Page 40 - Free State Winter 2021
P. 40
AMERICANHORT A
News from the Hill
House Finally Passes Bipartisan • Ports, Airports, & Waterways: The Corporation Association was sent to
Infrastructure Package legislation invests $17 billion in port the House Ways & Means Committee
infrastructure and waterways and at the end of October centered on
After months of negotiations
$25 billion in airports to address proposed changes to grantor trusts
between progressive and
repair and maintenance backlogs, and valuation rules. Over 90 groups
moderate Democrats, the House of
reduce congestion and emissions joined this effort. Also, the Family
Representatives finally passed the
near ports and airports. Business Coalition sent a letter to
Senate infrastructure package on
the Chairmen of the House Ways &
a final vote of 228-206. The bill had • Roads and Bridges: There is
Means Committee and the Senate
initially passed the upper chamber $110 billion directed to roads,
Finance Committee the first week in
in August. Thirteen Republicans bridges, and major infrastructure
November centered on unrealized
joined in support of the bill while six projects. $40 billion of this is for
capital gains at death, grantor trusts,
Democrats voted against it. The bill bridge repair, replacement, and
and estate tax exemptions.
now heads to President Biden’s desk rehabilitation.
to be signed into law. Turning to the supply chain, a
Additional funding is also provided
Some items of note in the bill include: for water infrastructure, public transit, coalition led by American Trucking
Associations and the International
• Commercial Driver Pilot Program: electric vehicles, power infrastructure Food Distributors Association sent an
This program, modeled after the upgrades, and upgrading the open letter to the White House urging
DRIVE Safe Act legislation, would nation’s infrastructure resiliency in action on a number of provisions to
allow the youngest commercial the wake of climate change and ease tensions on supply chains. The
drivers to participate in a program cyber-attacks. The bill will be funded letter had 96 signees in total and
that would allow them to drive through a variety of measures, may be viewed using this link: http://
beyond state lines once certain while also adding about $350 billion www.familybusinesscoalition.org/
qualifications are met. This to the deficit. Those measures wp-content/uploads/2021/11/
legislation has been a legislative include repurposing unused
priority for AmericanHort. COVID-19 relief funds, canceled Tal Coley
unemployment benefits, and fees on
• Rural Broadband: $65 billion cryptocurrencies. Craig J. Regelbrugge
was included to improve the Executive Vice President
Tal Coley
nation’s broadband infrastructure, Advocacy, Research &
including $2 billion for a rural AmericanHort Joins Coalition Industry Relations
202-789-8111
broadband construction program Letters on Taxes, Supply Chain
to be run by USDA. Tal Coley
AmericanHort threw support behind Senior Director Advocacy
• Western Water Storage: $50 billion coalition efforts over the past two & Government Affairs
is provided for water storage weeks centered on taxes and supply 202-789-8112
projects in the drought-plagued chain issues.
West.
A joint trades letter led by the S
40 WINTER 2021 • Free State News
