Issue Position: Build Resilient Infrastructure

Issue Position

We must revitalize our infrastructure to support the health of our people and our planet. A 21st Century infrastructure will improve our quality of life from removing toxins like lead and asbestos from our homes to connecting communities with high-speed rail, to affordable high-speed internet for everyone.

The American Society of Civil Engineers assigned the United States a D+ grade when assessing our conditions of roads, airports and other infrastructure elements
We need a $2 trillion investment in our energy, water and transportation systems
The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) which invests $4 billion in Minnesota expires in 2020:
First federal transportation bill enacted in over ten years that provides long-term funding for infrastructure planning and investment
Funded through the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which is funded by the federal motor fuels tax
Expiration would mean the HTF faces a shortfall of $18 billion
Vision and Policy Priorities
TRANSITION TO A 21ST CENTURY INFRASTRUCTURE TO TRANSFORM OUR ENERGY, WATER AND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
Mandate local hiring in addition to raising the benchmark for locally prevailing wages in each area, increasing workers' paychecks.
Target employment for those who have been systematically shut out of economic growth
Ensure that job training and local hiring will reflect the racial and gender diversity of the community's workforce and those seeking employment
Invest in and prioritize communities of color and women-owned businesses, cooperatives and employee-owned firms, and community-owned and municipal enterprises
Support the MOVE Act
This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue regulations necessary to establish performance measures relating to multi-modal transportation connectivity and accessibility for states and metropolitan planning organizations to use to assess the connectivity and accessibility of roadways, public transit infrastructure, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and other transportation infrastructure
It improves transportation planning to provide a variety of transportation options, better connect people to their jobs, and provide improved accessibility for disadvantaged people
ADDRESS THE NATIONAL CLEAN WATER CRISIS
Provide federal funding to adequately invest in the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds and stem our nation's water affordability crisis. For every $1 million we invest in clean energy infrastructure, we create 3 times as many jobs in all sectors of the U.S. economy as existing fossil fuel infrastructure has the capacity to create.

The Water, Affordability, Transparency, Equity and Reliability (WATER) Act of 2018 will create a WATER Trust Fund, and dedicate $35 billion each year to grant programs and to the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Loan (SRF) programs.
Increase funding to construct, repair and service household drinking water wells;
Create a new grant program for the repair, replacement or upgrading of household septic tanks and drainage fields;
Increase funding to Indigenous governments for water infrastructure;
Provide funding for public schools to test and replace drinking water infrastructure; and
Provide grants to replace lead service lines serving households.
ENSURE NATIONWIDE ACCESS TO RELIABLE, HIGH-SPEED INTERNET
Restore and protect Net Neutrality
Support the FCC's "E-Rate" program invests in broadband internet in rural, small towns, and underserved urban schools
Provide digital health tools for health care professionals and remove geographic barriers for patient treatment
Provide a 21st century education for our youth, giving them the digital skills they need for a brighter future

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