Massachusetts House Bill H3128

Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/16/23
• Refer: 2/16/23
• Refer: 3/11/24
• Refer: 3/28/24

Caption

Resolve establishing a commission on infrastructure resilience

Impact

This bill will result in a focused effort to assess the resilience of infrastructure systems throughout Massachusetts. By making infrastructure resilience a priority through formal investigation, the commission is expected to provide valuable insights and actionable recommendations. The findings could lead to legislative changes or funding appropriations necessary for addressing weaknesses in infrastructure, thereby enhancing public safety and operational efficiency across multiple domains, including transportation and utilities.

Summary

House Bill H3128 seeks to establish a special commission on infrastructure resilience within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The commission's primary objective is to study the current state of infrastructure resilience, identify gaps in security, and develop a comprehensive strategic plan to enhance the protection of existing infrastructure assets. The bill emphasizes the importance of coordination among various stakeholders including state and local agencies, utilities, and emergency responders to improve the commonwealth's overall infrastructure resilience and responsiveness to potential threats and challenges.

Contention

As with many legislative proposals, there could be points of contention surrounding H3128. Potential criticisms may focus on the allocation of resources for the commission's activities and whether sufficient attention will be paid to underrepresented regions or communities within the commonwealth. Additionally, there may be discussions about the effectiveness of including industry representatives on the commission, as stakeholders could have differing views on what constitutes best practices relating to infrastructure resilience. Balancing state priorities with local needs is likely to be a significant theme in these discussions.