[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 134 (Thursday, September 22, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                NATIONAL HIGHWAY SYSTEM DESIGNATION ACT

  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 598, S. 1887, 
the National Highway System Designation Act of 1994; that the bill be 
read three times, passed, and the motion to reconsider laid upon the 
table; that any statements relating to this item be placed in the 
Record at the appropriate place as if read.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I am pleased that today the Senate is 
considering S. 1887, the National Highway System Designation Act of 
1994. This bill was recently reported out of the Environment and Public 
Works Committee on a unanimous vote and I thank my colleagues for their 
support of this measure.
  When Congress passed the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency 
Act, or ISTEA, in 1991, there was a recognition that we were moving out 
of the Interstate era and into the era of the National Highway System, 
or NHS.
  ISTEA requires the Transportation Department and the States to 
identify, and Congress to approve, this successor to the Interstate 
System.
  The National Highway System, in brief, is the network of critical 
roads that carry the bulk of our commerce. State governments have 
cooperated with us in developing it, by identifying more than 159,000 
miles of roads as the backbone of our transportation system.
  These roads make up only 4 percent of the nearly 4 million miles of 
public roads. But as time passes, they will carry over 40 percent of 
the highway traffic and 70 percent of commercial truck traffic. Given 
our budget deficit, we need to use our funds to maintain and improve 
the most important roads. By identifying the NHS routes, States will be 
able to target their money to make sure the highways that get the most 
use are also the safest and most efficient.
  That is exactly what we need to stay competitive. The National 
Highway System's importance to a successful North American Free-Trade 
Agreement is one obvious example. Almost three-fifths of the United 
States-Canada freight and four-fifths of the United States-Mexico 
freight moves by truck. If we let our key roads deteriorate, we lose 
much of what we hoped to get through the NAFTA last year.
  The NHS is the foundation of a seamless transportation network that 
incorporates all modes of transportation--using roads to link airports, 
seaports, transit stations, and railyards. It will make our businesses 
more competitive in a global economy. And by identifying the most 
important roads, it assists States in determining the appropriate uses 
of their scarce resources.
  While we can no longer afford to view our transportation system as a 
collection of unconnected rail, water and road networks, we also need 
to keep a focus on the needs of rural areas.
  The National Highway System is especially vital to rural areas of the 
country--areas where highways often are the only method of 
transportation.
  For Western States like Montana, immediate attention to the National 
Highway System is crucial, because we have no alternative to roads. We 
do not have the mass transit and water transport systems that a lot of 
other States depend on. We never will have them--we are a large State 
with no big cities. Because we are a rural state, highways are critical 
to our economy our way of life, and the travel and tourism revenue we 
depend on.
  In Montana, the bill includes nearly 4,000 miles of roads. That is 23 
percent, or about 800 miles more than the Bush administration's 
original proposal. The additional routes include:
  Highway 200 between Great Falls and Missoula, and from Lewistown 
going west to Winnett, Jordan, Circle, Sidney, and Fairview.
  Highway 12 from Helena to Garrison Junction. Highway 59 from Miles 
City to Broadus.
  Highway 87 between Billings, Roundup, and Grassrange.
  Highway 212 from the Crow Agency to Lame Deer, and Alzada.
  That is good news for Montana. And the other roads in the bill mean 
just as much for the entire region, across the Great Plains and down 
the Rocky Mountains.
  All of these roads are included in the bill the Senate is considering 
today. Congress must approve the National Highway System by September 
30, 1995 or funds for the NHS and interstate maintenance will be 
withheld from the States.
  That means a loss to the States of $6.5 billion annually. And this 
translates into the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.
  Furthermore, the earlier Congress acts, the greater funding stability 
there is for the States and the less disruption there will be to the 
States' complicated transportation planning process.
  S. 1887 is a clean bill. It is a short, simple bill. It only deals 
with designation of the National Highway System. It does not address 
other extraneous matters. A clean bill is our best chance of enacting 
of the NHS this year. Loading up the bill with controversial matters 
will only delay action, bringing us closer to the deadline and 
increasing the uncertainty for all States.
  Mr. President, this is a very important bill. It will serve as a 
framework for future transportation planning. I thank my colleagues 
again for their interest and support for this legislation.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a brief section-by-
section description of S. 1887 be included in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                 Section-by-Section Analysis of S. 1887

       Section 1.--The bill is titled ``The National Highway 
     System Designation Act of 1994.''
       Section 2.--This section approves the most recent National 
     Highway System submitted to Congress by the Secretary of 
     Transportation. The section also specifies the procedure for 
     future changes and modifications to the NHS after the initial 
     system has been adopted by Congress. At the request of a 
     State, the Secretary may add a new route segment to the NHS 
     or delete an existing route segment and any connection to the 
     route segment, as long as the segment or connection is within 
     the jurisdiction of the requesting State and the total 
     mileage of the NHS (including any route segment or connection 
     proposed to be added) does not exceed 165,000 miles.
       If a State requests a modification to the NHS as adopted by 
     Congress, the State must establish that each change in a 
     route segment or connection has been identified by the State 
     in cooperation with local officials. This cooperative process 
     between the State and local officials must be carried out 
     under the existing transportation planning activities for 
     metropolitan areas and the statewide planning processes 
     established under ISTEA.
       Congress will not approve or disapprove any subsequent 
     modifications. The cooperative planning process between State 
     and local officials, along with the approval of the 
     Secretary, is the appropriate forum for considering 
     modifications to the NHS following enactment of this 
     legislation.

  Mr. Riegle. Mr. President, I would like to ask a question of the 
chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. The bill the 
Senate is considering today, S. 1887--The National Highway System 
Designation Act of 1994--deals only with designation of the National 
Highway System or NHS. That is a matter within the jurisdiction of the 
Environment and Public Works Committee.
  However, while the Senate bill only designates the NHS, the House-
passed bill makes several changes in this Nation's transit system 
programs. Transit-related programs are within the jurisdiction of the 
Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. Is it the 
Senator's intent to include members of the Banking, Housing and Urban 
Affairs Committee as conferees should a conference on S. 1887 include 
transit-related matters?
  Mr. Baucus. I thank the distinguished chairman of the Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee for his question. I want to make 
it very clear that the Senate is considering only S. 1887, not H.R. 
4385. The sole purpose of the Senate bill is to designate the National 
Highway System, as required by the Intermodal Surface Transportation 
Efficiency Act of 1991. Let me assure my good friend that S. 1887 
contains no provisions related to transit programs. Should the House of 
Representatives amend S. 1887 to include items within the jurisdiction 
of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, it would 
certainly be my intention to discuss the matter with the distinguished 
chairman and other appropriate members of the committee to determine 
how best to proceed at that point, and include the Banking Committee on 
a conference of that bill if one is necessary.
  Mr. Riegle. I thank the chairman of the Environment and Public Works 
Committee for his cooperation.
  So the bill (S. 1887) was passed, as follows:

                                S. 1887

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``National Highway System 
     Designation Act of 1994''.

     SEC. 2. NATIONAL HIGHWAY SYSTEM DESIGNATION.

       Section 103 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by 
     inserting after subsection (b) the following new subsection:
       ``(c) National Highway System Designation.--
       ``(1) Designation.--The most recent National Highway System 
     as submitted by the Secretary of Transportation pursuant to 
     this section is hereby designated to be the National Highway 
     System.
       ``(2) Modifications.--
       ``(A) In general.--At the request of a State, the Secretary 
     may--
       ``(i) add a new route segment to the National Highway 
     System, including a new intermodal connection; or
       ``(ii) delete a then existing route segment and any 
     connection to the route segment,

     if the total mileage of the National Highway System 
     (including any route segment or connection proposed to be 
     added under this subparagraph) does not exceed 165,000 miles 
     (265,542 kilometers).
       ``(B) Procedures for changes requested by states.--Each 
     State that makes a request for a change in the National 
     Highway System pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall establish 
     that each change in a route segment or connection referred to 
     in such subparagraph has been identified by the State, in 
     cooperation with local officials, pursuant to applicable 
     transportation planning activities for metropolitan areas 
     carried out under section 134 and statewide planning 
     processes carried out under section 135.
       ``(3) Approval by the secretary.--The Secretary may approve 
     a request made by a State for a change in the National 
     Highway System pursuant to paragraph (2) if the Secretary 
     determines that the change--
       ``(A) meets the criteria established for the National 
     Highway System under this title; and
       ``(B) enhances the national transportation characteristics 
     of the National Highway System.''.

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