(The Center Square) - Colorado Governor Jared Polis urged the U.S. Senate to pass a $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure package in a statement Wednesday.
The Senate on Wednesday voted 67-32 to move the legislation forward following reports of a bipartisan deal, according to Axios.
"This is a once in a generation opportunity and I'm thrilled to hear that members of the Senate are taking up the federal infrastructure bill," Polis said. "This bipartisan bill will create jobs, help fix our roads and bridges, invest in transit and Front Range Rail, take on climate change, and protect the water we drink."
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The deal has the blessing of President Joe Biden, who said "the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America that will help make our historic economic recovery a historic long-term boom."
According to a fact sheet from the White House, the infrastructure package seeks to add a half-million new electric vehicles to the roads, replace lead pipes in over 400,000 public schools, and expand broadband connection throughout rural America, among other initiatives.
Polis was an early supporter of the legislation. July 1, the governor in a statement described the bill as "the transformational change we've been waiting for."
"This federal package will pair strongly with our state's historic bipartisan infrastructure plan that is already in motion making our roads safer and better for all Coloradans," he said Wednesday.
The governor recently signed a bill to overhaul Colorado's transportation funding using $3.8 billion in new fees on gas, rideshares, and electric vehicle registrations, among other new fees.
State lawmakers said the funds will focus on "shovel-ready" projects as well as electrification and expanding multimodal transportation options.
