[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 18, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H3275]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, May 16 to 21 is National Transportation 
Week. During National Transportation Week, I will honor the many 
accomplishments of the Department of Transportation and our dedicated 
transportation workers. I will highlight the human factors, the 
technology, education, and safety accomplishments that make our 
transportation system one of the best in the world.
  Usually when we discuss transportation we comment on the aspects of 
the industry, such as highways, airplanes, and railroads. But what 
about the people? The people are the element that make transportation 
work and have firmly established the United States transportation 
system as one of the safest and most efficient in the world.
  The bus drivers, the airline pilots, ships' captains, locomotive 
engineers, air traffic controllers, and truck drivers, to name just a 
few, function in a fast-paced dynamic environment that requires skill 
and talent to build, operate and maintain.
  And so, it is today that we pause to thank those persons who rise 
every day to carry out the mission of providing all Americans with the 
freedom of movement, a very basic freedom which is often taken for 
granted: Transporting children to schools, workers to work, vacationers 
to various leisure locations all over the country.
  Simply stated, we thank our transportation workers for bringing life 
to life. We know that guaranteeing an efficient transportation system 
requires the best and brightest in our transportation workforce. While 
new technologies are expanding career opportunities in the 
transportation industry, much of the seasoned transportation workforce 
is retiring.
  In 1997, the Department of Transportation launched an innovative 
program to combat this problem. Spearheaded by Secretary Rodney Slater, 
the Garrett A. Morgan Technology and Transportation Futures Program is 
a national education program designed to reach and challenge one 
million students of all ages to focus on their math, science, and 
technology skills.
  The Department's program was named after Garrett A. Morgan, an 
African-American entrepreneur who invented the automated gas mask and 
traffic signal, a device that for more than 75 years remains the 
primary safety tool for managing automobile traffic. Despite his 
economically poor background and lack of education, his lifetime of 
achievement is a model of dedication to public service, public safety, 
and technology innovation.
  The Garrett A. Morgan program builds a foundation for success in the 
twenty-first century transportation industry. Designing and 
implementing satellite navigation and positioning devices, intermodal 
transportation facilities, advanced highway construction, magnetic 
levitation technology, and ``smart growth'' community planning are but 
a few of the critical needs for transportation and global engagement in 
the new millennium.
  In unveiling the program, Secretary Slater stated, ``We want to 
inspire students to choose careers in transportation so that this 
Nation will have the skilled workforce needed to operate and maintain 
the world's best transportation system.''
  I urge my colleagues to salute the transportation workforce for what 
they do every day and for the service they will provide in the future.

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