U.S. Senate Passes Bill to Expand Flexibility in Use of ARPA Funds

Last week the U.S. Senate -- thanks to the efforts of New York Senator and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer -- passed by unanimous consent S. 3011, the "State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act." This bill is a stand-alone version of an amendment led by Senators Cornyn and Padilla during negotiations on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This bill, which NYCOM supports, would clarify that highway and public transportation projects are an eligible expenditure for State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. If passed, states and localities would be able to spend the greater of either up to 30% of their SLFRF allocation, or $10 million, on qualifying infrastructure projects. The change does not allow for spending on transit operating expenses. Please review this summary of the bill for further details.

 The bill has now been sent to the House for their consideration. It still needs to pass the House and be signed by the President in order to become law.