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