Dear Mr. Hamster,
Thank you for contacting me about the bipartisan Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act. As a former Navy pilot, combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut, it is an honor to continue my service to our country representing Arizona in the United States Senate. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on the issues facing our state and our country. Hearing from Arizonans helps me better serve our state, and I hope you will continue to share your perspective and suggestions.
From Arizona’s roads, bridges and ports of entry, to our water systems, high-speed internet and forests, Arizonans know firsthand how badly we need to upgrade our infrastructure. For far too long Congress has failed to deliver on its promises to fix our country’s crumbling infrastructure. That’s why I worked for months with a bipartisan group of Senators to write and pass the landmark Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act that will put Arizonans to work upgrading our most critical infrastructure.
As Arizona’s senator, I know how big of a deal this bill is for our state, which is why I fought to ensure it included our state’s priorities and that these long overdue investments made it across the finish line. This bipartisan infrastructure bill will expand Arizona’s transit, fix roads, modernize our ports of entry, improve our aging water infrastructure and bring much-needed high-speed internet to our rural and tribal communities. Most importantly, this bill is going to bring high-paying jobs to our state and ensure that it remains the best place to live, work and grow.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, I spent months helping to draft core components of this bipartisan bill, including those focused on addressing the historic drought we are facing. And I worked closely with my colleagues – Republicans and Democrats – to get the bill signed into law.
On August 10, I voted in favor of this bill when the Senate passed it by a bipartisan vote of 69 to 30. And on November 15, 2021, I was proud to be in attendance at the White House, along with both Republican and Democratic senators and local officials from Arizona, while President Biden signed this legislation into law.
This once-in-a-generation bipartisan infrastructure bill provides funding to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, creates thousands of new jobs, and bolsters Arizona’s economy. And it is paid for without raising taxes. Specifically, it provides more than $5 billion to repair Arizona’s bridges and roads and build major highway projects, including unsafe rural roads, and $100 million to expand affordable, high-speed internet access. It will also allow improvements and expansion of transit service across the state, with $884.3 million in funding for public transportation systems in Arizona, including $499.3 million for Valley Metro in the Phoenix Area and $118 million for SunTran in Tucson. The bill also provides $55 billion for drinking and wastewater infrastructure, including key funding for Arizona specific projects, and $8.3 billion for western water infrastructure to make our state more resilient to drought by repairing aging dams, canals, and pumps in Arizona and other western states and funding the Drought Contingency Plan. It grants $8.25 billion for wildfire management that will help prevent wildfires and improve recovery efforts for communities, and includes my bipartisan bill to study and improve wildland fire prevention, suppression, management, and rehabilitation policies. It also provides $3.85 billion for land ports of entry, including $147 million for the San Luis Port of Entry, $216 million for the new Douglas Port of Entry, and $184 million for rehabilitation at the current Douglas Port of Entry to reduce wait times and improve border security in Arizona.
Since my first day in the Senate my top priority has been to deliver results for Arizonans. Now, major infrastructure upgrades and thousands of new good-paying jobs are headed to our state. I’m proud to have worked with my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, to pass the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, and I will continue to work to support long-overdue federal investments which will benefit all Arizonans.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this issue, and I hope you will continue to contact my office with any future comments or questions. I’m committed to being transparent and accountable with all Arizonans, which is why I release my official Senate schedule at kelly.senate.gov. There you can also sign up for my newsletter, receive assistance with a federal agency, and learn more about my work as Arizona’s senator.
Sincerely,
