After four years of false starts and one year of hard work and compromise, there’s finally a federal bill that mirrors what we’ve been fighting for here in Pennsylvania. A bill that brings real money to our communities and creates jobs that cannot be outsourced.

It includes investments to connect every community — large and small — to fast, affordable and reliable broadband internet. In a world where everything from school to medical visits is done online, Pennsylvanians can’t be left to rely on dial-up.

Improvements in our rail system, both mass transit and long-distance, will give commuters more options and help get cars off our congested highways. Plus, better transit options attract new businesses, spurring new jobs and economic growth.

There will be investments in American energy independence to support cleaner power generation as part of a comprehensive strategy and to generate fast-growing career options for workers while we do it.

We’ll have infrastructure improvements so that families can be confident when they turn on the tap at home that clean, safe water comes out. And when Pennsylvania is struck by extreme weather, the stormwater recedes quickly, safely and efficiently to prevent damage from sustained flooding.

But Pennsylvania House Democrats want to be sure that the new infrastructure bill isn’t the only federal investment in our commonwealth. We continue to advocate to have billions of American Rescue Plan dollars used for their intended purpose. Those funds, currently being held in a government vault by Republican leaders in Harrisburg, are meant to help Pennsylvanians recover from the economic impact of the virus. Instead of socking away those funds, the House Democratic Pennsylvania Rescue Plan is a roadmap to use that funding to support workers by improving access to childcare, creating a paid sick leave program, and making sure every worker can control their financial future when it comes to retirement.

Finally, House Democrats want to expand their plan by cutting business taxes. You heard right. House Democrats want to cut business taxes.

Not just any business taxes. We want to cut taxes for the businesses that locate good-paying jobs here, those that invest in our state by expanding their operations and taking risks. We want to cut taxes for the businesses that put Pennsylvania — and Pennsylvanians — first.

House Democrats’ new plan — Propel PA — will get the job done. It would cut taxes for state-based businesses that invest in the community and cut the corporate net income tax that’s one of the highest in the country.

We must also update our misguided tax policies that can result in Pennsylvania’s mom-and-pop businesses on Main Street paying a higher tax rate and more in actual dollars than the big out-of-state chains. Our outdated tax policy hurts the very people who can generate most of the job growth in our communities. The Propel PA plan will fix that and cut taxes.

Propel PA’s targeted tax help will make it easier to innovate and create more partnerships between businesses, government, and colleges to spur research and development.

By combining the Pennsylvania Rescue Plan with the federal legislation and cutting business taxes smartly with Propel PA we can build a better future — for everyone.

Rep. Joanna McClinton is Pennsylvania House Democratic leader.

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