A Better City Applauds the Passage of the $4B American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Spending Bill

PREPARED BY RICK DIMINO, PRESIDENT & CEO | DECEMBER 13TH

A Better City applauds Governor Baker’s signing of a $4B spending plan to help invest in the Commonwealth's ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This would not have been possible without the leadership of Senate President Spilka, House Speaker Mariano, and the legislature in delivering needed federal funding to Massachusetts, as our communities continue to recover from the ongoing effects of the pandemic.

The final $4B ARPA spending plan includes many of A Better City's recommendations, including key investments in critical infrastructure projects, climate resilient environmental infrastructure grants, equitable workforce development for green jobs, clean energy development, and investment in equitable and affordable broadband access and infrastructure improvements to encourage digital equity. 

In the next year, there are additional opportunities for the legislature to apply the remaining ARPA funds to address critical infrastructure needs throughout the Commonwealth. There will be some additional federal funding from the Biden Administration’s infrastructure bill, but much of these funds will be distributed through nationwide, competitive grant programs. To build a stronger, safer, and more resilient Commonwealth, we need further investment in clean, accessible, and resilient transportation infrastructure, modern public transit vehicles and micro-mobility opportunities, and improved regional resiliency.  Massachusetts should be jumpstarting work on these efforts with state ARPA funds, so we can improve our chances of winning major federal infrastructure grants to complete these larger regional initiatives.

We look forward to continuing to engage with remaining ARPA spending appropriations to ensure their efficient and equitable distribution across communities in the Commonwealth, and to additional federal funding opportunities for Massachusetts in 2022.

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