A bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives introduced H.R. 4687, the Sustainable Municipal Access to Resilient Technology in Infrastructure (SMART Infrastructure) Act. Proponents say the bill supports innovation and open competition in procurement, allowing the United States to rebuild America’s infrastructure more efficiently.
The bill’s supporters say several cities currently have regulations in place that significantly restrict the types of materials available to be used for infrastructure projects, which increases costs and effectively blocks the adoption of new materials and technology. The National Taxpayers Union estimates that opening competition for construction materials could save more than $371 billion on water infrastructure improvements.
The SMART Infrastructure Act encourages modern, resilient solutions that use taxpayer dollars responsibly by:
- Requiring fair and open competition among suppliers of construction materials for infrastructure projects that receive federal funding.
- Establishing an interagency task force to develop a comprehensive report on procurement processes and open competition for construction materials.
“The SMART Infrastructure Act is capitalism at work – encouraging open competition and removing burdensome regulations while saving American taxpayers billions of dollars. As the Federal government continues to fund critical infrastructure projects and members on both sides of the aisle seek to increase that investment across the country, we should encourage modern, resilient solutions that use taxpayer dollars responsibly,” says one of the bill’s primary sponsors, Rep. Harley Roudaof California.
You can monitor the progress of H.R. 4687 by clicking here.