Short title

This Act may be cited as the United States Commission on Rebuilding America for the 21st Century Act.

Findings

Congress finds the following: (1)In 1808, Albert Gallatin, while serving as President Thomas Jefferson’s Secretary of the Treasury, reported to Congress on the infrastructure investments needed by the young Nation. (2)Gallatin’s plan built on President George Washington’s vision of connecting the interior settlements of the Nation with the markets and ports of the East Coast through a network of roads and canals, and provided a roadmap for infrastructure development in the 19th century. (3)In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt convened a conference of State and territorial governors, members of his Cabinet and Congress, professional organizations, private citizens, and government agencies to plan for the United States conservation and infrastructure needs in the 20th century. (4)The resulting plan laid the groundwork for many of the critical investments initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to jumpstart the Nation’s recovery from the Great Depression. (5)Today, as in 1808 and 1908, the United States is faced with significant economic, environmental, and demographic challenges. (6)To stave off the worst effects of global warming, the United States will need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly. (7)The Nation’s population is projected to increase to 420 million by 2050, which is nearly a 50 percent increase from the Nation’s population size in 2000. (8)By 2050, more than 70 percent of the Nation’s population growth and economic growth is expected to take place in extended networks of metropolitan regions linked by environmental systems, transportation networks, economies, and culture. (9)The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission recently calculated that maintaining the Nation’s existing transportation system over the next 50 years will require $225 billion annually. The latest transportation authorization, SAFETEA–LU, provided only $244 billion total for the 5 years ending with fiscal year 2009. (10)The American Society of Civil Engineers has given the Nation’s public infrastructure, consisting of water, sewer, and transportation systems, a grade of D-minus, estimating that it will cost $1.6 trillion over the next 5 years merely to repair the Nation’s existing infrastructure. (11)The Nation’s decaying water infrastructure and a lack of available funding to maintain and upgrade the Nation’s wastewater infrastructure pose a serious threat to water quality. More than 72,000 miles of municipal water and sewer pipe are more than 80 years old, threatening the health, environment, and economy of communities large and small. (12)Population growth and associated development will place the Nation’s water resources under increasing stress, including increased pollutant loads, increased potential for flooding, diminished drinking water supplies, loss of aquatic habitat, and stream scouring and erosion. Global warming will exacerbate existing water challenges and make other changes to the natural hydrology, including more extreme storm events, more frequent droughts, higher air and water temperatures, changes in timing of stream flows, and sea level rise. New technologies and a comprehensive strategy will be needed to overcome these challenges and ensure a safe, adequate, reliable, and sustainable water supply. (13)The Environmental Protection Agency, the Congressional Budget Office, and other stakeholders have identified a funding gap of between $300 billion and $400 billion over the next 20 years for the restoration and replacement of wastewater infrastructure, and an additional $250 billion over the next 30 years will be needed to replace worn-out drinking water pipes and associated structures. (14)From 1999 to 2009, the Nation’s electricity demand rose by nearly 20 percent while transmission capacity grew by only 3.5 percent. To accommodate increased demand, and to accommodate increased electrical supply from renewable sources by 2050, electrical transmission infrastructure requires significant investment. (15)The Nation’s rural economy is dependant on transportation and communications networks to grow and compete in an increasingly globalized market. (16)Significant under-investment in public lands infrastructure jeopardizes the tremendous conservation, environmental, and mixed use benefits that these lands provide the public. (17)Much of the Nation’s infrastructure was built in the last half of the 20th century and will reach its capacity limits early in the 21st century. Unless new capacity is created in roads, rails, airports, seaports, and other systems, the Nation’s economic potential will be artificially limited. (18)Since 1980, the number of miles people in the United States drive has grown 3 times faster than the Nation’s population. Residents of walkable cities, however, drive 26 percent fewer miles per day than those living in the most sprawling areas. (19)By 2050, 89 million new or replaced homes as well as 190 billion square feet of new offices, stores, and other nonresidential buildings will be constructed. (20)By 2050, smart growth building policies could reduce total transportation-related CO2 emissions by 7 to 10 percent. (21)Development of a bold national plan to overcome these challenges by 2050 will allow the United States to respond in the most economically and environmentally sustainable way.

Establishment

There is established a commission to be known as the United States Commission on Rebuilding America for the 21st Century (in this Act referred to as the Commission).

Membership

(a)

Appointment of members

The Commission shall be composed of 17 members as follows: (1)Two members, including the chairman of the Commission, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. (2)Two members to be appointed by the majority leader of the Senate. (3)Three members to be appointed jointly by the minority leader of the House of Representatives and the minority leader of the Senate. (4)One member to be appointed by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. (5)One member to be appointed by the Secretary of Transportation. (6)One member to be appointed by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. (7)One member to be appointed by the Secretary of the Interior. (8)One member to be appointed by the Secretary of Energy. (9)One member to be appointed by the President of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Counties, in consultation with the other members of the Board. (10)One member to be appointed by the Chair of the National Governors Association. (11)One member to be appointed by the Executive Director of the National Conference of State Legislatures, in consultation with the members of the Conference’s executive committee. (12)One member to be appointed by the President of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Regional Councils, in consultation with the other members of the Board. (13)One member to be appointed by the President of the United States Conference of Mayors, in consultation with the members of the Conference’s executive board. (b)

Dates of appointments

The initial member appointed to the Commission shall be the Chairman, as designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives under subsection (a)(1). The remainder of the members of the Commission shall be appointed in the 30-day period beginning on the 30th day following the date of the appointment of the Chairman. (c)

Qualifications

(1)

In general

Each member of the Commission shall be knowledgeable in— (A)the fields of transportation finance, highway and transit programs, and transportation policy; (B)the fields of land use and housing policy, including community planning and design; (C)the fields of water supply, water infrastructure, and water conservation policy; or (D)the fields of energy supply, energy infrastructure, and energy conservation policy. (2)

Eligibility of certain representatives

The members of the Commission— (A)may include representatives of State and local governments, public transportation authorities, and other appropriate governmental units; but (B)may not include any member of the House of Representatives, the Senate, or the President’s Cabinet. (d)

Terms

The members of the Commission shall be appointed for the life of the Commission. (e)

Vacancies

A vacancy on the Commission shall be filled promptly and in the manner in which the original appointment was made. (f)

Meetings

(1)

Initial meeting

Not later than 60 days after the last day of the appointment period described in section 4(b), the Commission shall hold the initial meeting of the Commission. (2)

Meetings

The Commission shall meet at the call of the chairman of the Commission or a majority of its members. (3)

Quorum

A majority of the members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may hold hearings. (g)

Pay

Members of the Commission shall serve without pay. (h)

Travel expenses

Each member of the Commission shall receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with applicable provisions under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code.

Duties

(a)

Review of published materials

(1)

In general

The Commission shall review published materials on the Nation’s transportation, water, energy, public lands, and housing infrastructure and, based on the review, assess the challenges of meeting the Nation’s infrastructure needs in the 21st century. (2)

Report to Congress

Not later than 120 days after the last day of the appointment period described in section 4(b), the Commission shall submit to Congress a report on the review and assessment conducted under paragraph (1) and make the report available to the public. (b)

Public hearings

In order to facilitate a national dialogue on the Nation’s infrastructure needs, the Commission shall hold public hearings in at least 50 congressional districts representing a cross-section of the geographical regions of the United States, and consult with other interested persons, before submitting a final report under subsection (c) (c)

Final report

(1)

National vision of infrastructure investments

Not later than one year after the last day of the appointment period described in section 4(b), the Commission shall prepare and submit to Congress a report that— (A)documents the challenges of meeting the Nation’s transportation, water, energy, public lands, and housing infrastructure needs in the 21st century; and (B)articulates a national vision of infrastructure investments to overcome the challenges. (2)

Specific recommendations

The report to be submitted under paragraph (1) shall contain specific recommendations on appropriate policies and investments, including integration of existing programs, to provide the people of the United States with— (A)improved transportation mobility, choice, and access to economic opportunities; (B)streamlined investment processes to facilitate State and local transportation investments; (C)improved community health outcomes and social equity; (D)improved water conservation, quality, and quantity; (E)an efficient, vibrant, and flexible electric grid that delivers clean, safe, and affordable energy; (F)reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; and (G)improved public lands infrastructure sufficient to accommodate the growth in users without degrading the environmental and conservation values of the public lands. (3)

Model principles

The report to be submitted under paragraph (1) shall contain a set of model principles to ensure that future investments in the Nation’s transportation, water, energy, public lands, and housing infrastructure incorporate the findings and recommendations contained in the report.

Powers

(a)

Hearings and sessions

For the purpose of carrying out this Act, the Commission may hold such hearings, meet and act at such times and places, take such testimony, administer such oaths, and receive such evidence as the Commission considers appropriate. (b)

Other evidence

The Commission shall gather evidence through such means as the Commission considers appropriate, including— (1)by soliciting comments through Federal Register notices; and (2)by receiving testimony at public hearings conducted by members of the Commission, at the direction of the chairman of the Commission, subject to appropriate rules governing the receiving of evidence. (c)

Obtaining official data

The Commission may secure directly from any department or agency of the United States information (other than information required by any law to be kept confidential by such department or agency) necessary for the Commission to carry out its duties under this Act. Upon request of the Commission, the head of that department or agency shall furnish such nonconfidential information to the Commission. (d)

Contracts

The Commission may enter into contracts with other entities in carrying out the duties of the Commission. (e)

Gifts, bequests, and devises

To the extent or in the amounts provided in advance in appropriations Acts, the Commission may accept, use, and dispose of gifts, bequests, or devises of services or property, both real and personal, for the purpose of aiding or facilitating the work of the Commission. Gifts, bequests, or devises of money and proceeds from sales of other property received as gifts, bequests, or devises shall be deposited in the Treasury and shall be available for disbursement upon order of the Chairperson. (f)

Mails

The Commission may use the United States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other departments and agencies of the United States. (g)

Administrative support services

Upon the request of the Commission, the Administrator of General Services shall provide to the Commission, on a reimbursable basis, the administrative support services necessary for the Commission to carry out its responsibilities under this Act.

Staff

(a)

Staff

The Commission may appoint and fix the pay of such personnel as the Commission considers appropriate. (b)

Staff of Federal agencies

Upon request of the Commission, the head of any Federal department or agency may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the personnel of that department or agency to the Commission to assist the Commission in carrying out its duties under this Act. (c)

Experts and consultants

The Commission may procure temporary and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, but at rates for individuals not to exceed the daily equivalent of the maximum annual rate of basic pay for GS–15 of the General Schedule.

Authorization of appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $2,500,000.

Termination

The Commission shall terminate on the 180th day following the date of transmittal of the final report required under section 5(c). All records and papers of the Commission shall thereupon be delivered to the Administrator of General Services for deposit in the National Archives.