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