All three Franklin County Commissioners will be in Washington D.C. tomorrow to meet with administration officials at the White House as part of an event to discuss local/federal partnerships, highlight the local impact of recently passed federal legislation, and share about how the administration can work even more closely with city and county officials in the future. The event,
Communities in Action: Building a Better Ohio, will be live-streamed at
WhiteHouse.gov/Live, and media and the public are encouraged to watch.
“The Biden/Harris administration has been a tremendous partner for local governments in Ohio and around the nation, especially as we continue to help families, businesses and communities rebuild as they were devastated by the pandemic,” said Board of Commissioners President, Erica C. Crawley. “In addition to American Rescue Plan dollars, we are glad to be able to talk with them directly about how we are leveraging those resources, but also how the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Bill and the Chips Act will help our residents. We are looking forward to strengthening our partnership going forward.”
The American Rescue Plan (ARP), which went into effect last year, is providing more than $250 million to Franklin County to be used in our community’s recovery. The commissioners held a
public hearing to learn from residents about how they think it can best be used, and have created a
website for the public to track their spending. In March, the commissioners announced
Franklin County RISE, a $22 million investment in the local child care system and to make high-quality child care available to Franklin County families. They’ve also invested nearly $12 million in workforce programing like their Building Futures program which trains social services clients for middle class careers in the skilled building trades. In addition, they’ve granted $9.5 million to the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, which is experiencing unprecedented demand, and used ARP funding to help almost 5,000 Franklin County families avoid eviction with emergency rental assistance.
“The American Rescue Plan has been a literal lifeline for millions around the country and thousands of or neighbors in Central Ohio,” said Commissioner John O’Grady. “And the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act follow it up with historic investments in infrastructure, healthcare, and the environment. This White House has been the best partner local governments could ask for, and the administration continues to be responsive as we work to help local communities thrive.”
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is providing $973 billion for things like transportation, water, power, and broadband infrastructure in communities across the country, including for counties, which own 44% of the nation’s roads and 38% of its bridges. The Inflation Reduction Act caps prescription drug prices for seniors, extends healthcare subsidies, creates a $3 billion environmental grant program, and invests $369 billion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades.
“Central Ohio is projected to grow to more than three million people in the next 30 years, which demands that we’re planning now to meet those increasing needs,” said Commissioner Kevin L. Boyce. “The growth is good for our economy, but it’s going to tax our transportation, education, healthcare, and housing systems. So the leadership we’re seeing from the White House is not only helping our residents today, but is also helping us in local government to create policies and investments that will ensure our communities’ continued success for many years to come.”
The commissioners also plan to discuss another recent piece of federal legislation with the administration while they’re in DC. The CHIPS act, will invest $52 billion in the semi conductor industry, enabling Intel’s recently announced investment in our community, which will create as many as 10,000 new jobs in Central Ohio in the coming few years.