Reforming, Expanding, and Simplifying Investment for Local Infrastructure to Enhance our Neighborhoods and Towns Act

Short title— This Act may be cited as the “Reforming, Expanding, and Simplifying Investment for Local Infrastructure to Enhance our Neighborhoods and Towns Act” or the “RESILIENT Act”.

Table of contents— The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

rural infrastructure, such as roads, water systems, and broadband, is in dire need of upgrade and repair;

rural areas face unique challenges when addressing infrastructure;

rural communities often lack staff with the necessary expertise to develop major infrastructure projects or to secure financing;

many rural projects struggle to attract regional support or private sector investment;

revenue sources, such as taxes or user fees, are limited in many rural areas;

13 percent of major rural roads are in poor condition, and more than 50 percent of rural bridges are considered to not be in good condition;

only 60 percent of counties nationwide have public transportation service, and over ¼ of those counties have very limited public transportation service;

many rural transit vehicles are still on the road despite being past their useful life, which can lead to costly repairs, unreliable service, and safety issues;

every day, nearly 6,000,000,000 gallons of treated drinking water are lost, an amount that could support 15,000,000 households;

without a full investment in water, by 2040, the cumulative impact from breakdowns in water supply, treatment, and wastewater capacity is estimated to cost manufacturers and other businesses $7,500,000,000,000 in lost sales and $4,100,000,000,000 in lost gross domestic product;

Federal agencies estimate that the cost of drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects in rural communities will total almost $190,000,000,000 in the coming decades;

small water systems reaching fewer than 3,300 people serve only 8 percent of the population of the United States, but account for nearly 83 percent of reported funding needs;

Federal funding of water infrastructure was 63 percent of total capital spending in 1977, and was down to 9 percent in 2014;

nearly 1 in 3 rural residents lack access to basic broadband;

every dollar spent on infrastructure generates up to $2.50;

Federal, State, and local governments combined spent $440,500,000,000 on infrastructure in 2017, with less than 25 percent of that amount provided by the Federal Government;

fewer multidisciplinary Federal agency field staff has reduced the capacity of rural communities to navigate complex infrastructure projects;

lack of adequate infrastructure adversely impacts the efforts of rural communities to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, and diversify their economies; and

it is therefore in the national economic interest to assist rural communities in addressing their infrastructure needs.

Infrastructure— The term infrastructure means infrastructure for renewable or conventional energy production, electricity transmission, surface transportation, aviation, a port or waterway, a water resource project, drinking water or wastewater treatment, broadband, a pipeline, an elementary school or secondary school (as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)), and an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)).

Rural— The term rural means any area located outside—

Rural infrastructure project— The term rural infrastructure project means a project for infrastructure in a rural area.