But a bill introduced Thursday calling for billions in new spending and a tax increase is likely to be a tough sell with Republicans.
Raising federal taxes on corporate profits and funneling the revenue toward a new water and sewer infrastructure account—that’s one of the proposals in a public works bill that Democratic lawmakers in Congress rolled out on Thursday.
The bill calls for hiking the corporate income tax rate to 24.5 percent from 21 percent and funneling up to $34.8 billion annually in proceeds toward a trust fund for waterworks programs. It lays out a framework where nearly 90 percent of that funding would go to what are known as state revolving funds, or “SRFs” for short.
“Drinking water, safe, clean, affordable drinking water, is a human rights issue,” U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, said during a press conference on Thursday. “We are treating it as if it’s a luxury.”
Route Fifty
By Bill Lucia,
Senior Reporter
FEBRUARY 28, 2019