Federal jobs bill includes infrastructure funding, no match requirement

With the League in the forefront advocating that any new jobs bill contain funding for infrastructure, the House has passed legislation, HR 2847, that includes $40 million for infrastructure projects.  Dubbed the "Jobs for Main Street" package, funding for the bill be paid for with money from the "Toxic Asset Relief Program" (TARP).  The bill also includes a waiver for Michigan of the match requirement.  In the short term, this means we'll be able to qualify for federal road funds without having to come up with the necessary matching funds.  In the long term, we still need to address the funding shortfall right here in Michigan and the feds must come up with a long term vision for transportation funding policy.  Despite quick action by the House, the bill won't be acted on by the Senate until January, at the earliest.