PRINTER'S NO. 999
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
153
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY BOSCOLA, COSTA, FONTANA, KANE AND YUDICHAK,
JULY 20, 2021
REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION, JULY 20, 2021
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress of the United States to establish a national
infrastructure bank.
WHEREAS, There is a widely acknowledged shortfall in
infrastructure spending in the United States; and
WHEREAS, The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave
the United States a D+ in its 2017 report card and estimates
that the nation needs to spend $4.6 trillion to bring current
infrastructure up to a state of good repair; and
WHEREAS, The United States Chamber of Commerce reports that
the infrastructure shortfall in the United States is $3.7
trillion and North America's Building Trades Unions state that
the shortfall is $4 trillion; and
WHEREAS, The infrastructure crisis in this Commonwealth
mirrors that of the nation; and
WHEREAS, The ASCE gave Pennsylvania an overall C- in its 2018
report card; and
WHEREAS, Despite this overall "fair" grade, numerous key
infrastructure areas are lacking, including 43% of roadways
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owned by the Department of Transportation having fair or poor
roadway surfaces, and traffic congestion presently resulting in
more than $3.7 billion annually in lost time and wasted fuel;
and
WHEREAS, While funding from Act 89 of 2013 has improved the
failing grade for Pennsylvania's roadways and lead to 2,600
active or completed roadway improvement projects, Pennsylvania
still has a D+ rating in this category; and
WHEREAS, Other core components of Pennsylvania's
infrastructure are near failing grades, including:
(1) wastewater collection and treatment, graded as a D-,
with an anticipated funding gap of $8.4 billion over the next
10 years for repairing or upgrading current systems;
(2) storm water collection and treatment, graded as a D,
with a significant lack of uniformity and consistency in
funding and oversight across the State;
(3) drinking water, a necessity for quality of
life, graded as a D, with a projected funding gap of $10.2
billion for public water systems; and
(4) approximately 18.3%, or 4,173 bridges, received a D+
grade and are classified as being in poor condition;
and
WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States can enact
legislation for a new national infrastructure bank, to be
capitalized at $4 trillion; and
WHEREAS, A new national infrastructure bank can be financed
the same way as previous national infrastructure banks, by
monetizing existing Treasury debt rather than creating new debt;
and
WHEREAS, This nonpartisan model was started by Treasury
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Secretary Alexander Hamilton with the First Bank of the United
States and has been successfully used four times in our nation's
history, including under Presidents John Quincy Adams, Abraham
Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt; and
WHEREAS, A new national infrastructure bank will create 25
million new high-paying union jobs in the process and help end
poverty in our nation's rural and urban areas; and
WHEREAS, A new national infrastructure bank can help finance
many projects the nation needs, including high-speed rail,
roads, bridges, schools, water systems, flood control and many
others; and
WHEREAS, Franklin Roosevelt's national infrastructure bank,
the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, not only helped build
Pennsylvania's infrastructure but it also paid for much of the
industrial output of World War II, making Pennsylvania a
critical state in our nation's efforts, not only of producing
critical components to the war effort but also key in the
manufacturing and processing of steel, the backbone of the
country; and
WHEREAS, A new national infrastructure bank has been endorsed
by many organizations, including the National Latino Farmers and
Ranchers Trade Association, the National Congress of Black Women
and the Democratic Municipal Officials; and
WHEREAS, In support of a new national infrastructure bank, 17
state legislatures have introduced resolutions, three state
houses passed resolutions in a bipartisan vote this spring and
many city and county councils have done the same; therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
urge the Congress of the United States to establish a national
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infrastructure bank; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the President of the United States, each member of Congress from
Pennsylvania and the Governor of Pennsylvania.
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