Infrastructure And Development
Infrastructure and development are two closely related concepts and are critical for the success of any country. Infrastructure development became the backbone of the United States after WWII which not only provided job opportunities to the people but it also laid the path for a long-term vision to support our economic growth. It helped advance and improved the quality of life through economic growth, social progress, and technological advancement.
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Our infrastructure is crumbling and under pressure and in need of upgrades and restoration to keep up with the world. President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that will provide funding to states over the next few years to invest in physical infrastructure to build roads and bridges, public transit, clean drinking water and wastewater systems, electric vehicle charging networks, and high-speed internet.
We have a moral liability to ensure these funds are appropriately and effectively utilized and are not lost to corporate greed and bureaucracy.
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Oversight: There needs to be effective oversight to avoid any overages and delays. I would propose a bill that penalizes corporations that do not complete work time rather than providing them with additional funding to complete the projects. Private corporations run for profit and they have all the means to evaluate the cost of these projects and bid appropriately. Most of these contracts come with an inflation clause and they benefit from the delay of these projects as they make more money through increased billings. We need to stop that and ensure these projects remain within budget, are timely completed, and provide opportunities to additional firms with lower costs to complete the jobs.
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National Vision: While the Intrastate Bill covered most of the needs it left certain critical things out of its purview to be managed by States and private corporations it being schools, colleges, and hospitals. We need to build a holistic national vision on these critical areas to ensure we are keeping up with the world and still providing best-in-class education that in turn leads to creating leaders and innovators that ensure America’s growth and world dominance.