Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HJ1 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
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3	3	hj0001
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5	5	HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1
6	6	C8, I1 5lr0931
7	7	(PRE–FILED) CF 5lr1729
8	8	By: Delegates Qi and Wu
9	9	Requested: September 24, 2024
10	10	Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
11	11	Assigned to: Rules and Executive Nominations
12	12
13	13	HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
14	14
15	15	A House Joint Resolution concerning 1
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17	17	United States of America – National Infrastructure Bank 2
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19	19	FOR the purpose of urging the U.S. Congress to enact federal legislation to establish a 3
20	20	national infrastructure bank; and generally relating to a national infrastructure 4
21	21	bank. 5
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23	23	WHEREAS, The United States of America lacks critical investment in infrastructure 6
24	24	projects; and 7
25	25
26	26	WHEREAS, The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), in its 2021 report card, 8
27	27	assigned the United States a grade of C – regarding the then–current state of 9
28	28	infrastructure, and estimated that more than $6 trillion would be needed to restore the 10
29	29	nation’s infrastructure to a state of good repair, of which $3 trillion was then unfunded and 11
30	30	the remainder was inadequately funded, with new 21st–century projects also unfunded; 12
31	31	and 13
32	32
33	33	WHEREAS, Maryland is in dire need of substantial infrastructure investment and 14
34	34	improvement to protect the State’s economy and improve its quality of life; and 15
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36	36	WHEREAS, According to the American Road and Transportation Builders 16
37	37	Association (ARTBA), Maryland has 1,595 bridges in need of repairs, and following the 17
38	38	collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, there are now 305 “fracture critical” bridges 18
39	39	standing in Maryland; and 19
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41	41	WHEREAS, Maryland’s drinking water infrastructure is aging, with Baltimore City 20
42	42	recently averaging 1,000 water breaks per year, stormwater repair and replacement 21
43	43	potentially costing $3 billion, and the replacement of lead water service lines projected to 22
44	44	cost more than $75 million; and 23
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46	46	WHEREAS, Maryland needs at least 150,000 new units of affordable housing to 24
47	47	address the needs of its most housing–insecure residents; and 25 2 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1
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51	51	WHEREAS, Traffic congestion in the Baltimore metropolitan area costs each driver 1
52	52	$1,371 per year in lost time and wasted fuel, and the average driver in the Washington 2
53	53	D.C. suburban area loses 100 hours per year due to traffic, with a cost of $2,465 per driver 3
54	54	per year, and statewide, drivers lose $5.8 billion each year in lost time and fuel due to 4
55	55	congestion; and 5
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57	57	WHEREAS, Congress has introduced H.R. 4052, the “National Infrastructure Bank 6
58	58	Act”, which would create a $5 trillion bank to finance all infrastructure requirements, 7
59	59	including bringing the nation’s infrastructure to a state of good repair and building new 8
60	60	projects; and 9
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62	62	WHEREAS, The National Infrastructure Bank is modeled on previous banks that 10
63	63	helped build much of the nation’s infrastructure under Presidents George Washington, 11
64	64	John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the last such bank 12
65	65	played a key role in lifting the nation out of the Great Depression and supporting efforts 13
66	66	during World War II; and 14
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68	68	WHEREAS, The National Infrastructure Bank is projected to create 25 million new 15
69	69	jobs, pay Davis–Bacon wages, enforce Buy America provisions, ensure significant 16
70	70	disbursements to disadvantaged business enterprises, and mandate large–scale minority 17
71	71	hiring, all without requiring new federal spending or taxes, and according to experts, is 18
72	72	expected to grow the economy by 5% per year, as previous infrastructure banks did; and 19
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74	74	WHEREAS, The National Infrastructure Bank will collaborate with states to finance 20
75	75	the total buildout of broadband, repair all roads and bridges, expand the power grid, fix all 21
76	76	drinking water and wastewater systems, invest in affordable housing, replace all lead 22
77	77	water service lines, expand mass transit, finance the capital needs of the Washington Metro 23
78	78	system, fund high–speed rail in the Northeast Corridor, and more; and 24
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80	80	WHEREAS, The National Infrastructure Bank is overwhelmingly supported, with 25
81	81	28 state legislatures that have introduced or passed resolutions of support, as well as 26
82	82	county and city councils, and national organizations such as the National Black Caucus of 27
83	83	State Legislators, the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, the National 28
84	84	Asian–Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators, the Council of State 29
85	85	Governments East, the National Association of Counties (NACO), the National Association 30
86	86	of Development Organizations (NADO), the U.S. High Speed Rail Association, the 31
87	87	American Sustainable Business Council, the National Association of Minority Contractors, 32
88	88	the United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters International Union, and others; now, 33
89	89	therefore, be it 34
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91	91	RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That the members 35
92	92	of the U.S. Congress are urged to enact H.R. 4052 to establish a National Infrastructure 36
93	93	Bank to finance urgently needed infrastructure projects; and be it further 37
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95	95	RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be forwarded by the Department of 38
96	96	Legislative Services to the Office of the President of the United States of America, 1600 39 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1 3
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99	99	Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20500; the Honorable Wes Moore, Governor 1
100	100	of Maryland; the Honorable William C. Ferguson, IV, President of the Senate of Maryland; 2
101	101	the Honorable Adrienne A. Jones, Speaker of the House of Delegates; and the Maryland 3
102	102	Congressional Delegation. 4
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