Alabama 2022 Regular Session

Alabama House Bill HJR199 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
OldNewDifferences
11 1 HJR199
22 2 216658-4
33 3 By Representatives Rafferty, England, Hollis, Lawrence,
44 4 Daniels, Gray, Garrett, Farley, Shedd, Lee, Bracy, Alexander,
55 5 Lovvorn, Sorrells, Bedsole, Wilcox, Coleman, Morris,
66 6 Easterbrook, Rogers, Moore (M), Lipscomb, Oliver and Paschal
77 7 RFD: Rules
88 8 First Read: 29-MAR-22
99
1010 Page 0 1 216658-4:n:03/17/2022:SLU/cr LSA2022-130R2
1111 2
1212 3
1313 4
1414 5
1515 6
1616 7
1717 8 CREATING THE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT STUDY
1818 9 COMMISSION.
1919 10
2020 11 WHEREAS, the federal Infrastructure Investment and
2121 12 Jobs Act (Public Law No. 117-58) was signed into law on
2222 13 November 15, 2021, providing significant federal investment in
2323 14 the nation's infrastructure; and
2424 15 WHEREAS, on January 27, 2021, the President of the
2525 16 United States signed Executive Order 14008 creating the
2626 17 Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the
2727 18 overall benefits of relevant federal investments to
2828 19 disadvantaged communities; and
2929 20 WHEREAS, many disadvantaged communities across
3030 21 Alabama need significant improvements in the areas of public
3131 22 transit, broadband access, water systems, and climate
3232 23 resilience; this commission would help ensure that federal
3333 24 investments are equitably distributed; and
3434 25 WHEREAS, the aforementioned federal investments
3535 26 could help provide, among other things, improved sanitation
3636 27 systems and drinking water, more reliable and affordable
3737 Page 1 1 high-speed Internet access, and cleaner and safer
3838 2 transportation systems to these disadvantaged communities; and
3939 3 WHEREAS, the formation of a commission tasked with
4040 4 identifying and communicating with disadvantaged and under
4141 5 resourced communities would help ensure that these communities
4242 6 derive benefit from the federal investments; now therefore,
4343 7 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, BOTH
4444 8 HOUSES THEREOF CONCURRING, That there is created the
4545 9 Infrastructure Investment Study Commission.
4646 10 (a) The commission shall study and shall make
4747 11 recommendations for infrastructure projects in disadvantaged
4848 12 and under resourced communities in the state. For the purposes
4949 13 of this resolution, "infrastructure" means all of the sectors
5050 14 included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,
5151 15 including transportation, water, energy, broadband, and the
5252 16 resilience and rehabilitation of the nation's natural
5353 17 resources. For the purposes of this resolution, "disadvantaged
5454 18 communities" means either a group of individuals living in
5555 19 geographic proximity to one another, or a geographically
5656 20 dispersed set of individuals, such as migrant workers or
5757 21 Native Americans, where either type of group experiences
5858 22 common conditions, and where such a group experiences, or is
5959 23 characterized by, one or more of the conditions set out under
6060 24 the "disadvantaged" description on pages 2 and 3 of the July
6161 25 20, 2021, Interim Implementation Guidance for the Justice40
6262 26 Initiative Memorandum (M-21-28) issued by the Executive Office
6363 27 of the President, Office of Management and Budget. For
6464 Page 2 1 purposes of this resolution, "infrastructure projects" means
6565 2 infrastructure improvements funded by monies available due to
6666 3 the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The study
6767 4 commission shall do all of the following:
6868 5 (1) Identify disadvantaged and under resourced
6969 6 communities throughout the state that could benefit from
7070 7 infrastructure projects.
7171 8 (2) Identify specific infrastructure deficiencies in
7272 9 these disadvantaged and under resourced communities.
7373 10 (3) Identify areas of assistance, as well as
7474 11 agencies, community partners, and academic institutions that
7575 12 will be able to provide assistance that disadvantaged and
7676 13 under resourced communities may need to:
7777 14 a. Apply for and secure funding for infrastructure
7878 15 projects.
7979 16 b. Manage and satisfy reporting obligations
8080 17 associated with any infrastructure projects.
8181 18 (4) Recommend infrastructure projects in its report
8282 19 based upon its study that reflects input from disadvantaged
8383 20 and under resourced communities and includes any
8484 21 recommendations for eliminating procedural hurdles that
8585 22 prevent the communities from applying for and securing the
8686 23 associated funding.
8787 24 (5) Identify current programs and agencies through
8888 25 which infrastructure dollars could be administered and
8989 26 distributed for and to the identified disadvantaged and under
9090 27 resourced communities.
9191 Page 3 1 (b) The commission shall be comprised of the
9292 2 following members:
9393 3 (1) One member of the House of Representatives
9494 4 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
9595 5 (2) One member of the House of Representatives
9696 6 appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
9797 7 Representatives.
9898 8 (3) One member of the Senate appointed by the
9999 9 President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
100100 10 (4) One member of the Senate appointed by the
101101 11 Minority Leader of the Senate.
102102 12 (5) The Director of the Alabama Department of
103103 13 Environmental Management, or his or her designee.
104104 14 (6) The Director of the Alabama Department of
105105 15 Transportation, or his or her designee.
106106 16 (7) The State Health Officer of the Alabama
107107 17 Department of Public Health, or his or her designee.
108108 18 (8) The Director of the Alabama Department of
109109 19 Economic and Community Affairs, or his or her designee.
110110 20 (9) The Director of the Alabama Department of
111111 21 Finance, or his or her designee.
112112 22 (10) One member of the Alabama Onsite Wastewater
113113 23 Board.
114114 24 (11) Two civic leaders from disadvantaged and under
115115 25 resourced communities appointed by the Governor.
116116 26 (12) The Director of the Alabama Department of
117117 27 Conservation and Natural Resources, or his or her designee.
118118 Page 4 1 (c) The appointing authorities shall coordinate
119119 2 their appointments to assure the commission membership is
120120 3 inclusive and reflects the racial, gender, geographic, urban,
121121 4 rural, and economic diversity of the state.
122122 5 (d) The chair and the vice chair of the commission
123123 6 shall be elected at the first meeting of the commission, which
124124 7 shall be called by the Speaker of the House of Representatives
125125 8 no later than 30 days following the effective date of this
126126 9 act. The commission shall thereafter meet at the call of the
127127 10 chair, or on a motion of a majority of its members.
128128 11 (e) The Legislature shall provide appropriate
129129 12 staffing for the commission.
130130 13 (f) The commission shall provide a preliminary
131131 14 report to the Legislature and the Governor on or before
132132 15 December 31, 2022, and a final report of its findings,
133133 16 conclusions, and recommendations to the Legislature and the
134134 17 Governor on or before December 31, 2023, at which time the
135135 18 commission shall be dissolved.
136136 19 (g) The legislative members of the commission shall
137137 20 be entitled to their legislative compensation, per diem, and
138138 21 travel expenses for each day that they attend a meeting of the
139139 22 commission, in accordance with Amendment 871 of the
140140 23 Constitution of Alabama of 1901.
141141 24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this
142142 25 resolution shall be delivered to the President of the United
143143 26 States and the Alabama Congressional Delegation.
144144 Page 5