The $825-billion economic stimulus proposal that House Democrats unveiled yesterday provides the first solid numbers for those in the design and construction industry who have been searching anxiously for hints about the plan.

Infrastructure advocates panned the proposal as far short of what is needed. But with House committee and floor votes and Senate action still to come, the package is far from the last word on the stimulus.

As drafted, the plan calls for roughly $550 billion in spending and $275 billion in tax cuts over two years. The plan would have a major impact on construction: By Engineering News-Record’s calculation, about $135 billion of the spending portion of the plan would go toward construction. Additionally, construction firms would benefit from the plan’s tax incentives, which includes an extension of a provision that allows small companies to write off the costs of equipment and other capital purchases in the year those items are purchased.

One of the largest allocations in the package is $20 billion for upgrading educational facilities, including $14 billion for repairs to K-12 schools and $6 billion for higher education (community colleges, colleges, and universities). The plan also would provide $7.7 billion to the General Services Administration for construction, repairs, and operations of federal buildings. Of the $7.7 billion, $6 billion would go toward boosting energy conservation and energy efficiency in federal buildings. >more