The newly enacted $2-trillion stimulus package to ease the impact of the coronavirus outbreak has benefits for engineering and construction firms—and their client companies—through provisions for small-business loans and tax breaks, plus some funding. But industry officials also are focusing on a likely follow-up measure, and they hope that it will be a vehicle for an infusion of funds for highways and other types of infrastructure.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act, which President Donald Trump signed March 27, focuses on emergency responses to the pandemic. “I think these provisions and the funding levels reflect that—what do our infrastructure clients need right now to stay operational,” says Steve Hall, an American Council of Engineering Companies senior vice president.

展望未来，霍尔补充说：“更广泛地关注基础设施（我们希望看到的那种重点），这确实是下一个包裹……立法者已经开始谈论这一点。”甚至在签署该法案之前，众议院议长南希·佩洛西（Nancy Pelosi）（D-Calif。）在3月26日对记者说：“接下来，我们将从紧急缓解措施转变为康复”，旨在促进经济和创造就业机会。

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association and other groups wanted Congress to include a multiyear highway bill in the CARES Act, but they weren’t successful. At least not yet. Dean Franks, ARTBA senior vice president for congressional relations, says, “We’ve been told that we … should be in play for the next go-around or subsequent phases.”

《关怀法》包括3,399亿美元的拨款。其中，ENR估计，新利luck建筑可能有资格获得超过400亿美元的资格。

But there’s a crucial caveat: In some cases, it will be up to states, localities and other aid recipients to determine how much of the funds will go for operations and how much to construction. The law has $25 billion for “transit infrastructure grants.” But it says funds can be used for transit agencies’ “operating expenses related to the response to a coronavirus public health emergency.” It also may help offset agencies’ lost revenue from recent sharp ridership declines.

衡量美元10 billion for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants. AIP has traditionally funded runway work and other infrastructure. But the new law says nearly all of the $10 billion can go for “any purpose for which airport revenues may lawfully be used.” That would include non-infrastructure purposes.

美国机场高管协会首席执行官托德·豪普利（Todd Hauptli）表示，其中一些耗资100亿美元的5月为建设提供资金。他说，这些资金“将帮助人们保持工作，避免债券违约，允许关键项目继续下去，并协助恢复工作，这会随着时间的流逝而大规模。”18luck官网

Projects to add hospital capacity clearly will get CARES Act funds. The measure gives the Defense Dept. $1.5 billion to expand health facilities and modular field hospitals. Those dollars could triple the current 4,300 beds in military health facilities, a congressional summary says. The new law allots $606 million for Dept. of Veterans Affairs medical facilities to modify building systems for coronavirus patients. It also has $150 million in VA grants to states to reconfigure veterans facilities, such as nursing homes.

该法规提供了50亿美元的住房和城市发展部社区发展部的赠款，并提供15亿美元的商业经济发展赠款。从历史上看，基础设施工作已有资格获得两种类型的赠款。

The law’s tax provisions include allowing all employers to increase cash flow by deferring payments to their share of Social Security payroll taxes through Dec. 31. They would have to pay half of the deferred taxes in 2021 and half in 2022.

In another move to boost companies’ cash flow, the package allows any employer to “carry back” operating losses from 2018, 2019 and 2020 to offset taxable income in the previous five years. That should give employers refunds.

该立法还包括35亿美元的薪水保护计划，该计划向拥有500名或更少员工的公司提供高达1000万美元的贷款。如果雇主将贷款收益用于工资，健康保险费和某些其他费用，则将宽恕100％的贷款。