Washington, DC -Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri joined a strong majority in the U.S. House to approve H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which passed by a vote of 244 – 188. 

“This is the most serious economic emergency since the Great Depression and the American people expect us to act without delay,” said Mr. Clay. “Today, we have moved to create and protect 3 – 4 million American jobs.  We have acted to rebuild crumbling roads & bridges, transform healthcare information technology, make obsolete schools safe, invest in renewable energy, buy up foreclosed properties and strengthen critical public transit systems.  This bill also provides essential support for hard-pressed states to preserve unemployment benefits, Medicaid coverage, and other vital public services that are at risk.”

The Congressman continued, “This is the first step in supporting President Obama’s agenda to restore economic security for millions of working families.  Instead of bailing out Wall Street, we’re investing in jobs for Main Street.  And as President Obama requested, 75% of this investment will create jobs within the next 18 months.  I’m also very pleased that the stimulus bill contains aggressive for one of my top legislative priorities, a secure, national electronic healthcare records system, which will help cut the cost of healthcare. This legislation strikes a good balance between investments and tax breaks, with 95% of households slated to receive a tax cut.”

American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 Infrastructure Investments for Missouri include:

Highways & Bridges      $688 million
Public Transit                $74 million
Clean Water                $160 million
Guideway Modernization $11 million

Additional Investments

-   $1.2 billion in direct funding to the State of Missouri for stabilization of vital services like Public Safety, Medicaid and Unemployment benefits