[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 53 (Monday, May 4, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S4144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 ISTEA

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I want to visit about a couple of things 
this morning. First, I want to talk about the highway bill that is in 
conference between the House and the Senate. It is now May 4, 1998. The 
highway bill, or a piece of legislation people commonly refer to as 
ISTEA (the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act) was 
supposed to have been completed last year, but it was not. The highway 
bill was extended until May 1, and then the authorization for the 
highway bill expired.
  We are now on May 4 without highway legislation that is authorized, 
and the highway officials and Governors around the country are 
wondering, appropriately, what is going to happen to this highway bill? 
With what authority can I obligate money? What about the projects we 
have to do in our States to build roads and repair bridges?
  I don't blame State and local highway officials and others who are 
rightly furious with the Congress that it has not gotten its work done. 
It is a shame, in my judgment, that almost a year after the legislation 
should have been done, not only was the legislation not done, but we 
have already had an extension and that has expired. Now, here we are 
with no highway bill at all.
  I ask those who run this Congress and those who are convening the 
conference on the highway bill, let's decide to get this thing done. 
This isn't rocket science; it is building highways. We know how to do 
that. If the political will doesn't exist to do what is necessary to 
reach a compromise on a highway bill, then I suppose that those who run 
the Congress should say to the Governors and the highway commissioners, 
``We can't be counted upon to do this work.''
  I hope in the coming days people will understand the urgency of this. 
I come from the State of North Dakota, and we have a relatively short 
construction season. It is not fair to our States for this Congress not 
to do its work on time. We should do it, it ought to be done, and it 
ought to be done soon.

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