilient plan our country has seen to create more good-paying American jobs, unleash a 21^st century infrastructure and fix many of our infrastructure problems.

“Yesterday, as the Chair of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, I unveiled our comprehensive report to take ambitious steps to address the climate crisis which centers on rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, while promoting public health and creating good-paying jobs. I’m pleased that the Moving Forward Act includes many of our report’s recommendations including: significant funding to reduce pollution from transportation sector, including for public transit, electric vehicles, and sustainable aviation fuels and investments in cleaning up the nation’s ports, which often are a source of air pollution in environmental justice communities.

“Environmental justice is racial justice, and the Moving Forward Act invests in rural and urban low-income communities to increase access to jobs and remove transportation barriers. We know that the impacts of pollution and congestion fall disproportionately on low-income communities and communities of color, and this package supports environmental justice communities by funding initiatives including over $100M in housing repair grants that rehabilitate homes while addressing underlying health and safety issues. We are committed to tackling the legacy of environmental racism and enacting solutions that benefit the economic and physical well-being of Americans in all corners of our country.

“The Senate must move with haste to pass this package that reauthorizes lifeline programs that keep our public transportation moving and protect access to clean drinking water. I know that our neighbors back home have waited too long for Congress to take meaningful action on infrastructure, and today House Democrats acted decisively to signal that the days of kicking the can down the road are over. We call on our Senate colleagues to do the same.”

Among the many provisions of the Moving Forward Act that benefit Tampa Bay and a climate-resilient America:

• The INVEST in America Act, a nearly $500 billion investment to rebuild and reimagine the nation’s transportation infrastructure by fixing our crumbling roads and bridges, improving safety, reducing gridlock, and putting the U.S. on a path toward zero emissions from the transportation sector by cutting carbon pollution, investing in public transit and the national rail network, building out fueling infrastructure for low- and zero-emission vehicles, and deploying technology and innovative materials. The INVEST in America Act is fueled by American workers and ingenuity thanks to strong Buy America provisions and labor protections.

• Promotes new renewable energy infrastructure by incentivizing the development of wind and solar on public lands and building a workforce for offshore wind.

• Invests in schools with 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. This investment will help students get back to school and create more than 2 million jobs to help workers get back to work.  

• Reinvigorates our commitment to renewable energy and combatting the climate crisis by building on current successful tax incentives that promote the deployment of green energy technologies while providing new incentives for activities that reduce carbon pollution.

• Delivers better roads and bridges faster with more than $300 billion of investment that prioritizes fixing what we already have, including tens of thousands of structurally deficient bridges.

• Invests over $100 billion into our nation's affordable housing infrastructure to create or preserve 1.8 million affordable homes. These investments will help reduce housing inequality, create jobs and stimulate the broader economy, increase community and household resiliency in the face of natural disasters, improve hazardous living conditions, and increase the environmental sustainability of our housing stock.

• Protects access to safe drinking water by investing over $25 billion in 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. 

• Modernizes our energy infrastructure for a clean energy future by investing more than $70 billion to transform our 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.

• Modernizes the nation’s health care infrastructure by investing $30 billion to upgrade hospitals 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.   

• Modernizes and strengthens the United States Postal Service by investing $25 billion to modernize postal infrastructure and operations, including a zero emissions postal vehicle fleet, processing equipment and other goods.

A fact sheet on the Moving Forward Act is available here.