Grove Hill, AL - Today, Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) continued her “Building a Better Alabama” Infrastructure District Tour stopping in Choctaw County and Clarke counties to highlight the transformational funding from the $1 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Rep. Sewell also gave a full update on her bill, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which passed the House in August and is currently sitting in the Senate. 

The “Building a Better Alabama” Infrastructure District Tour is a series of roundtable discussions, constituency meetings, and site visits throughout Alabama’s 7th Congressional District to connect with constituents and local elected officials and discuss the transformational funding from the $1 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“Today, I was proud to stop in Choctaw and Clarke counties to discuss this once-in-a-lifetime funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and give a full update on the great things we’ve accomplished in Congress so far this year,” said Rep. Sewell. “As a proud daughter of Alabama’s Black Belt, I know firsthand that with resources and opportunities, our communities can thrive. With this infrastructure law, President Biden and Congressional Democrats have accomplished what other administrations have tried to do for decades, and I’m confident that its targeted investments will combat historic inequities that have plagued this district for so many years.”

The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will:

• Create Millions of Good-Paying Jobs - Together with the Build Back Better Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will create an average of 2 million jobs per year over the course of the next decade.
• Repair and Rebuild Alabama’s Roads and Bridges - The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system. Based on formula funding alone, Alabama would expect to receive:
  • $5.2 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs
  • $225 million for bridge replacement and repairs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act over five years. 
• Connect Every Alabamian to High-speed Internet - Broadband internet is necessary for Alabamians to do their jobs, participate equally in school learning, health care, and to stay connected. Yet 18% of Alabama households do not have an internet subscription, and 11.5% of Alabama residents live in areas where, under the FCC’s benchmark, there is no broadband infrastructure. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Alabama will receive a minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state, including providing access to the at least 565,000 Alabamians who currently lack it. It also makes 1,518,000 Alabamians (31%) eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access. 
• Make Transformational Investments in Alabama’s Water Infrastructure - Currently, up to 10 million American households and 400,000 schools and child care centers lack safe drinking water. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, based on the traditional state revolving fund formula, Alabama will expect to receive $782 million over five years to improve water infrastructure across the state and ensure that clean, safe drinking water is a right in all communities. The bill also includes $23 billion nationally for the bipartisan Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act.
• Improve Healthy, Sustainable Transportation Options - Alabamians who take public transportation spend an extra 66.2% of their time commuting and non-White households are 4.5 times more likely to commute via public transportation. 25% of transit vehicles in the state are past useful life. Based on formula funding alone, Alabama would expect to receive more than $400 million over five years under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve public transportation options across the state.

Alabama can also compete for the $12.5 billion Bridge Investment Program for economically significant bridges and nearly $16 billion of national funding in the bill dedicated for major projects that will deliver substantial economic benefits to communities.

Background on H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act:

On August 24, 2021, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which Rep. Sewell introduced earlier in the month. On November 3, 2021, nearly every Senate Republican blocked debate on the Senate version of the bill.

This critical legislation would restore the full protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and keep the promise of our democracy alive for all Americans. Amid the most coordinated state-level effort to restrict the right to vote in generations, H.R. 4 would prevent states and localities with a recent history of voter discrimination from restricting the right to vote by requiring these jurisdictions to obtain federal preclearance before changing their voting laws.

Photos and videos from today’s events in Butler and Grove Hill can be found here. 

A recording of the “Building a Better Alabama” Infrastructure Town Hall in Grove Hill can be found here.