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National League of Cities members recently sent a letter to Congressional leadership urging the passage of a comprehensive infrastructure package.
“Infrastructure is a job worth doing, and local governments are ready to put in the work to rebuild America’s infrastructure,” the letter said. “America’s cities, towns, and villages are ready for Congress to come through with infrastructure programs that partner with local governments to get projects done. We can invest together in transportation, water, broadband, and workforce training to keep America moving and create local jobs.”
The letter asked Congress to do four things:
- All new transportation investments should be used to leverage local and regional efforts to build modern, safe, and technology-forward goals that residents need.
- Financing, funding, and flexibility should be provided to allow the projects to address the impacts of climate change and address the nation’s growing drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure needs.
- Financing and funding for broadband infrastructure must be provided to remove state legal barriers to local broadband decision-making and lead to broadband adoption and affordability that directly reaches communities of all sizes.
- Skills training investments should include short-term occupational training and on-the-job training that supports local talent pipelines in building, rebuilding, and maintaining critical infrastructure.