HLS 18RS-1064 ORIGINAL
2018 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 110
BY REPRESENTATIVE JAMES
INFRASTRUCTURE: Memorializes the United States Congress to address specific
principles in its infrastructure plan
1 A RESOLUTION
2To memorialize the United States Congress to pass legislation that supports efforts to build,
3 modernize, and maintain the United States' infrastructure with consideration of
4 certain principles.
5 WHEREAS, a country's infrastructure is the bedrock of its economy; and
6 WHEREAS, the traditional system of roads, bridges, railroads, waterways, and
7pipelines, commonly referred to as infrastructure, affects a country's ability to produce
8goods, deliver services and products, and connect a workforce to jobs; and
9 WHEREAS, the strength and efficiency of a nation's infrastructure have a direct
10impact on that nation as a global economic competitor and leader; and
11 WHEREAS, on a local level, infrastructure also affects a state's ability to participate
12and thrive in the nation's economy; and
13 WHEREAS, with an inadequate infrastructure, a state struggles to move its people
14and goods throughout the state and across state lines; and
15 WHEREAS, Louisiana currently has a more than thirteen billion dollar backlog for
16sorely needed road and bridge work throughout the state; and
17 WHEREAS, identifying funding and generating revenue to address the state's
18backlog have been looming problems for many years; and
19 WHEREAS, the Louisiana section of the American Society of Civil Engineers
20(ASCE) evaluated and studied eleven major components of Louisiana's infrastructure; and
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1 WHEREAS, after its evaluations, the Louisiana section of the ASCE, in its 2017
2Louisiana Infrastructure Report Card, determined that, "Our infrastructure is poorly
3maintained, inadequately funded, and not designed to meet tomorrow's demands.
4Consequently, the state is at a disadvantage and will continue to lose its economic
5competitiveness."; and
6 WHEREAS, the ASCE has given the state of Louisiana a statewide average grade
7of "D+" for its infrastructure; and
8 WHEREAS, the United States' infrastructure also suffers from years of deterioration
9and neglect; and
10 WHEREAS, for decades, the United States has failed to develop means to finance
11infrastructure projects to keep pace with the needs of the country; and
12 WHEREAS, choosing to defer repairs, maintenance, and upgrades to the country's
13infrastructure has delivered a crippling blow to the nation's economy and growth; and
14 WHEREAS, the United States also received a cumulative grade of "D+" from the
15ASCE, showing a drop in grades for three categories: parks, solid waste, and transit; and
16 WHEREAS, the ongoing and consistent decline of the country's infrastructure
17jeopardizes the United States' ability to remain competitive in the global market; and
18 WHEREAS, the United States now faces serious challenges as it seeks to address
19pitfalls including having to prioritize badly needed projects with insufficient funding; and
20 WHEREAS, through a combination of federal and nonfederal funding, President
21Donald Trump has set a one trillion dollar infrastructure investment as his target; and
22 WHEREAS, the president has outlined the following four key principles as the basis
23for his proposal:
24 (1) Make targeted federal investments.
25 (2) Encourage self-help.
26 (3) Align infrastructure investment with entities best suited to provide sustained and
27efficient investment.
28 (4) Leverage the private sector; and
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1 WHEREAS, while the United States Congress will be faced with the decision to
2enact the president's plan or propose its own, choosing to do nothing is not a viable option;
3and
4 WHEREAS, since the United States Congress must act, it should do so with an eye
5toward responsibility, innovation, and sustainability; and
6 WHEREAS, it is vitally important that congress consider new and creative plans to
7design and implement an infrastructure network that reaches every state, serves every
8demographic, increases employment, and moves the United States of America into the
9twenty-first century to rightfully regain its position as a global economic leader; and
10 WHEREAS, such plans must include a comprehensive approach to the nontraditional
11and ever-changing needs of the nation's people, businesses, and technology.
12 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
13Legislature of Louisiana does hereby memorialize the United States Congress to pass
14legislation that supports efforts to build, modernize, and maintain the nation's infrastructure
15with consideration for the following principles:
16 (1) Redefining infrastructure. A twenty-first century economy demands a broader,
17more inclusive definition to ensure that the country is fully considering all of its
18infrastructure needs. A newer definition should be expanded to include the following:
19 (a) Energy-efficient housing.
20 (b) Broadband.
21 (c) Education facilities, including access to traditional universities and community
22 colleges, as well as Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
23 (d) Forest roads, sidewalks, and bike trails.
24 (e) Parks.
25 (f) Waste removal and treatment.
26 (g) Programs connecting seniors to the rest of the economy.
27 (2) Committing to fund job training and workforce development. Provisions must
28focus on enabling young workers and urban residents to benefit from any infrastructure plan
29through training, pre-apprenticeships, and related approaches, including Registered
30Apprenticeships within the telecommunications and technology sectors. It must promote
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HR NO. 110
1meaningful skills development, technical training, internships, and job placement
2opportunities for African Americans and urban community members. This must be fully
3integrated into any proposal. Without this, the benefits will not be broadly and fairly shared.
4 (3) Empowering minority contractors. Minority contractors should have the
5opportunity to rebuild their communities and employ hardworking Americans along the way.
6Infrastructure investments should be disseminated through a transparent procurement
7process with aggressive contracting goals for disadvantaged business entities and effective
8enforcement to root out fraudulent firms. Contractors and subcontractors should have the
9ability to employ local hiring preferences and subcontractors should receive prompt payment
10when services are rendered.
11 (4) Promoting inclusiveness. Infrastructure development and planning should be
12inclusive of underserved segments of the population, such as poor, rural, and elderly
13communities. A twenty-first century economy should not exclude any individuals from
14participation on the basis of demographics, geography, or financial means. By ensuring
15participation from all individuals, this country can provide equal opportunity for each and
16every American to contribute in meaningful ways to the economy and the communities in
17which they live.
18 (5) Building for resilience. Climate change and the volatility that are associated with
19extreme weather events are only expected to worsen over time. More intense storms, sea
20level rise, storm surges, and other unusual weather conditions are placing an immense strain
21on the nation's infrastructure and the limited resources that it has to build and maintain it.
22As the country plans for the future and conceptualizes how it will build up its infrastructure,
23it needs to consider the long-term viability of these projects and their resilience to extreme
24weather.
25 (6) Multi-modal transportation planning. A robust transportation network must
26consider the changing demographics of its users and the subsequent changes in demand.
27Conventional transportation planning relies heavily on motor vehicle traffic. However, many
28communities - particularly in urban areas - must now consider pedestrians, cyclists, public
29transit riders, ridesharing, and other users when evaluating the effectiveness of the
30transportation ecosystem.
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1 (7) Future-proofing. The development and adoption of autonomous vehicles,
2positive train control, NextGen, Smart City planning, and other technologies and
3transportation models are vastly altering the way the country conceptualizes, plans, and
4executes transportation policy. The unique challenges that the nation faces will only grow
5increasingly more complex as the population grows and the nature of its infrastructure
6becomes more interconnected. An infrastructure package must not only address the
7immediate needs of the country's crumbling system, but also anticipate the needs of a
8generation to come.
9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
10presiding officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Congress of the
11United States of America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional delegation.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 110 Original 2018 Regular Session James
Memorializes congress to pass legislation that supports efforts to build, modernize, and
maintain the United States' infrastructure with consideration of the following principles:
(1)Redefining infrastructure.
(2) Committing to fund job training and workforce development.
(3) Empowering minority contractors.
(4) Promoting inclusiveness.
(5) Building for resilience.
(6) Multi-modal transportation planning.
(7) Future-proofing.
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