[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 64 (Monday, May 22, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  2001

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. ADAM SMITH

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 19, 2000

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4475) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Transportation and 
     related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
     2001, and for other purposes.

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I stand in support of the FY01 
Transportation Appropriations bill, and in strong support of the funds 
allocated for Washington State's Sound Transit Program. The funding 
provided in this legislation will help Sound Transit deliver a regional 
high-capacity transit system to the citizens of urban King, Pierce and 
Snohomish counties.
  As anyone who has traveled to my home state knows, bad traffic is the 
one thing that can make even the beautiful Puget Sound area seem less 
inviting. In fact, the Central Puget Sound Region has the 4th worst 
traffic in the country. It is estimated that bottlenecks on both the 
highways and on the train tracks costs our local economy billions of 
dollars every year. That's why this investment in our infrastructure is 
so crucial. The Sound Transit system--which employs a combination of 
commuter rail, electric light rail, HOV Expressways, and regional 
express bus service--will go a long way toward relieving congestion 
and, importantly, improving quality of life for citizens throughout the 
Puget Sound.
  On behalf of the citizens of my district, I also want to thank the 
Chair, the Ranking Member and the Members of the committee for their 
support of Sound Transit. This program will truly be one of the crown 
jewels of America's public system and I'm proud to stand in support of 
this program.

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