On Thursday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed House Bills 5890, 5891 and 5892 to expand access to clean, safe water for Michigan communities.
“Every Michigan family in every community deserves access to safe drinking water,” said Whitmer. “Today, I am proud to sign a bipartisan water package that will make it easier for communities to finance and initiate water infrastructure projects. Since I took office, we have invested over $2 billion to upgrade drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater facilities across Michigan, supporting 30,000 good-paying jobs. In April, I signed the bipartisan Building Michigan Together Plan, which will invest another $2 billion, supporting 27,000 jobs to replace 20,000 lead service lines, prevent highway flooding, provide clean water to schools and childcare centers, and so much more. I will work with anyone to invest in Michigan’s water infrastructure and ensure every family has access to clean, safe water.”
“This critical funding will support communities as they address backlogged water system needs and help ensure high-quality drinking water for Michiganders,” said Liesl Clark, director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. “EGLE is committed to partnering with our communities in the coming years to ensure that Michiganders’ health and their environment have the best protections possible.”
Together as a package, House Bills 5890, 5891 and 5892 comprehensively update Michigan’s State Revolving Fund (SRF) statue. Communities can expect to see a lower burden to accessing state financing and funding to address water infrastructure needs, and the bills allow flexibility to ensure financing is equitably distributed.
The bills amend the financing program to allow dollars to flow to the modern infrastructure needs of communities. The updates outlined in the legislation are critical to ensuring that communities can efficiently and effectively utilize the influx of state and federal water infrastructure dollars.
HB 5890 expands access to clean and safe drinking water for Michiganders by amending the requirements and processes to access water infrastructure financing.
HB 5890 was sponsored by Rep. Beth Griffin R-Mattawan.
“This bipartisan package signals a victory for small towns that often face significant barriers to receiving dollars available in the State Revolving Funds to repair their old water and sewer lines,” said Griffin. “These bills streamline the process to apply for and receive funding and communities will see these water infrastructure projects processed more efficiently. This package represents the culmination of years of bipartisan work, and I am proud to have worked alongside Reps. Martin and Cambensy to make this common-sense legislation work for all of our communities.”
HB 5891 is a companion bill to HB 5890 and makes needed reference updates in the Shared Credit Rating Act.
HB 5891 was sponsored by Rep. David Martin, R-Davison.
HB 5892 lowers the burden of the application process so that communities can more quickly get the dollars necessary to build critical infrastructure projects.
HB 5892 was sponsored by Rep. Sara Cambensy, D-Marquette.
“As local municipalities, we support changes to the SRF that will simplify, modernize, and make this system more user friendly and accessible,” said Christian Wuerth, Milford Village Manager. “A streamlined, flexible process will ensure communities can invest in resilient, sustainable water systems and continue to deliver clean and safe drinking water.”
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