In Washington, Congress has not reached the consensus needed for passage of the Build Back Better legislation; however, that has not stopped rollout of the programs and initial funding included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (BIF) passed by Congress last year. Known formally as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the new law included $550 billion in new spending for a broad range of physical infrastructure on top of a five-year reauthorization of expiring traditional surface-transportation infrastructure programs for highways, rail, and transit. Previous Venable alerts discussed development of that legislation.
As we predicted, now that the bill is law, federal agencies are moving quickly to gather input, issue guidance, and begin funding the BIF programs. For clients, identifying which department or program could assist a specific infrastructure project can be a challenge, but it is now even more daunting, given the number of new initiatives that have been created. In addition to seeking help from Venable, clients should consult the White House publication A Guidebook to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Governments, and Other Partners. It summarizes infrastructure programs, as well as some of the dates for key activities. The guidebook can also be found at the White House website. Build.gov is another place to access information on infrastructure programs, funding, etc. The White House expects to update both the guidebook and Build.gov regularly.
Looking ahead, Congress and the White House will continue to discuss provisions of the Build Back Better package and may bring some of those up for votes this year. Appropriations, important for funding the infrastructure programs, are well behind schedule for the current FY23 cycle, but some funds are already moving, with more to follow. Venable continues to follow infrastructure issues, and our team is tracking developments closely. Be sure to visit our infrastructure resources page on Venable.com, subscribe to our infrastructure newsletter, or visit the Subscription Center to sign up for regular analysis delivered to your inbox.