Hoeven, Wyden Reintroduce Move America Act

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today reintroduced the Move America Act, legislation that will bring billions of dollars of investment to state and local governments to help grow and repair America’s aging infrastructure. Move America expands tax-exempt private activity bonds and creates a new infrastructure tax credit, helping fund infrastructure projects through private-public partnerships. This would lower overall costs and give state and local governments flexibility to construct the infrastructure they most need. Qualified projects include roads, bridges, transit, ports, rail, airports, water and sewer facilities and broadband.

“Our nation’s infrastructure serves as a foundation of our economic security and competitiveness,” Hoeven said. “Congress continues working with the administration on an infrastructure package to revitalize America’s infrastructure, and Move America should be a part of this effort, providing a cost-effective complement to public funding. In fact, the administration’s budget proposal supports tax-exempt financing for infrastructure. Through tax-exempt bonds and tax credits, our legislation brings a sustainable and flexible approach to help states build vital projects, like permanent flood protection, roads, bridges, airports and information networks.”

“From our biggest cities to our smallest towns, America is facing an infrastructure crisis that requires an all hands on deck approach,” Wyden said. “Move America gives local leaders the flexibility to quickly and efficiently jump start infrastructure projects in their own back yard. Leveraging this community investment will revitalize the ports, airports, and other gateways of commerce needed to move our economy forward.”

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has estimated the nation will need an additional $2 trillion of infrastructure investment over the next ten years for the nation to support the economy and remain competitive. It’s vital that Congress work in a bipartisan manner to address this critical need. Greater use of private capital through public-private partnerships would serve as a helpful addition to increased federal infrastructure spending. Move America attracts this private capital through:

Move America Bonds – Allows states to issue tax-exempt bonds in partnership with private entities, lowering their overall borrowing cost. Each state would receive a bond allocation, based on population size. Other features of Move America bonds include:

Flexible ownership and management arrangements
Favorable tax treatment, such as being exempt from the Alternative Minimum Tax
Any unused volume cap can be carried over for up to five years

Move America Tax Credits – Allows smaller states the ability to trade in some or all of their bond allocation for federal tax credits at a 25 percent rate. Features of the tax credits include:

Credits are available for direct investment in a project, reducing capital costs and expanding the potential investment pool
States can elect to use the credits to capitalize state infrastructure banks or other infrastructure revolving funds, allowing greater usage of the private-public partnership model on non-revenue projects
Move America Credits can be used in conjunction with Move America Bonds or other federal grant or credit assistance programs

Through these tools, Move America leverages $8 billion in federal investment into $226 billion worth of bond authority over the next 10 years or up to $56 billion over 10 years in tax credits, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. The Move America Act is supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Business Roundtable, American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), Associated General Contractors (AGC), American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), Airports Council International (ACI-NA), Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA), International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

A section-by-section summary of the bill can be found here. Legislative text can be found here.

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