Title: Supporting efforts to enact a bold jobs and infrastructure package that benefits all Americans, not just billionaires.
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Expresses the sense of Congress regarding requirements and priorities for any infrastructure plan passed by Congress.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 63 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 63

Supporting efforts to enact a bold jobs and infrastructure package that 
             benefits all Americans, not just billionaires.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 2017

 Mr. Ted Lieu of California (for himself, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. 
  Ellison, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. Lee, Mr. Polis, Mr. Clay, Mr. Nolan, Ms. 
   Shea-Porter, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Frankel of Florida, Mr. Huffman, Ms. 
 Norton, Mr. Raskin, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Hanabusa, Mr. Takano, 
Mr. Cartwright, Mr. Conyers, Ms. Kuster of New Hampshire, Mr. Scott of 
Virginia, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Welch, Mr. Serrano, 
 Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Pingree, and Ms. Clark 
of Massachusetts) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which 
   was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Supporting efforts to enact a bold jobs and infrastructure package that 
             benefits all Americans, not just billionaires.

Whereas the Nation's crumbling roads, bridges, and schools, unsafe drinking 
        water facilities, and outdated energy systems are in need of major 
        transformation, and a plan is needed to rebuild the Nation and create 
        millions of good jobs;
Whereas the Nation's taxpayers should not subsidize billionaires and Wall Street 
        banks that will profit from privatizing roads, bridges, drinking water 
        and sanitation systems, and utilities;
Whereas any investment in the Nation's roads and bridges must support the repair 
        and rehabilitation of existing assets, improve resilience to more 
        extreme weather, and support targeted expansions to reduce congestion, 
        improve air quality, and enable job growth;
Whereas the Nation must ensure that every child who attends a public school has 
        safe facilities that contribute to a high-quality education, and 
        therefore the Nation must invest to construct, renovate, repair, and 
        modernize its schools;
Whereas direct public investment in the United States public transportation 
        network can meet the Nation's infrastructure needs without selling off 
        roads and bridges to private investors and foreign entities;
Whereas any clean water initiative must prioritize investment in communities 
        most in need, ensure safe drinking water for millions of Americans, and 
        protect the Nation's rivers, lakes, and oceans;
Whereas any infrastructure package should include building high-speed internet 
        facilities to ensure that this increasingly essential resource is 
        available to all Americans through direct funding, tax credits for low-
        income workers, and investments in broadband to promote economic 
        development, public safety, and a vibrant quality of life;
Whereas any investments made to update Federal Aviation Administration 
        facilities and United States ports, waterways, dams, and levees should 
        ensure that these entities remain public, improve security, and 
        facilitate commerce;
Whereas any public investment plan should include repairs and upgrades to the 
        more than 1,800 Veterans Affairs facilities to ensure that every veteran 
        has access to quality institutions and state-of-the-art treatment;
Whereas any investment plan should prioritize creating millions of living-wage 
        jobs for struggling communities and especially for people of color, 
        women, and individuals in high-poverty areas;
Whereas any public investment in Federal funding to public lands should be 
        directed through Federal land management agencies that would strengthen 
        the Nation's outdoor industry and ensure that public lands are widely 
        enjoyed by Americans for generations to come and are not sold off to 
        private entities or foreign governments;
Whereas true public investment also includes investment in Tribal 
        transportation, Indian Health Service facilities, and Bureau of Indian 
        Education schools to promote job creation in Indian country where 
        community members have had to make do with substandard services for 
        generations;
Whereas public investment should aim to build resilient communities and 
        infrastructure protection to ensure that the Nation's infrastructure can 
        withstand cyber attacks, physical attacks, and the extreme weather 
        events caused by climate change;
Whereas a genuine infrastructure agenda should not sell or lease roads, water 
        systems, or other essential infrastructure facilities, resulting in new 
        tolls and user fees on working families;
Whereas we cannot leave essential rural infrastructure in disrepair simply 
        because it would not generate profits for private investors;
Whereas any public investment plan should include repairs and upgrades to the 
        Nation's public housing and assisted housing stock to address the 
        Nation's dire affordable rental housing crisis;
Whereas government spending on infrastructure as a share of the economy has 
        fallen to a 2-decade low, and yet for every $1 in government investment 
        the Nation's economy would gain $1.70 back through greater employment 
        and efficiency; and
Whereas in its 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, the American Society of Civil 
        Engineers estimates approximately $4.6 trillion in infrastructure needs 
        over 10 years, of which $2.06 trillion does not have funding: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that any infrastructure plan passed by 
Congress must--
            (1) invest in creating millions of new jobs through 
        investments in roads, bridges, and 21st century projects;
            (2) prioritize public investment over corporate giveaways 
        and selling off public goods;
            (3) ensure that direct public investment, without reliance 
        on private investors, provides the overwhelming majority of the 
        funding for infrastructure improvement, so that public 
        investments advance the public good;
            (4) prioritize racial and gender equity and environmental 
        justice;
            (5) embrace 21st-century clean-energy jobs, including 
        expanding solar and wind power, promoting energy efficiency, 
        and modernizing the energy grid, while avoiding support for 
        projects that promote fossil fuel use and hasten the disastrous 
        effects of climate change;
            (6) include expanded Buy America provisions, protect and 
        encourage the use of project labor agreements, require the use 
        of Davis-Bacon prevailing wage standards, include strong local-
        hiring and veteran-hiring requirements, ensure racial and 
        gender equity in hiring, and guarantee that disadvantaged 
        communities most in need, including both urban and rural 
        communities, receive priority;
            (7) ensure the wealthiest Americans and profitable 
        corporations who reap the greatest economic benefit from public 
        goods pay what they owe and pay their fair share for key 
        investments moving forward;
            (8) ensure that investments are not paid for at the expense 
        of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, or any other vital 
        program;
            (9) not weaken or repeal existing laws or rules protecting 
        the air, water, or environment, transportation safety, civil 
        rights, worker safety, prevailing wage standards, or minority 
        contractor provisions; and
            (10) prioritize resilient infrastructure that can withstand 
        natural disasters, as well as physical- and cyber-attacks.
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