Implementing Infrastructure Investments at the County Level: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (P.L. 117-58)
Upcoming Events
Related News
On November 15, 2021, President Biden enacted the five-year, $973 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), formally known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58). Following the end of the federal legislature’s responsibilities to develop and pass the legislation comes the role of covered federal agencies to implement the law at the federal, state and local levels.
The BIL provides $973 billion over five years from Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 through FY 2026, including $550 billion in new investments for all modes of transportation, water, power and energy, environmental remediation, public lands, broadband and resilience.
Implementation of BIL at the county level
The BIL is a major victory for counties, who worked closely with our partners in Congress throughout the legislative process to ensure county priorities were included. Currently, the BIL is being implemented through agencies and departments across the federal government. As Congress works to implement BIL, counties will be able to access transportation funds in the following ways:
1. MEETING CERTAIN ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR FORMULA FUNDS TO PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEMS AND AIRPORTS
Example: The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) transit formula grants apportion funds directly to qualifying public transit systems based on population and other factors.
The Airport Improvement Program is another example of a program that distributes funding based on formulas to airport sponsors based on enplanement numbers.
2. RECEIVING SUBALLOCATIONS FROM STATE GOVERNMENTS
Example: The Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) Program apportions funds to state departments of transportation, who are subsequently required to suballocate 55 percent of funds through planning organizations to the local level based on population.
3. APPLYING DIRECTLY TO A FEDERAL OR STATE AGENCY FOR COMPETITIVE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
The BIL provides just over $100 billion in direct, competitive grant opportunities through USDOT to state and local governments over the life of the bill. Other federal agencies also have considerable discretionary funds to distribute as a result of the BIL. Several of these funding opportunities are open now.
4. FEDERAL FINANCING THROUGH LOANS AND LOAN GAURANTEES
Federal financing programs, such as the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program and the newly established Carbon Dioxide Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (CIFIA) program, support counties in constructing infrastructure through federal financing options and low-interest loans.
Download Funding Book
Download the printable funding booklet.
Resource
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Examining Investments in County Infrastructure
U.S. Department of Transportation announces final Safe Streets and Roads for All grant awards
On Oct. 30, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced awards for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. The awardees included 76 county governments, which received more than $282 million through the program to implement and plan for roadway safety projects.
Counties play growing role in fight to lower utility costs for residents
County governments rarely have a direct role in the energy market, but a new NACo report finds that counties can often be most effective as advocates, helping lower residents’ utility costs by leveraging state programs, local partnerships and outreach.
U.S. Senate advances Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act in initial procedural vote
On Nov. 9, the U.S. Senate advanced the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (S. 5653) through a successful vote to invoke cloture. The 73-25 vote sets up further debate and consideration in the chamber.
FCC considers preemption of local authorities in broadband permitting process
Counties are partners in broadband deployment efforts – not barriers – and pursuing one-size-fits-all regulations will further burden progress towards closing the digital divide
Cybersecurity group retools after funding cut
The nonprofit, known as MS-ISAC, has lost all of its federal funding but has resolved to remain a resource for state and local governments in cyber threat prevention, protection, response and recovery.
Are we building tomorrow’s infrastructure or yesterday’s data centers?
Counties can still welcome data center development, but they need to understand what the landscape is becoming. The machinery, the efficiency, the location, the cooling technology, the entire computing model will all be different.
Secure & Responsible AI: Building Trust and Cyber Resilience in Local Government
As artificial intelligence transforms how local governments deliver essential services, county leaders face a critical challenge: how can they embrace AI innovation while protecting sensitive data, managing cybersecurity risks, and maintaining public trust?
Transforming Public Defense Operations for the Digital Evidence Era
Learn how the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office tackles surging digital evidence and case workloads using Box to achieve functional parity, automate document lifecycles, and securely query unstructured discovery.
Better Prompts, Better Results: Using GenAI Efficiently and Responsibly in County Government
County staff are being asked to do more with limited time and resources, and generative AI can help, but only if you know how to use it well and responsibly. This practical session will start with a quick AI prompting primer and then spend time on how better prompts translate into real efficiencies, from cutting the time it takes to draft communications, summarize policies, and prepare meeting notes, to responding to constituents faster and with greater clarity and accuracy.
Ready for El Niño: County Strategies for Preparation, Response, and Recovery
This webinar equips county officials with practical guidance to prepare for, respond to and recover from the impacts of El Niño.