The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Creating Jobs and Rebuilding Nevada’s Economy

In November 2021, Congressman Steven Horsford voted for the bipartisan passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a landmark law that will invest more than $4 billion in Nevada to create good-paying union jobs, rebuild Nevada's economy, improve roads, public transportation, and water infrastructure, and expand access to high-speed internet.

As Nevada recovers from the pandemic, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help to reduce inflation and lower costs for Nevada families by reducing supply chain backlogs and improving the flow of goods and services.

Specifically, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will:

• Strengthen Nevada's roads and bridges. Reducing congestion and improving Nevada's roads will help our state's economy grow. Since 2011, commute times have increased nearly eight percent in Nevada, and on average, each driver pays $558 per year in costs due to driving on roads in need of repair. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will put Nevadans to work in good-paying jobs repairing and rebuilding the system that gets us to work and school and delivers goods to market. Investments will also fund public transit and high-speed rail to further ease traffic congestion.


• Improve the safety of Nevada's transportation system. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will direct tens of millions of dollars to Nevada for highway safety programs to improve driver behavior and reduce deaths and injuries from motor vehicle-related crashes.


• Expand Nevada's public transportation options. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will direct hundreds of millions of dollars to Nevada to expand public transportation and increase transportation equity. Currently, Nevadans who take public transportation spend an extra 134% of their time commuting and non-White households are 2 times more likely to commute via public transportation. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help remedy these inequities and expand opportunities across Nevada.


• Connect every Nevadan to reliable high-speed internet. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help connect every Nevadan to the high-speed internet they need to work and learn. Under the law, Nevada will receive funding to provide affordable, high-speed internet to more than 123,000 Nevadans who currently lack it. In addition, 825,000 Nevadans — or 26% of people in Nevada — will be eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.


• Deliver clean drinking water to every Nevadan and eliminate lead service lines and pipes. Historic drought caused by climate change is threatening Nevada's water supply. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Nevada will receive $403 million over five years to improve water infrastructure across the state and ensure that clean, safe drinking water is a right in all communities.


• Prepare Nevada's infrastructure for the impacts of climate change, cyber attacks, and extreme weather events. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Nevada will expect to receive millions in funding to protect against wildfires and cyberattacks.
• Improve Nevada's airports. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, airports in Nevada will receive hundreds of millions of dollars to continue bringing people, goods, and jobs to our state. This funding will address critical needs at airports, such as improving runways, taxiways and airport-owned towers, terminal development projects, and noise reduction projects. In addition, $5 billion in discretionary funding is available over five years for airport terminal development projects that address the aging infrastructure of our nation's airports, including projects that expand accessibility for persons with disabilities, improve access for historically disadvantaged populations, improve energy efficiency, and improve airfield safety.


• Modernize and expand passenger rail. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will expand high-speed rail, eliminate the Amtrak maintenance backlog, and bring world-class rail service to Nevada and communities across the country.


• Build a network of electric vehicle chargers to facilitate long-distance travel and provide convenient charging options. The U.S. market share of plug-in electric vehicle (EV) sales is only one-third the size of the Chinese EV market. In 2020, plug-in electric vehicles made up only 2.3% of new car sales in the U.S., compared to 6.2% in China. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will build out the first-ever national network of EV chargers in the United States to address the climate crisis and support domestic manufacturing jobs.

To learn more about the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's investments and specific funding allocations, click here.