WASHINGTON — Leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have established a special bipartisan panel to promote the use of public-private partnerships across all modes of transportation, economic development, public buildings and water infrastructure.
The 11-member Panel on Public-Private Partnerships will be chaired by Rep. John Duncan, Jr, a Republican from Texas who is vice chair of the full committee. Its ranking minority member will be Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass.
"The private sector continues to show significant, growing interest in infrastructure in the United States and internationally. But aside from a selection of highway projects, utilization of P3s in U.S. transportation, economic development and water infrastructure has been limited," said Rep. Bill Shuster, chairman of the full committee.
The new panel, the Republican from Pennsylvania said, "will examine the role of public-private partnerships in our infrastructure and where greater opportunities may exist to leverage resources at the federal, state, and local level."
"The panel's recommendations will be used as the committee continues to develop future legislation," Shuster said.
The committee must write legislation to reauthorize the law that funds transportation programs — Moving Ahead for Progress, MAP-21, which expires on Sept. 30. It kicked off its first hearing on reauthorization this week.
Under committee rules, Shuster can establish special panels to serve for six months.
The panel is expected to identify the role that P3s currently play in transportation and infrastructure projects across the country. It will look at how P3s enhance these projects beyond the capabilities of government agencies and the private sector acting independently. It also will examine how to balance the needs of the public and private sectors when considering, developing and implementing P3 projects.
"The private sector poses unique strengths, advantages, and roles when it comes to transportation infrastructure," Duncan said. "Effective collaboration between the private sector and the government increases efficiency and maximizes taxpayer investment in our nation's infrastructure. I am eager to explore this new era of public-private partnership and ways it can enhance the next surface transportation bill and other facets of our infrastructure."
What a difference several years another chairman can make. Former committee chair Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn. had been very suspicious of P3 projects. He and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., had urged state officials and legislators not to enter into P3 agreements that were not in their best interest. At one point, Oberstar wanted Congress to approve legislation that would subject all P3 agreements to scrutiny by federal officials.
Besides Duncan, the other Republicans on the panel are Reps. Candace Miller from Michigan, Lou Barletta and Scott Perry from Pennsylvania, Tom Rice from South Carolina, and Mark Meadows from North Carolina. The Democrats, besides Capuano, are DeFazio, Eleanor Norton Holmes from the District of Columbia, Rick Larsen from Washington state and Sean Patrick Maloney from New York.
