The U.S. House of Representatives passed the ‘Jobs Bill for Main Street Act of 2010’ in December 2009.  Included in this legislation would be additional highway and infrastructure funding in an amount similarly to the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) 2009 legislation.  Under the Jobs Bill passed by the House, the State of Indiana would receive approximately $658 million that would be distributed in a similar manner as ARRA Funds. 

The timelines for the use of the potential Jobs Bill funds are much shorter.  The Jobs bill (as presented by the House) will require that 50% of all funds made available must be under contract within the first 90 days, after the Bill is signed.  The remaining 50% of funds must be under contract within one year.  Because of these timelines, assuming the Bill does not change, all projects must be submitted to the State within 7 months of signing the bill.  Rural LPA projects are on a first-come, first-serve basis, and accuracy is a necessity for all submissions. 

The Jobs Bill has yet to be passed by the Senate and signed by the President.  However, the MACOG Region is gearing up for the process by requesting our LPAs to submit potential projects that we can start gathering data for.  As you begin to plan and prepare for this bill, if you have any questions, feel free to call MACOG at (574) 674-8894.

ITEMS TO WATCH / COMMON MISTAKES when submitting Bid Packages to your INDOT District