The next installment of the CDFA // BNY Mellon Development Finance Webcast Series will be an interactive discussion about strategies for aligning social justice priorities with bond financing and actions in the muni markets. It will feature insights from Andrea Armeni at Transform Finance, Charles Goodwin at BNY Mellon, Joshua Pollard at Omicelo, and Darnell Moses at CDFA.

The 2021 Report Card for America's Infrastructure reveals we've made some incremental progress toward restoring our nation's infrastructure. For the first time in 20 years, our infrastructure is out of the D range. While this report grades 17 categories individually, our infrastructure is a system of systems and more connected than ever before.

The New Partnership on Infrastructure seeks to advance national policies driven by local innovation, with cities serving as testbeds for experimentation and transferable solutions. This document champions that idea. It is a summation of local practices and insights from across the country - cities large and small, red and blue, coastal and inland - that aggregate into America's New Playbook for Infrastructure.

The potential size of congressional funding for much-needed infrastructure projects will inherently be far larger than the state and local share of the pending bill for COVID-19 relief and recovery. Governors and municipal officials should line up their projects and plan ahead for the inevitable competition for federal infrastructure funds. As soon as pandemic relief is enacted, it will be time to make the next move, collectively and strategically.

The New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2021 has been introduced in the House by Reps. Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Tom Reed (R-NY), and in the Senate by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Roy Blunt (R-MO). The legislation permanently extends NMTC at $5 billion in annual credit authority, adjusts that amount for inflation in future years, and provides an exception from the Alternative Minimum Tax for New Markets investments.

During a Senate Banking Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Jon Tester underscored the need to include funding in the upcoming COVID-19 relief package for the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI)—a program that was massively successful in helping Montana's main street businesses recover from the last economic crisis. Currently, President Biden's COVID-19 relief proposal includes $10 billion for the program.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that USDOT's Build America Bureau has provided a $908 million loan under the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) program to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) for the Silver Line Regional Rail Project. This transaction is estimated to save DART approximately $190 million in interest costs.

The Michigan Strategic Fund of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. approved projects and initiatives that are expected to generate a total capital investment of $173.6 million and create 473 jobs. This includes community revitalization brownfields projects in Detroit and Holland.

Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) is seeking a CEO to provide strategic leadership and lead its team in carrying out its mission to deliver statewide public benefit in the areas of economic development and higher education.

The Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) seeks a motivated, well-organized and energetic individual to fill the position of Coordinator, Research & Technical Assistance. This position is critical to the continued success of CDFA's education, advocacy, research, resources, and networking efforts.

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