U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO) voted in favor of the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act, which passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 221-201.
The monumental infrastructure package includes $22.6 million in funding for five projects in Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District- projects that Congressman Cleaver fought to ensure were included in the final package.
The INVEST in America Act will make transformational investments in America’s highways, roads, bridges, transit, rail, and water infrastructure to create jobs, modernize our infrastructure and reduce carbon pollution.
“At a time when our country is recovering from a global pandemic and our infrastructure is literally crumbling around us, now is the moment for a historic investment to modernize our national infrastructure, revitalize communities that have fallen behind, and energize American workers with good-paying jobs-all while reducing our carbon emissions,” Congressman Cleaver said. “I’ve always believed that investments in the American people provide the greatest returns, and I’m thrilled that the House of Representatives was able to pass this transformational legislation to bring our country’s infrastructure into the 21st century.”
In April, Congressman Cleaver requested funding for six separate transportation and infrastructure projects in Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District. Five of the projects were included in the INVEST in America Act that passed the House of Representatives today, including:
• $6,000,000 for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority to purchase zero-fare electric buses. Kansas Representative Sharice Davids filed a separate request for an additional $4.5 million for the project that was also included in the bill, bringing the total to $10.5 million;
• $6,000,000 for a Jazz District Pedestrian Plaza at 18th & Vine;
• $3,128,000 to replace Raum Road Bridge in Lawson, Missouri;
• $2,160,000 for improvements to the Cliff Drive Scenic Byway in Kansas City; and
• $900,000 for infrastructure improvements to downtown Odessa.
“I’m thrilled that we were able to keep these critical infrastructure projects in the INVEST in America Act as it made its way through the legislative process in the House of Representatives-and I’m thankful to Representative Davids on the T&I committee for her teamwork in that endeavor,” Congressman Cleaver said. “We still have work to do to ensure the bill passes in the Senate and is signed into law by President Biden, but I will continue to go to bat for my constituents so that they receive this $22.6 million in funding for desperately needed improvements to roads, bridges, transit, and water infrastructure projects in communities throughout Western Missouri.”
A Fact Sheet of the INVEST in America Act is available on this link <https://cleaver.house.gov/sites/cleaver.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/2021%20Fact%20Sheet%20for%20INVEST%20in%20America%20Act.pdf>.