Skip to main content

White House Proposes New P3 Financing Tool: Qualified Public Infrastructure Bonds (QPIB)

Albert E. Dotson, Jr.

Last month, the Obama administration proposed the creation of a new kind of municipal bond — Qualified Public Infrastructure Bonds (QPIB), as a way to extend the benefits of municipal bonds to public private partnerships.

Presently, the government has in place the Private Activity Bonds program, which has been used by local and state governments to finance over $10 billion of roads, tunnels, and bridges.  The QPIB would function essentially as a cross between governmental bonds and private-activity bonds.  Public Activity Bonds are restricted by issuance caps, expiration dates, and the interest is subject to the alternative minimum tax. QPIBS would not be subject to these restrictions and would widen the scope of financing for different types of infrastructure projects, including airports, ports, mass transit, solid waste disposal, sewer, and water, and more surface transportation projects.

The introduction of QPIB increases flexibility for P3 financing and this lower cost financing tool may be exactly what is in order to generate more private sector participation in large-scale P3 projects.

Last week, Bilzin Sumberg hosted a two-day conference of national and international P3 experts, including representatives from the federal government. During the conference, several panelists discussed how QPIBs could be used to help close the funding gap for many infrastructure projects. The QPIB, as a flexible and lower-cost financing tool, may be exactly what is in order to generate more private sector participation in large-scale P3 projects.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Speaking Engagement December 6, 2023
Diana C. Mendez speaks at the P3 Government Conference on the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice in Infrastructure panel. The panel discusses how to address diversity and equity in infrastructure and how these values can be furthered through public-private partnership programs.
Blog December 4, 2023
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is a financing tool used by local governments to fund economic development projects.It allows local governments to capture a portion of the tax revenue generated by a specific area and use it to fund improvements within that area.
Blog November 20, 2023
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced that the County has received “$296,417,177 in infrastructure grantsfrom the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act [(“IIJA”)] and the Inflation Reduction Act [(“IRA”)]”. These funds are being used on a variety...
VIEW MORE