U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) said in a year-end review that the second year of progress in Congress resulted in benefits to Pennsylvania families.
Casey said he secured $81.6 million in funding for 63 projects across the state for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 spending bill passed in March, as well as $111.5 million for 92 projects in the FY23 spending bill passed in December. Included in the bills were projects promoting community revitalization, workforce development, infrastructure and resilience, and expanded health care.
Funding in 2022 included $2 million for the Philadelphia Energy Authority to restore low-income homes and coordinate funding from existing housing repair programs and $1 million for Chesapeake Bay Foundation for the watershed restoration plan for Halfmoon Creek. Money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will bring $7.5 billion into the state over the next five years, as well as more funding for the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. Casey’s office said RAISE grants will provide funding to community transportation projects, including projects this year in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
IIJA funding also provided $25.3 million to replace the Fern Hollow Bridge after its collapse, as well as an additional $857 million in new funding for the Montgomery Locks and Dams for construction on the Upper Ohio Navigation System. Casey’s office said the IIJA funding would also allocate money to the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS), including $53 million for US-219 construction in Somerset County and $69 million for Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway construction in Snyder, Northumberland, and Union counties.
The FY23 funding bill will provide $2 million to the Allentown Housing Authority to be spent on the Little Lehigh project that will bring 50 new high-quality, affordable housing units to the community, as well as $3 million for the Enterprise Development Center of Erie to redevelop the former Erie Malleable Iron property.
The funding will also allocate a $25 million increase for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to prevent a hiring freeze and furloughs for staff and allow the NLRB to operate at full capacity.
Casey said an interactive map on his website will let constituents see county-by-county where federal dollars were going and what projects would be getting funding.