[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 1 (Thursday, January 3, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2-E3]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REINTRODUCTION OF THE BUILD AMERICA ACT

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 3, 2019

  Mr. HASTINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Build 
America Act, legislation that will provide $10 billion annually for 
merit-based infrastructure grants across the country. For years, House 
Democrats have called for a dramatic investment in infrastructure, and 
for years, these call calls have gone unanswered. I am hopeful that 
this will be the year that we finally make the investments we need. I 
am proud to offer my own legislation today--not for a massive, all-
encompassing infrastructure package--but rather, for a common sense 
expansion of successful programs based on need and merit that will 
ensure we put money towards the greatest infrastructure needs 
regardless of any additional package passed in the House.
  My legislation will significantly increase the size and scope of two 
existing infrastructure grant programs, the Capital Investment Grant 
Program (CIG), also known as New Starts/Small Starts, and the BUILD 
Grant Program, formerly known as the Transportation Investment 
Generating Economic Recovery Grant Program, or TIGER Grants. These 
programs have been immensely successful in the past, assisting rural 
and urban communities prioritize their own needs. Each program requires 
matching funds from those seeking assistance, making them smart and 
effective avenues for leveraging federal funding to make a real impact 
across the country.
  My bill takes these programs out of the annual appropriations 
process. Instead, it establishes them as mandatory programs with 
permanent and expanded funding streams totaling more than $10 billion 
annually.
  This expansion will be welcome news to the thousands of communities 
like those I represent. Consider this, Madam Speaker: since

[[Page E3]]

2009, Congress has dedicated more than $5.1 billion for multiple rounds 
of TIGER funding. In FY2015 alone, the program received $10.1 billion 
in applications. That's twice the total amount of funding over a 10 
year period in just a single fiscal year. The process is competitive, 
and it allows the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to reward 
applicants that exceed eligibility criteria and demonstrate commitments 
to their projects.
  By increasing these funding levels and removing the programs from the 
annual appropriations process, we will take the guesswork and 
uncertainty out of the programs. This in turn will allow communities 
around the country to submit funding requests for projects of national, 
regional, or metropolitan-area significance, including the construction 
and repair of roads, bridges, and tunnels, the installation of high 
speed internet, revitalization of drinking water infrastructure, and 
the construction and expansion of fixed-guideway public transportation 
systems, including subways, light rail, commuter rail, and bus rapid 
transit (BRT).
  Madam Speaker, we have talked about prioritizing a large-scale 
infrastructure package for years. Last Congress, Congressional 
Democrats unveiled a trillion-dollar plan to make these investments and 
create tens of thousands of jobs. However, like so many other 
proposals, it was rejected out of hand by the Republican Majority. We 
need to get serious.
  Every four years, the American Society of Civil Engineers' issues a 
``Report Card'' for America's Infrastructure. The report depicts the 
condition and performance of American infrastructure, assigning letter 
grades based on the physical condition and needed investments for 
improvement across 16 major infrastructure categories. The most recent 
report card was issued last two years ago. Among the national rankings, 
transit systems were rated a D- and roads were rated a D.
  Dams: D.
  Drinking water: D.
  Inland waterways: D.
  Levees: D.
  We need to move this process forward. I urge my colleagues to 
consider my bill without delay, so that our country can begin making 
the investments it desperately needs.

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