Breaking Down the Infrastructure Bill | OAS Episode 152

The $1.2 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or IIJA, was signed by President Biden in November 2021. The lion’s share of that money will go to states, through a variety of programs, for roads, bridges, highways, broadband, water projects and more. To help us understand this tsunami of spending, we spoke with Molly Ramsdell, director of NCSL’s state-federal relations division, and Marcia Howard, the executive director of Federal Funds Information for States. Ramsdell and Howard discussed how the money is being distributed and the flexibility states have in deciding how to spend it. The bulk of the money will go to transportation projects, but some will be distributed by formula and other money will be given out through to competitive grants. They also discussed the money for broadband and explained that since Congress is still operating under a continuing resolution to fund the government, some of the money in the act will not be available for some time.

NCSL Podcasts · Molly Ramsdell, Marcia Howard