[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 6, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E9-E10]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             INTRODUCTION OF THE BUILD AMERICA ACT OF 2021

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 6, 2021

  Mr. HASTINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Build 
America Act of 2021, 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 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 introduce my legislation today--not for a 
massive, all-encompassing infrastructure package--but rather, for a 
commonsense 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, since 2009, Congress has 
dedicated more than $8 billion for multiple rounds of TIGER/BUILD 
funding. In FY2020 alone, the program received over $9 billion in 
applications. That is more than 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, the House passed H.R. 
2, the Moving Forward Act, a $1.5 trillion plan to rebuild American 
infrastructure. However, like so many other bills passed during the 
116th Congress, it was ignored by the Republican controlled Senate. 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

[[Page E10]]

the physical condition and needed investments for improvement across 16 
major infrastructure categories. The most recent report card was issued 
in 2017. 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 support 
this critically important bill, so that our country can begin making 
the investments it desperately needs.

                          ____________________