[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 1, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H2986-H2987]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        MODERNIZING INFRASTRUCTURE IS IMPORTANT TO ALL AMERICANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, like many Members of Congress, I came 
determined to increase long-term Federal investment in infrastructure.
  Supporting the movement of people, goods, energy, and information 
through our infrastructure is crucial to driving investment in our 
communities and maintaining America's economic competitiveness.
  Modernizing our infrastructure is important to Americans in every 
part of the country. We know that infrastructure projects are 
consistently evaluated as the best return on government investment.

                              {time}  0915

  As a member of the New Democratic Coalition, we believe any new 
proposal must include new revenue, new financing, new funding, and 
regulatory streamlining and encourage lifecycle funding in innovative 
infrastructure projects that are built to last.
  As chair of the New Democrat Coalition Infrastructure Task Force and 
a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I believe 
that there should be four pillars for infrastructure deals. Those 
include revenue funding.

[[Page H2987]]

  I support securing dedicated, sustainable revenue to keep the Highway 
Trust Fund solvent well into the future and increasing Federal 
investment that is not looted for other purposes.
  We need a variety of funding options, including mileage-based user 
fees; raising or indexing the gas tax; user fees on electric vehicles 
or batteries to create parity with gasoline-powered vehicles; slightly 
increasing the corporate tax rate and dedicating the incremental 
revenue gains toward infrastructure, both expanded and new bond 
programs.
  We must think strategically and use lifecycle cost analysis to 
account for the operating and maintenance needs of an asset across its 
entire lifecycle. Thus, we will help guard against deferred 
maintenance.
  I support investing seed capital to capitalize an infrastructure bank 
that would leverage its funds for everything from roads, to water, to 
broadband projects. The bank would be accessible to States, localities, 
and regional groups and would be able to loan them money with favorable 
terms as well as offer bond insurance.
  I and the task force support grant programs that would specifically 
target areas in desperate need of revitalizing their infrastructure, 
including those recovering from natural disasters, communities with 
higher rates of unemployment and poverty, and rural areas. That means 
new avenues to fund infrastructure projects in communities that have 
been left behind and in areas that traditionally struggle to attract 
infrastructure funding for projects that have holistic community 
support.
  The task force recognizes the importance of continued regulatory 
streamlining in a way that balances expedited construction with 
appropriate environmental and safety safeguards. The administration 
must work to implement the numerous streamlining provisions already 
passed into law by Congress in the FAST Act transportation bill.
  In addition, I support encouraging the use of regional partnerships 
and public-private partnerships.
  We must also think about broadband and realize that this is the new 
transportation of the 21st century, making sustainable and innovative 
public and private investments across the U.S. to repair and upgrade 
existing assets and build vital new projects.
  We must seek to support projects that help communities become more 
energy efficient, resilient, and better prepared to deal with the 
impact of climate change and environmental cleanup.
  Finally, we must seek to give communities ownership of local 
development and encourage innovation, regulatory streamlining, and more 
comprehensive multiproject long-term planning.

                          ____________________