126th Morrison Congress

2nd Session

S. 126-018

Title of the Bill: Infrastructure Improvement Bill

Main Author(s): Sen. Phoebe Han and Sen. Karen Lin

Co-Sponsor(s):

BE IT ENACTED BY THE MORRISON CONGRESS

1 SECTION 1: Findings
2 Congress makes the following findings: (need more stats on current
3 infrastructure)
4 1) Over the last decade, extreme weather and wildfire events have cost the
5 federal government more than $350 billion, with most estimates predicting
6 much higher costs going forward. (i)
7 2) 9 of the 10 costliest Atlantic hurricanes (not including Harvey or Irma) have
8 occurred since 2000. (ii)
9 3) According to NOAAs National Centers for Environmental Information, the
10 United States has suffered 212 weather and climate disasters since 1980
11 that have cost more than $1 billion, totaling $1.2 trillion. (ii)
12 4) Hurricane Irma disrupted nearly half of all cell sites in southwest Florida. The
13 storm left some seven million users throughout the state without broadband
14 coverage. Northeast of Corpus Christi, more than three-quarters of all cell
15 sites were knocked out by Hurricane Harvey, and nearly 300,000 Texans
16 lacked broadband access in the storms aftermath. (iii)
17 5) Every $1 spent on mitigation measures ahead of a disaster saves $4 down
18 the road, according to the National Institute of Building Sciences. The
19 alternative is continuing down a business-as-usual path of poorly designed
20 infrastructure, homes, and industrial plants in flood-prone areas that will
21 require repeated, costly repair or rebuilding and threaten the health and
22 safety of the American people. - Cathleen Kelly, Kristina Costa, and Sarah
23 Edelman (iv)
24
25 SECTION 2: Purpose
26 This bill provides that funds for disaster relief are properly used to rebuild and
27 improve our infrastructure in order to increase its durability and effectiveness.
28
29 SECTION 3: General Provisions
30 To ensure that funds for disaster relief are appropriated based on an estimate of
31 average annual relief costs, ensuring that not an excessive amount is being spent
32 and that during costly years, there will be enough money available.
33 To ensure that future buildings and housing are rebuilt for extreme climate change
34 and built to have a strong foundation.
35 To incorporate more flexibility into our infrastructure, such as using controls to
36 quickly adjust stoplights during hurricanes, allowing drivers to evacuate swiftly.
37 To support programs that are working to carry the provisions above, such as the
38 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Federal
 39 Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other federal agencies.
40
41 SECTION 4: Definitions
42 1) Infrastructure: the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities
43 needed for the operation of a society or enterprise (e.g. buildings, roads,
44 power supplies)
45 2) NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
46

Works Cited:
(i) https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/10/
(ii) https://www.vox.com/explainers/2017/9/18/16314440/
(iii) https://www.forbes.com/sites/brighammccown/2017/10/30/
(iv) https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/reports/2017/10/03/440134
-https://theconversation.com/6-rules-for-rebuilding-infrastructure-in-an-era-of-unprecedented-
weather-events-83129