Public-Private Partnerships Can Rebuild Infrastructure Effectively for Less Money
Floor Speech
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Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the importance of our Nation's infrastructure and how to rebuild our transportation system the right way.
While we are hearing about the various proposals from Congress and the administration that would raise taxes or add to the deficit to spend hundreds of billions of dollars and even trillions of dollars on infrastructure, I would suggest that this body take a closer look at how frequently infrastructure can be built effectively without further burdening the taxpayer or our children for generations to come.
As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, I hear routinely from the private sector, the financial services industry, banks, insurance companies, asset managers, pension funds, private equity firms, life insurance firms, and the like that trillions of dollars of private capital is readily available to efficiently rebuild our Nation's infrastructure without undermining American competitiveness through higher taxes.
Public-private partnerships utilize the best features of the public sector and the private sector to finance, design, build, and even operate our critical infrastructure necessary to support safe and efficient channels of commerce, grow our economy, and sustain our quality of life.
The best example I have seen comes from my own State of Kentucky, where the small community of Brandenburg partnered with a contractor, The Walker Company, and GRW Engineers, to design, build, and finance a new wastewater treatment plant for Brandenburg. This project had significant urgency due to the announcement that Nucor Steel intended to build a new $1.7 billion steel mill on the property that included the site of the existing treatment plant.
The P3 delivery method, authorized by Kentucky statutes passed in 2016, was utilized to cut $3.5 million in cost from the $8.3 million project and to save at least one year over the normal taxpayer- financed, design-bid-build process.
Relocating this plant in a timely and cost-effective manner allowed Nucor Steel to begin construction of its facility, which soon will bring over 400 good-paying jobs to the region.
Mr. Speaker, whatever infrastructure bill emerges from this Congress, I would urge my colleagues to reject the Biden administration's call for growth-destroying tax increases and instead look to America's deep and liquid capital markets as the solution and use public-private partnerships as a significant feature of the legislation. Recognizing Our Nation's Police Officers
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Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Nation's police officers and honor the sacrifices that many brave men and women of law enforcement make every single day.
We mourn for Detective James Kirk, Officer Martez Hughes, and Special Deputy Sheriff Lee Daniel Manns from Kentucky, as well as the hundreds of other law enforcement officers from across the country who have given their lives in the line of duty over the last year.
Beginning in 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed into law a proclamation designating May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week in which that date falls as National Police Week. Republicans and Democrats continued the tradition of honoring officers who serve and officers who died in the line of duty each year since.
Sadly, Mr. Speaker, President Biden broke this tradition in his proclamation on May 7 and politicized this year's National Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day by criticizing police for the distrust that some Americans have of law enforcement.
Mr. Speaker, blaming the police for the increase in antipolice sentiment is not how we honor those who swear an oath to uphold public trust, even though the officers may become targets for senseless acts of violence.
According to the FBI's Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted database, fatal felony attacks on officers spiked 31.6 percent in early 2021. This comes on the heels of our Nation's major cities, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, all vowing to defund their police departments. It is no wonder why these cities have tragically seen a devastating and dramatic increase in homicides and shootings in 2021. This is what you get when you call for defunding the police.
To our brave law enforcement officers who protect and serve our communities, I stand with you, and I am grateful for all you do to keep us safe. I will always defend and fight against defunding the police. Honoring Sheila Currans
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Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a dedicated leader in rural healthcare.
After 48 years, Sheila Currans retires as the CEO of Harrison Memorial Hospital. Mrs. Currans' service began as a high school candy striper. She served as a medical-surgical nurse, an ICU/CCU head nurse, and supervisor of nursing. She led for 5 years as COO and then was named CEO in 2009.
Harrison Memorial Hospital, located in rural Cynthiana, Kentucky, serves people from a seven-county region and is one of the few remaining independent, not-for-profit hospitals in Kentucky.
The people of Harrison County and the surrounding counties have been fortunate to have a great leader in Mrs. Currans and her passion for healthcare excellence, leadership experience, and understanding of rural healthcare needs. She will be missed, and I wish Sheila Currans all the best in her well-deserved retirement.
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