Vermont JRH 11: Joint resolution urging Congress and the states to adopt an amendment establishing nine as the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices

Bill Text

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State of Vermont
House of Representatives
Montpelier, Vermont
Joint House Resolution
J.R.H. 11
Offered by Representatives Cole of Hartford, Austin of Colchester, Berbeco
of Winooski, Brady of Williston, Burke of Brattleboro, Carris Duncan of
Whitingham, Chapin of East Montpelier, Charlton of Chester, Cooper of
Pownal, Critchlow of Colchester, Goldman of Rockingham, Gregoire of
Fairfield, Headrick of Burlington, Logan of Burlington, McGill of Bridport,
Morrow of Weston, Nugent of South Burlington, Priestley of Bradford, Sibilia
of Dover, Stevens of Waterbury, Sweeney of Shelburne, Tomlinson of
Winooski, and Wells of Brownington
House joint resolution strongly urging Congress to enact H.R. 5356, The
“National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025”
Whereas, in 2025, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
awarded the nation’s infrastructure a grade of C, finding that expenditures of
$9,139,000,000,000.00 (not an inflation-adjusted figure) were required on or
before the year 2033 to satisfy these shortfalls, and
Whereas, in 2023, ASCE assigned Vermont infrastructure an overall grade
of C and specifically assigned grades of C for drinking water, C+ for solid
waste, C- for stormwater, D+ for wastewater, C+ for roads, and C for dams,
and
Whereas, in 2025, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) projected
that at current levels of investment, on or before 2031, more than 60 percent of
the State’s roads are expected to lapse into either poor or very poor condition,
and, on or before 2035, without increased State investment, the condition of
Vermont’s roads will experience further deterioration, and
Whereas, according to the 2025 State of Homelessness in Vermont Report,
as of June 2025, there were at least 4,588 unhoused Vermonters, a 200 percent
surge since 2020, representing one of the highest per capita rates in the nation,
a statistic attributed in part to the lack of affordable housing, and
Whereas, in September 2025, U.S. Representative Danny K. Davis of
Illinois, along with other members of the U.S. House of Representatives,
introduced H.R. 5356, The “National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025” to
create “a United States public deposit bank [that] would provide direct loans
and other financing of up to $5,000,000,000,000.00 for qualifying
infrastructure projects without requiring additional Federal taxes or deficits,”
and
Whereas, the proposed National Infrastructure Bank (NIB) is modeled on
the late 18th– and early 19th–century First and Second Banks of the United
States, the subsequent national banking system that President Lincoln
instituted, and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation created during the
Great Depression era, and

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Whereas, as proposed in H.R. 5356, NIB-funded projects would pay Davis-
Bacon Act prevailing wages, adhere to Buy America provisions, and provide
significant financial assistance to businesses that minorities, women, or
disadvantaged persons own, and
Whereas, the intent of establishing the NIB is to provide infrastructure
financing nationwide, in addition to existing federal and state money, which
the ASCE finds inadequate to meet the nation’s infrastructure needs, and
Whereas, the types of projects that would be covered include broadband
buildout; repairing roads and bridges; renovating water systems, including
removal of lead service lines; constructing affordable housing; and other
similar projects, and
Whereas, a number of state legislatures and local government bodies across
the country have introduced or passed resolutions in support of congressional
enactment of H.R. 5356, and
Whereas, among the organizational endorsements in support of H.R. 5356
are the National Association of Counties; the Council of State Governments
East, which includes Vermont; the National Black Caucus of State Legislators;
the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators; the National Asian Pacific
American Caucus of State Legislators; the U.S. High Speed Rail Association;
the American Sustainable Business Council; and the United Association
representing plumbers and steamfitters, now therefore be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
That the General Assembly strongly urges Congress to enact H.R. 5356,
The “National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025,” and be it further
Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this
resolution to Governor Philip B. Scott, President Donald J. Trump, and the
Vermont Congressional Delegation.