Skip to content
  1. News
  2. Press Releases

Van Hollen Applauds House Passage of Sweeping Legislation to Invest in America’s Infrastructure, Create Jobs, and Combat Climate Change

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) applauded the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, legislation to invest more than $1.5 trillion to rebuild America’s infrastructure while creating good-paying jobs, combatting the climate crisis, and addressing disparities throughout America. The legislation includes a number of priorities led by Senator Van Hollen in the Senate.

“The current economic crisis demands a bold response to put our country on track for sustained growth – and that includes modernizing our infrastructure and tackling climate change. This legislation will spur good-paying jobs that Americans desperately need right now and invests in both our present and our future by upgrading our transportation networks, modernizing our schools, building out 5G internet for students and businesses, ensuring safe drinking water, and expanding affordable housing options. I’m proud that this legislation incorporates a number of provisions I’ve introduced on these fronts, ranging from our Climate Bank initiative, to the expansion of clean energy tax credits, to the improvement of commuter transit. As our economy struggles under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic, Senate Republicans need to get serious about investing in our economy and our future – I urge them to take this bill up now,” said Senator Van Hollen.

Priorities of Senator Van Hollen’s that were incorporated into H.R. 2 include provisions from:

  • The Senator’s National Climate Bank Act to create a federal bank to leverage public and private funds to invest in clean energy technologies and infrastructure. H.R. 2 makes a $20 billion investment in this innovative initiative. 
  • The Senator’s HOPE for HOMES Act, legislation to help save energy efficiency jobs during and after the coronavirus pandemic. The bill also includes rebates to help homeowners retrofit their homes to cut their monthly energy costs, stimulate the energy efficiency market for jobs and suppliers, and help protect the environment by investing in clean, efficient technology.
  • The Senator’s Transit Worker and Pedestrian Protection Act, to improve the safety of public transportation for drivers, commuters, and pedestrians. 
  • The Senator’s Connecting America’s Active Transportation System Act, legislation that would dedicate federal funds for grants to local, regional, and state government entities to connect walking and biking infrastructure into active transportation networks that allow people to reach destinations within a community, as well as active transportation spines that allow people to travel between communities.

H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act also:

  • Rebuilds our highways, bridges, transit, rail, airports, ports and harbors by investing nearly $500 billion to improve safety, reduce gridlock and put the U.S. on a path toward zero emissions from the transportation sector, all while protecting American jobs with strong Buy America provisions and labor protections.
  • Invests in our children’s futures by helping safely reopen and rebuild schools with a $130 billion investment in school infrastructure targeted at high-poverty schools that do not meet health and safety standards, while also creating 2 million jobs.  Democrats are also investing billions in upgrading child care facilities to ensure compliance with current and future public health directives.
  • Modernizes our energy infrastructure for a clean energy future by investing more than $70 billion to transform our electric grid, promote new renewable energy infrastructure, help develop an electric vehicle charging network and support energy efficiency and climate resilience.
  • Invests boldly in affordable housing  by directing over $100 billion to reduce housing inequality, create jobs, stimulate the economy, improve living conditions and increase environmental sustainability and climate resilience.
  • Expands affordable high-speed Internet to underserved communities with a $100 billion investment that promotes competition, connects children to remote learning, closes broadband adoption and digital skills gaps and improves affordability.
  • Upgrades hospitals and health care infrastructure by investing $30 billion to increase capacity and strengthen care, help community health centers respond to COVID-19 and future public health emergencies, improve clinical laboratory infrastructure, support the Indian Health Service‘s infrastructure and increase capacity for community-based care.
  • Ensures all communities have clean water by investing tens of billions to remove dangerous contaminants from our drinking water and invests in new, safe wastewater infrastructure.
  • Delivers a 21st Century Postal Service by modernizing infrastructure and pursuing a zero-emissions postal fleet.
  • Promotes investments in our communities by spurring private investment through the tax code, through a revitalized Build America Bonds program, expansions of Private Activity Bonds and significant enhancements to the New Markets Tax Credit and the Rehabilitation Tax Credit.