Category: Legislative Updates

USDA announces new slate of broadband grants

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by LICA-National

USDA is announcing plans today to spend $759 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding in the third round of the department’s ReConnect program. The money will go to 24 U.S. states and territories.

A USDA official described three of the grants: $36.5 million of the funding will go to Public Service Telephone Co. in Georgia, $62.5 million to Shelby Electrical Cooperative in Illinois and $7.1 million to the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority in the Navajo Nation.

Take note: The USDA official said the funds are supposed to be used “as expeditiously as possible,” but the program does have a five-year buildout timeframe.

Money Flows but the Nation’s Infrastructure Needs Grow

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by LICA-National
Despite priority emphasis by the current and past Administrations and a record investment last year, the nation’s infrastructure needs are well documented and continue to grow. “Infrastructure” traditionally has been thought of as roads and bridges but now includes water projects, broadband, airports, etc.


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Trust Me: I Don’t Live in a Glass House but a Health Reminder Never Hurts

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by LICA-National

Top Food and Drug Administration officials pledged this week to work toward reducing diet-related diseases by taking steps that will give consumers more information on what they’re eating and pressure companies to reformulate products, actions that are key elements of the White House’s new national food strategy.


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Crunch Time for Federal Government Funding

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by LICA-National

Top Senate negotiators have yet to agree to a deal on a short-term funding bill to keep the federal government open. But both Democratic and GOP leaders believe the issue will be resolved today, just one day before the end of the fiscal year.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has formally filed cloture on the continuing resolution to fund federal agencies through Dec. 16. That normally means a cloture vote – ie can we start debate on the bill or not - on Friday.

But Schumer’s move is really designed to keep up the pressure on Republicans to continue negotiating. Some GOP senators are seeking amendment votes, although this hasn’t been agreed to yet.

Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are still trying to work to set a time for the CR vote. It’s in both McConnell and Schumer’s interest to schedule a quick vote on the funding bill so lawmakers can get back home to campaign. Schumer has threatened to bring senators back into session in October, although there’s doubt in both parties that he will actually do so.

Roadbuilders Tell Congress Highway Funds Flowing to States

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by LICA-National

About 70 House of Representatives staffers packed a Capitol Hill briefing room Sept. 22 to hear ARTBA Chief Economist Dr. Alison Premo Black deliver an update on the state of funding nationwide for road and bridge projects as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) approaches its first anniversary. Both Republican and Democratic staffers attended the standing room-only event.


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