On June 25, the House Energy & Water Development Subcommittee reported a $33.3 billion bill funding the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of Energy for FY 2010. This funding amount represents a decrease of $1.1 billion below the President's budget request and $39 million above the amount appropriated in FY 2009.The total amount approved for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program is $5.541 billion for FY 2010. This represents a modest increase of $139 million over the FY 2009 and an increase of $416 million over the Obama Administration's request of $5.1 billion.The Bureau of Reclamation would receive $1.08 billion in funding for FY 2010, representing a $38 million decrease from FY 2009, but a $17 million increase above the Administration request.Representative Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.), the acting Subcommittee Chairman, addressed concerns about the insolvency of the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, stating that if this issue is not addressed, "...the level of investment must be adjusted to the available resources-resulting in increased costs to existing projects as they are suspended, as well as the deferral of new projects in need of recapitalization. The bill urges the Administration to pursue this issue with the relevant authorizing committees."AGC will continue to advocate for increased investment in the water resources development missions of the Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation as this legislation continues through the House and Senate process.To review the FY 2010 Appropriations table click here.To review the list of FY 2010 projects click here.To read Acting Chairman Pastor's Statement click here.

On June 23, 2009, the House Appropriations Committee approved a Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill that totals $77.9 billion for FY 2010. This is $239 million more than the President's request and $5.0 billion more than fiscal year 2009. The bill provides $48.2 billion in advance appropriations for fiscal year 2011 for three medical accounts of the Department of Veterans Affairs: Medical Services; Medical Support and Compliance; and Medical Facilities, and also provides $24.6 billion for the Military Construction, Family Housing and BRAC programs.The Military Construction portion of the bill fully funds BRAC 2005 at $7.5 billion, provides an increase of $140 million for BRAC 1990 to enhance the cleanup of installations closed in prior BRAC rounds and provides for the modernization of training facilities, as well as the building of child care centers, barracks and homes. It also provides funds to support additional requirements for operations in Afghanistan at $1.4 billion. This bill includes two major military construction initiatives: $450 million to accelerate the Army's program to modernize troop housing facilities for trainees; and $200 million for a Guard and Reserve initiative to address critical unfunded requirements. This funding will go toward critical unfunded requirements for Army and Air National Guard, as well as the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Reserves.The VA portion of the bill provides $1.9 billion for Department of Veterans Affairs construction, $127 million above the budget request and $256 million above 2009. The bill will provide needed funding for five ongoing major construction projects, planning and design funding for seven new projects, and funding for approximately 100 minor construction projects that can be completed in fiscal year 2010. The National Cemetery Administration is funded at $250 million, an increase of $20 million above the fiscal year 2009 appropriation and $8 million above the budget request.AGC strongly supports increased investment in our nation's military programs and veterans' facilities and will continue to advocate for increased funding as the bill moves to the Senate for additional consideration.To review the FY 2010 Appropriations table click here.To review the list of FY 2010 projects click here.To read Chairman Edwards' Statement click here.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released details today of reauthorization legislation, the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009. The legislation is a 6 year $500 billion bill that will replace the current authorization, SAFETEA-LU, which is due to expire on September 30. The Chairman of the Committee, James Oberstar (D-Minn.), will introduce the full authorization legislation as early as tomorrow and has billed it as a transformation in the way the federal government funds the nation's transportation infrastructure.The documents released today include a blueprint for investment and reform, a framework of principles for federal surface transportation and an executive summary, which are all available on the AGC Web site.  All of the documents and future updates can be found here.The blueprint of the legislation indicates a reduced number of federal programs but keeps most of the eligibility for them.  It does not address any specifics on formula funding. The blueprint states that there would be project streamlining, but new environmental concerns exist, such as carbon reduction and livability. Finally, the plan would centralize national planning to include all transportation modes.The Committee is planning a markup of the legislation next Wednesday, June, 24, and has indicated that the process will be bipartisan.

Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK), Senate Water & Wildlife Subcommittee Chairman Ben Cardin (D- MD) and Ranking Member Senator Mike Crapo (R-IL) are expected shorty to introduce the Water Infrastructure Financing Act of 2009. This bi-partisan bill will authorize $38.9 billion for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water infrastructure programs over the next five years.Highlights of the Senate bill include $20 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program, $15 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Program and $1.85 billion for Sewer Overflow Grants. AGC and the WIN Coalition worked closely with Senate staff on this companion legislation to H.R. 1262, the Water Quality Investment Act of 2009, which passed out of the House of Representatives on March 12 authorizing a total of $19.4 billion over five years for wastewater infrastructure projects. In addition to revising the SRF distribution formula for States, The Water Infrastructure Financing Act of 2009 creates a new Agricultural Pollution Control SRF, includes technical assistance grants for small systems and $250 million for Critical Water Infrastructure Projects (Watershed Improvements).AGC is particularly pleased that the bill does not include any Buy American Provisions similar to those included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. While the bill will not include any Davis Bacon provisions it is likely that amendments for and against the inclusion of Davis Bacon will be introduced in the full committee markup which will occur on Thursday May 14.

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council on March 31 issued several new reporting requirements for contractors and procurement officials disbursing stimulus funds.The new rules require the following:Prime contractors who win work funded by the economic recovery package must file detailed public reports to the government on the nature of their work and job creation data;All construction, repair or maintenance projects use only iron, steel and manufactured goods produced in the United States. The rule provides a number of narrow exceptions and waivers, such as cases when goods are not available domestically, or if the local price is not reasonable;Prohibits nonfederal employers from firing, demoting or discriminating against whistleblowers who alert the government to questionable uses of stimulus funds. Contractors who refuse to abide by this rule will not be eligible for stimulus contracts;Acquisition officials must issue public notices on publicizing contract action worth more than $25,000; and,Provide the Government Accountability Office with the authority to audit both contracts and subcontracts related to the stimulus, and to interview contractor and subcontractor employees. The same rights, except the ability to interview subcontractor workers, are granted to inspectors general.AGC is currently reviewing the rules in detail to ensure they are fair and reasonable for construction contractors performing work funded by the recovery plan. The FAR Council is accepting comments on these rules through June 1, 2009.

GSA has unveiled a $5.5 billion project list that highlights the unprecedented role the agency will play in assisting in the nation's economic recovery and putting American citizens back to work. Projects are funded across the country, providing benefit for local and state economies, and every state should see at least one GSA project related to the Recovery Act.A breakdown of GSA's Recovery Funding reveals: $4.5 billion: Federal building conversion to high-performance green spaces$750 million: Federal building and courthouse renovations$300 million: Fuel-efficient vehicles$300 million: Land ports of entry renovation and constructionGSA will also help other agencies best utilize their Recovery Act dollars, and manage Recovery.gov, which provides transparency and accountability to the American public.AGC will continue working with GSA and our other agency partners as implementation of the Recovery act continues. For additional about GSA's Recovery plans, visit: www.gsa.gov/recovery.

Today the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee issued a 22-page report detailing the distribution of stimulus bill funds under the committee's jurisdiction.In addition to the GSA construction programs listed above, the Committee identified progress under the Highway program:Of the funds provided for the highway formula program, in the past four weeks, 35 states have submitted and received approval for nearly 1,000 projects totaling $3.4 billion, more than 10 percent of the Recovery Act highway funds.In the Transit program:Of the $6.8 billion apportioned for the Transit Capital Assistance program on March 5, 2009, $46.3 million has been awarded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), including three grants in rural areas of Kentucky, Missouri, and Maine:New Discretionary Grant Program:The Recovery Act provides $1.5 billion to the Secretary of Transportation to make competitive discretionary grants to surface transportation projects that will have a significant impact on the nation, a metropolitan area, or a region.Aviation Spending:The Office of the Secretary of Transportation is finalizing guidance and criteria for the $1.5 billion discretionary grants program. As of March 26, 2009, the FAA had announced tentative allocations of funding for projects totaling $451 million. After tentative funding allocations are announced, airport sponsors are able to solicit bids for construction. Sponsors will then submit their grant applications to the FAA based on the bids received. After a grant application is approved, the funds will be obligated by the FAA. On March 23, 2009, the FAA made its first Recovery Act grant award - a $4.2 million airport grant to Omaha, Nebraska, for runway rehabilitation.