[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 28, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11245-S11246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE NEED TO ADDRESS THE HIGHWAY BILL

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, my remarks this morning go to the need for 
this body to begin to address the substantive provisions of the highway 
bill, S. 1173. As the Senate full knows, I am privileged to be the 
chairman of the subcommittee which, over the course of a period of the 
year, developed this piece of legislation. Many Senators have traveled 
great distances. We had hearings in several places throughout the 
United States and a number of hearings here, of course, in our 
committee room. But a lot of hard work went into this bill.
  Now, the question on cloture involves the Senate consideration of the 
campaign finance bill. I leave to the respective leaders who, as nearly 
as I can determine, are trying to work diligently to resolve the 
procedural conflict involving that piece of legislation, campaign 
finance reform, as it relates to this bill. But as I read through the 
order that was prepared by the leader's office this morning reciting 
other pieces of legislation to which this body will turn, the question, 
of course, rises, why can't we go ahead with the ISTEA bill?
  Again, I leave that to the leaders. They have worked on this 
diligently and indeed there are developments every hour on the hour. So 
it is difficult for any of us not involved in the negotiations to 
explain the exact reasons.
  But the reason I asked to take the floor this morning is that we are 
witnessing here in this country, in the past week, and particularly 
yesterday, a very precipitous decline in our stock market, commodity 
markets, and the like. It clearly manifests an instability.
  As I look at this piece of legislation, this is an absolute building 
block of stability for America's economy. This bill has literally 
millions and millions of jobs related to it. Now, highways, bridges, 
and other infrastructure requirements take months to plan--engineering, 
financial, consideration by the respective legislative bodies and 
highway commissions of the several States. It is a process which was 
carefully crafted in the 1991 bill over a period of

[[Page S11246]]

6 years. The reason we put in a 6-year bill was to provide the type of 
stability that enables those from the Governor and State legislatures 
to the various highway boards and commissions to do that type of 
planning.
  All across this country today, in the wake of the instability of the 
marketplace and other economic indicators, millions and millions of men 
and women are dependent for their livelihood on this program going 
forward in an orderly way. Highways can't be built overnight. Weather 
has a very definite impact on the ability of the hands of these 
laboring people to build these highway systems. In some States, that 
envelope of weather is a matter of several months, primarily because of 
the weather conditions. But indeed during the course of the intense 
heat of summer, again, there are restrictive periods in which roads and 
highways can be built. It is for that reason that I ask this morning 
that we cannot be oblivious to what is taking place in the marketplace 
of our country and all over the world, this instability, at a time when 
this bill will be a very steady building block to add stability.
  This vote will be the fourth to invoke cloture so that the Senate can 
proceed to the consideration of this legislation to reauthorize our 
Nation's surface transportation programs. This is needed because of the 
intent regarding campaign financing.
  Mr. President, the funding level is $145 billion. Stop and think 
about that--$145 billion. That would benefit every single State. We 
have tried in this bill to equitably and fairly distribute these funds 
that would go from the State in the form of gasoline taxes, petroleum 
taxes associated with trucks, and diesel, and so forth--up to the 
highway trust fund and revolve and come back. We have tried to 
equitably distribute these funds, more so than in the 1991 ISTEA. The 
funding level in ISTEA II, which is the present bill, is $145 billion. 
It is a 20-percent increase in funding over the 1991 ISTEA I.
  This funding level, if I may say, is significantly higher than 
recommended by the administration in their proposal that came to the 
Congress. The United States has the largest transportation system in 
the world, with 170,000 miles of National Highway System routes, 
900,000 miles of other Federal aid roads, and 3.7 million miles of 
other public roads. Our national network of highways carries 136 
million cars, 58 million light trucks, 6.9 million freight trucks, and 
686,000 buses. In 1995, cars and light trucks, mostly personal 
vehicles, were driven 2.2 trillion miles.
  What is alarming to learn, however, is that nearly half of our major 
road system is in mediocre or fair condition. I will repeat that. Half 
of this vast communications system is in mediocre or fair condition. 
This lack of investment clearly jeopardizes safety, the individual 
personal safety of those on the highways, and the mobility of the 
traveling public, as well as our economic competitiveness.
  Now, I don't presume to give the causes for this problem in the 
market today, but anybody who wishes to be informed can certainly 
listen carefully, as I have done in the last 24 hours, to others who 
presumably have a better knowledge. But this problem is precipitated 
less by the U.S. economy, if at all--because that economy is relatively 
healthy--but more by the world marketplace, and primarily in Asia. It 
is a one-world competitive market, and the ability of this Nation to 
compete in that market is very, very significantly dependent on the 
efficiencies, the safety of this infrastructure of highways and roads 
and bridges. Mr. President, again, it is the competition in the world 
financial markets, primarily the deterioration of the situation in Asia 
that is causing the precipitous decline in our markets. I subscribe 
that that same competition exists in every other walk of life relative 
to the ability of the American working men and women to compete with 
their hands and their minds with others throughout the world. It is a 
one-world market.
  I remember so well visiting, in Luray, VA, a plant that manufactures 
blue jeans. Now, blue jeans are almost a language in the world over 
today in many respects. I saw Virginians down over their machines 
sewing the particular garments being made that day.
  I turned to the plant manager, who was escorting me through and I 
said, ``How can we compete with the blue jeans manufacturers elsewhere 
in the world?'' It was very interesting. I said, ``We are complying 
with all the environmental requirements, with the wage laws, the 
workers are well paid, well cared for, with health programs; how can we 
compete with those plants that are operating while we are sleeping in 
the Asian market?''
  He said, ``Come with me.''
  We walked down and I saw a bank of computers that take the orders in, 
relay the orders to the workbench, products are manufactured, put on a 
conveyor belt, and then he beckoned me and we went outside. There were 
a half-dozen semi-trailers being loaded, box after box. He said to me 
very simply, ``That order came in this morning, that garment was 
manufactured to the specifications of the merchant that placed that 
order, and the finished product is put in that truck and that truck 
travels overnight and that pair of jeans is on the store shelf the 
following morning.''
  Asia cannot compete because of the infrastructure of transportation, 
the ability of this plant and other plants all over America to, within 
24 hours, turn around an order and have that product on the shelf.
  That is what is at stake, the ability to turn around these products 
in the face of a deteriorating infrastructure all across this country.
  Mediocre and fair condition. That is half of the Nation's road 
system. That extrapolates into jobs, millions and millions of men and 
women of the United States ready to go to work provided in this bill 
and provide the needed stability that we are lacking today in view of 
these tragic declines in the world markets.
  Transportation provides the link between business, industries, and 
consumers. Transportation and related industries employ 9.9 million 
people in the United States, slightly more than 7 percent of the total 
work force in this Nation. According to the Department of 
Transportation, for every $1 billion invested in highway and bridge 
projects, over 42,000 new jobs are created. As one of the largest 
sectors of our economy, transportation represents nearly 11 percent of 
the gross domestic product. It is just behind the basic services of 
housing, health care, and food.
  Another compelling statistic confirms that transportation remains a 
sound investment for the American taxpayers. For every dollar spent, 
there is an economic return of $2.60.
  Mr. President, I therefore urge my colleagues to consider these facts 
and let us not bring upon this institution that old adage that while 
Rome burned, Nero fiddled. We have to come to grips with this 
procedural question on campaign finance reform, but this type of 
legislation must go forward to provide the economic stability that is 
necessary at this very hour in America.
  So I close, Mr. President, by urging all Senators who will be coming 
to the floor very shortly to express their views to perhaps take a look 
at what is happening in the international financial markets. It is 
impacting this country. Take a look at what is happening because while 
campaign finance is an important issue, it could really be perceived in 
the workplace by those who carry the lunch buckets, those who bend and 
sweat and toil to build America's roads and bridges, as the ant that 
toppled the mountain of jobs that are involved in this bill.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be 
allowed to speak as in morning business for up to 10 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized to speak for up to 
10 minutes.

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