The Infrastructure & Jobs Investment Act was approved Friday in a bipartisan vote by the House of Representatives, after being passed by the Senate in August, and now goes to the President’s desk for signature. The Ohio Soybean Association (OSA) was pleased to see investments in several soy-related areas contained in key parts of the bill, including $110 billion in funding for roads and bridges and $17 billion for ports and waterways. These investments will help update the multimodal transportation network on which the soybean industry relies. Importantly, the bill did not increase the tax burden on farmers, a key point of advocacy for OSA as Congress has considered funding bills over the past few months.

“We recognize that this is not a perfect bill but we also acknowledge that the improvements to infrastructure this bill will bring are vital for our industry to remain globally competitive,” said Ryan Rhoades, OSA president and Marion County soybean farmer. “An investment in infrastructure on this scale will ensure our industry can thrive for future generations.”

Other soy-related provisions in the bill include:

• Programs to address truck driver shortages
• New pilot program to research the benefits of biobased products for use in construction and other projects
• Funding for rural broadband expansion

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About OSA

The Ohio Soybean Association is governed by a volunteer farmer board dedicated to education and promotion, as well as to uniting producer interest through support of legislative activities beneficial to the Ohio soybean industry. www.soyohio.org/membership