AASHTO Journal, 2 August 2013
Congressional representatives this week announced the creation of a new House caucus that will focus on building and maintaining the nation’s transportation infrastructure through the increase of public private partnerships across the country.
The Congressional Caucus on Public Private Partnerships is a bi-partisan group formed by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA). The caucus aims to raise awareness of the use of public private partnerships to address a range of transportation infrastructure issues, as state transportation departments are utilizing these partnerships to deal with smaller budgets, rising costs, and growing infrastructure needs.
“Solid infrastructure is a key driver of good jobs and a growing, competitive economy,” Rogers said in a statement. “We have an enormous backlog of infrastructure needs all across our country, but the federal government simply can’t fund them all. Nor should Congress raise taxes. Building and maintaining infrastructure is an issue for both rural and urban areas, and I hope this caucus will help advance the debate in Washington and around the country.”
The PPP caucus will also focus on other infrastructure areas, including defense, energy, technology, and water. Rogers said he and Connolly will approach other House members to be a part of the caucus while also involving public and private sector stakeholders.