House Passes Jobs Bills with $2 Billion in EPA Water Funds – the jobs bill, which House lawmakers originally hoped to attach to a must-pass fiscal year 2010 defense appropriations bill but opted to pursue as a stand-alone measure after Senate opposition, includes $1 billion for wastewater projects and $1 billion for drinking water projects. Senate lawmakers will certainly address the issue early next year. The Senate has not crafted a jobs bill to date. The House passed bill adopts funding conditions that mirror those contained in the economic stimulus law that policymakers enacted earlier this year, including eliminating state matching requirements, requiring 20 percent of the funds to be spent on “green” infrastructure, requiring projects to procure American-made products, setting strict timelines for the monies to be spent and allows EPA to fund projects without requiring states to provide matching funds but also requires EPA to take back any funds from states where projects are not under contract or construction within eight months of enactment. The House did not include funding for the USDA rural water grant and loan program. This issue will be reconsidered in the Senate.

View the JOBS FOR MAIN STREET ACT OF 2010 Summary.