[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 136 (Sunday, August 1, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S5237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               H.R. 3684

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, let me begin my remarks this evening by 
expressing my appreciation to Senators Portman and Sinema for their 
extraordinary leadership of our group, our bipartisan group, of 10 
Senators, who have labored so hard to bring before the Senate the 
bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
  This legislation represents the most significant investment in our 
infrastructure since the construction of the Interstate Highway System. 
Think about that. For generations, for decades, we have talked about 
the need to rebuild our roads and our bridges, our airports, our 
seaports, our waterways, our water treatment systems, and, today, to 
expand high-speed internet access to Americans throughout our country 
no matter where they live--whether they are in the northern regions of 
Maine or an inner city neighborhood--and that is exactly what this 
legislation would do.
  I want to just quickly give an example from my own State of Maine.
  Maine has 315 bridges and nearly 1,500 miles of roads that are rated 
as being in poor condition. Now the State of Maine will have the 
funding that will enable it to make major investments in the repair and 
replacement of this critical infrastructure. I am particularly pleased 
that the legislation includes $65 billion to expand access to 
broadband.
  And I want to thank my colleague Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who worked 
so closely with me. We were partners in this endeavor, and this is 
going to make such a difference to students who are doing online 
courses, to seniors who want access to telemedicine, to individuals who 
are able to work from home, but none of that is possible without access 
to high-speed internet services.
  I am very pleased to be part of this group, and I am also delighted 
to demonstrate to the American people that we can work across the aisle 
in a bipartisan way to achieve real results that matter to the people 
of this country.
  I yield to the Senator from New Hampshire.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.

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