Senate Appropriations Committee advances SB 3167, which proposes $300M to ERBRF Program

The Program was established in 2018 and is administered by the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

On Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced Senate Bill 3167, which would provide a boost of $300 million to the state’s Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund (ERBRF) Program.

The ERBRF Program was enacted in 2018 and works to revitalize public roads and bridges across Mississippi. It is administered by the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

“Now is the time to invest in our state. Safe and reliable roads and bridges are a key economic driver. They help our children get to school and our goods get to market,” said Senate Appropriations Chairman Briggs Hopson, who authored the bill. “We can take a bold step this Session by dedicating significant resources to projects in our communities which will make a difference for our children and grandchildren.”

“Right now, we have millions of dollars in federal relief funds flowing through our economy. There is no better way to spend one-time money than to put it in the ground,” Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann said. “Our cities, counties and constituents have asked us to dedicate our resources to better maintaining our infrastructure. We are listening and hope to send this legislation to the Governor posthaste.”

When the program was first established, it was initially funded with $250 million in bonds. During the 2021 Legislative Session, the Legislature appropriated an additional $89 million. The third round of funding in SB 3167 would come from the Capital Expense Fund.

The bill states:

If enacted, the bill will take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2022.

You can read the full copy of Senate Bill 3167 below.

SB 3167 by yallpolitics on Scribd

UPDATE:

The Mississippi Senate passed SB 3167.