[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 106 (Friday, July 29, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H7571-H7583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 3, SAFE, ACCOUNTABLE, FLEXIBLE, EFFICIENT 
             TRANSPORTATION EQUITY ACT: A LEGACY FOR USERS

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 399, I 
call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 3) to authorize funds 
for Federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit 
programs, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 399, the 
conference report is considered read.
  (For conference report and statement, see proceedings of the House of 
July 28, 2005, Book II.)
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) and 
the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young).
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this is truly a great day for the users of our Nation's 
transportation infrastructure. Today, I bring before you for 
consideration the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation 
Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, which will for the future be known as 
SAFETEA-LU.
  Mr. Speaker, the conference report is a result of a great deal of 
extremely hard work on the part of many people, including the 
leadership of the House and the Senate, our committee members, and all 
other committees of jurisdiction and our great staff.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3 provides a funding level of $286.45 billion in 
guaranteed funding over 6 years for Federal highways and transit 
programs, as well as highway safety and motor carrier safety programs.
  This legislation will strengthen this country's ability to move 
people, and especially freight. The American people need to know that 
SAFETEA-LU increases funding for constructing and improving our 
Nation's highways by 30 percent over TEA-21. This legislation improves 
transportation products delivery by ensuring better cooperation among 
State departments of transportation and Federal permitting agencies.
  It improves the rate of return and scope for donor States and donee 
States, has a minimum growth of not less than 19 percent over TEA-21. 
It improves highway safety with a new program designed to increase 
safety belt use.
  In the area of transit, we have created a new freedom initiative to 
give more mobility to the disabled and increase the transit funding 
over TEA-21 by 36 percent. We have dramatically improved the Federal 
motor carriers commercial driver's license system, and funding is 
increased for motor carrier safety.
  This bill results in safer roads, which are built faster and last 
longer. Most

[[Page H7572]]

significantly, H.R. 3 will put Americans to work by creating the kinds 
of jobs that support families and increase our tax base. This is much-
needed legislation that will move our country toward a stronger 
economy.
  Mr. Speaker, before I close, as usual, I want to take a moment to 
thank all of the Members of the House. I wanted to thank the staffs 
that worked so hard on this conference report with the other body. I 
especially want, and unfortunately he is not here and hopefully will 
get here, my ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. 
Oberstar), who has been unwavering in his support and working in 
cooperation with this chairman.
  The chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit and 
Pipelines, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri), who has been a 
driving force behind much of the policy of this bill, the gentleman has 
taken his subcommittee around the country to investigate the 
infrastructure needs of the United States as well as I.
  Also the subcommittee ranking member, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. 
DeFazio), who is with us today, has made an enormous contribution of 
time and energy to this legislation.
  I especially owe much thanks to the gentleman from California 
(Chairman Thomas) of the Ways and Means Committee for his constant 
support and for his ability to make law.
  I would like to recognize the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Nussle) from 
the Committee on the Budget, who has worked hard with me to accommodate 
the increase in authorization needs to produce this legislation. I want 
to thank the majority leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), for 
helping us find solutions to some of the very difficult problems.
  Last but not least, I would like to thank the gentleman from Illinois 
(Mr. Hastert), the Speaker of the House, for the countless hours he 
spent working with us to keep this process moving. Without his support, 
we would not be here today prepared to pass this outstanding piece of 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I especially want to thank one of the main staffers for 
the Speaker, Bill Hughes, who has been able to put pieces together when 
things were falling apart to make sure that we are able to do what we 
have to do, as well as Jack Victory with the majority leader's office. 
Without their support this would not happen.
  And I personally want to thank the hard-working staff of the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure who have been here many 
nights, sometimes as much as 36 hours in a row and weekends drafting 
this legislation.
  This subcommittee staff who made this happen most of all are Graham 
Hill, Jim Tyman, Joyce Rose, Derek Miller, Suzanne Newhouse, Bailey 
Edwards, Will Bland, Debbie Gephart, Patrick Mullane from the gentleman 
from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri's) staff.
  In addition, my chief of staff, Lloyd Jones, chief counsel Liz 
Megginson, Chris Kennedy, Charles Zieglar, Mark Zachares, Fraser 
Verusion, Debbie Callis, Andrew Forbes, Jason Rosa, and Phillip 
Maxwell.
  Again, I want to thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar's) 
staff. This has been a bipartisan effort. They worked equally hard with 
my staff: Davis David Heymsfeld, chief counsel; Ward McCarragher; as 
well as Kathy Zern; Art Chan; Ken House; Eric Vanschyndle; Stephanie 
Manning; Kathie Dedrick of the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio's) 
staff.
  Last but not least, I want to express my appreciation for the 
legislative counsel who over and over had to write this bill. Also, 
last but not least, my appreciation goes to David Mendelsohn, Curt 
Haensel, and Rosemary Gallagher.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my wife for putting up 
with me for the last 3\1/2\ years making this bill. That has been the 
most difficult thing she has had to do.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a good bill. It should be passed. Again, I want to 
thank this body for bringing this to fruition. It is a good piece of 
legislation for this Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 
At long last no more, well, one extension, only so we can properly 
celebrate the adoption of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to join with the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman 
Young). I first want to thank the gentleman and other leaders on the 
Republican side for their extraordinary fairness in this process and 
recognizing that transportation, transportation efficiency is not a 
partisan issue; it serves all Americans. It serves all business in blue 
States, red States, Democratic, Republican, Independent.
  We are here today gathered to make an extraordinary investment in the 
future of our country. I do not think there is anything this Congress 
could do more definitively to put people back to work, to stimulate our 
economy, to increase our efficiency, our competitiveness, both 
nationally and internationally than this legislation.
  And the wonderful thing, at this time in our Nation's history, about 
this legislation is we are not borrowing the money to do it. We are 
spending taxes paid by all Americans at the gas pump: individuals, 
passenger car drivers, and commercial drivers and businesses.
  And we are going to take that money, and we are going to invest it in 
ways that benefit this Nation for decades to come. We are going to help 
mitigate congestion, and congestion is at the top of my list, because 
the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) should have been here to 
join in this effort, but he is stuck in traffic. And hopefully by the 
time we finish spending the money in TEA-LU, the gentleman and other 
Americans will be able to get to work more readily in the future, in 
addition to benefiting business and other aspects of our country.
  Mr. Speaker, particularly I want to thank the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) for his mentorship, his leadership on our 
side, his friendship, his advocacy, his knowledge, his history. I 
learned a lot during this bill. It was an extraordinary process for me. 
And he has been wonderful and helpful.
  The gentleman also came to my State to recognize that my State has an 
extraordinary problem that transcends the boundaries of our State, 
something I started campaigning for a couple of years ago, to recognize 
that Interstate 5 is the lifeline of the western United States, joining 
the fifth largest economy in the world, California, to Oregon and 
Washington, two foreign nations, Mexico and Canada, serving the busiest 
port in the Nation, and a number of other very busy ports, the third 
busiest truck route in America.
  Oregon has an extraordinary problem on Interstate 5, through an 
accident of history, having built our interstate before other States. 
Our bridges are virtually reaching simultaneous failure because we used 
an old 1950s and pre-1950s technology, where States who built the 
interstate later, California and others, used a very different 
technology, and they do not have the bridge problems we have.
  My State has raised fees and licenses and bonded a tremendous amount 
of money to deal with this problem, but we are still short. And this 
bill will go a long way toward filling that gap and completing 
Interstate 5 so you will not have trucks detouring up over the Cascade 
Mountains, down the far side and back onto I-5.
  But that is probably one of the many issues this bill will deal with. 
Other projects of national significance, something pioneered by the 
chairman of this committee and the House, which the Senate only tagged 
onto in the end, is going to make tremendous investments in the Alameda 
Corridor, other critical areas in California that are suffering from 
huge growth, and congestion all across the Nation.
  We will be making very significant investments with major projects 
there, and then down the Missouri River Bridge all the way to the east 
coast and some of the problems dealing with freight movement across New 
York Harbor from New Jersey into New York. This is not everything we 
needed, but it is a tremendous and meaningful down payment.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank again all who joined in this effort. I 
want to join the chairman in thanking the Republican staff. He has done 
an able job of that. I would like to name a few folks on our side, and 
there have been a lot of sleepless nights.
  First and foremost, my staff: Kathie Dedrick, who yesterday was her 
birthday, probably one she will never forget. She got all 24 hours out 
of it, because she did not sleep. So that is, I guess, one way to 
approach that.

[[Page H7573]]

  I want to thank the Highway Subcommittee staff, Ken House, Art Chan, 
Stephanie Manning, Eric VanSchyndle, Jennifer Esposito, Jackie Schmitz, 
Homer Carlisle.
  I particularly want to thank David Heysfeld, who brings almost as 
much history and knowledge to these issues as the ranking member and 
sometimes remembers some details that the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. 
Oberstar) has forgotten.
  Ward McCarragher, Kathie Zern, Jen Walsh, Dara Schlieker, an 
administrative assistant without whom we never would have got through 
to people and coordinated things.
  I want to thank some folks downtown, actually, at the Federal Highway 
Administration, Susan Binder, Rosi Crighton, because they spent an 
incredible amount of time analyzing what it was we were doing, because 
there are times when you start moving pieces around in this formula, we 
are not quite sure where it is all headed and who is going to be 
impacted.
  Sometimes at 3 or 4 in the morning, they were doing analysis that was 
critical to the committee completing this bill in a fair way.
  So I want to thank the chairman. I want to thank the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) and his staff. He has just been wonderful to me 
as chairman. I am proud to serve under him as ranking member.

                              {time}  1030

  I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) because he 
and I may disagree over a number of things, but we found common cause 
here in investing in the future of this country. And he played an 
absolutely critical role in negotiating with the Senate, which is one 
of the most confounding processes, I do not know if you can even call 
it a process, that I have ever dealt with. I do not know that it is 
that organized.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume 
to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri).
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. I 
would like to reciprocate and say I appreciate working with the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) and his staff. It has been a 
pleasant experience at a time when people are deploring this body in 
some corridors for its partisanship.
  I think our committee, under the leadership of the gentleman from 
Alaska (Chairman Young) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. 
Oberstar), has worked in a very constructive and bipartisan way. It 
does not mean we always agree, but I think we have a better product 
because I think we are each looking at things and sharing our different 
perspectives and trying to work out something that is in the best 
interest of our country.
  I obviously would be remiss if I did not acknowledge and thank very 
heartily Debbie Gephardt on my staff, who has spent many years on the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure staff.
  We sometimes up here do not properly acknowledge the hard-working 
career people, in this case at the United States Department of 
Transportation, who provide the analysis and, hopefully, the facts that 
enable us to at least have some idea of what we are trying to 
accomplish and whether we are succeeding in that effort. Susan Binder, 
Ross Kreiton, and Rita Merish in particular have been tireless and have 
been available 24 hours a day to do runs and to provide information and 
have helped the process enormously.
  Mr. Speaker, today we come to the end of a 2-year odyssey as we have 
worked to put together a transportation reauthorization bill. We face 
tremendous expectations and pressures with a finite amount of money, 
much less than is necessary to meet the overwhelming transportation 
needs across our United States.
  During this reauthorization effort, I and others on the committee 
have traveled to cities across the Nation and met with governors, 
mayors, business and labor interests and others, seen firsthand the 
many critical and necessary information projects that we as a Nation 
need to complete.
  The report before us today is a step forward in helping to meet those 
needs. A total of $295 billion in contract authority and $286-plus 
billion in guaranteed spending over 6 years is provided for Federal 
highway, transit and safety programs.
  The conferees were sensitive to the needs of donor States as well as 
donee States. Donor States will see increases in their rates of return, 
reaching a 92 percent rate of return in 2008 and 2009. There is a 
minimum growth rate of 19 percent to protect other States.
  A revamped highway safety construction program has been included. 
Likewise, we have revised the current border program into a formula 
fund to meet increasing needs for States facing high infrastructure 
costs from increasing foreign trade growing traffic.
  Environmental streamlining, planning and other administrative 
improvements seek to make project delivery more efficient without 
lessening needed environmental protections. Safety programs 
administered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the 
National Traffic Safety Administration will see increased funding. 
Important new initiatives to encourage seatbelt use, decrease drunk 
driving, and enhance motorcycle training and education opportunities 
are included in this legislation.
  I am particularly pleased that this conference report contains many 
provisions that were included in legislation I introduced last Congress 
to help consumers who find themselves at the mercy of unscrupulous 
movers. While the overwhelming majority of household good movers are 
honest businesses, it has become clear that we need greater enforcement 
tools. In this bill we are providing authority to the States to enforce 
Federal regulations geared to protect consumers and supplement the 
efforts of the U.S. Department of Transportation in overseeing over 1.5 
million interstate moves per year. New penalties are created and 
opportunities for consumer information will be enhanced.
  The bill also looks to the future in assessing the critical issues 
that we must confront if we are to have a first-class infrastructure 
that is so necessary to remain competitive and to spur economic 
prosperity. The bill contains several important provisions regarding 
future transportation needs, in particular, freight needs and financing 
of the highway trust fund.
  Currently, the trust fund is financed by the Federal gas taxes. With 
the rise of alternative fuels and greater fuel efficiency, this is just 
not cutting it any more. We are relying on a 20th century mechanism in 
a 21st century world. Future trust fund revenue projections are not 
encouraging, so we must confront this issue sooner rather than later.
  It is perhaps appropriate that we are passing this conference report 
today as a tribute to the current Federal Highway Administrator, Mary 
Peters, who will be retiring on July 31 after more than 4 years of 
dedicated service at the Department of Transportation. I would like to 
wish Mary and her husband well as they ride their Harleys to their new 
life back in their home State of Arizona.
  Our former colleague and chairman of the Public Works Committee, 
Secretary Norm Mineta, has also provided his usual reliable advice and 
counsel in crafting this legislation.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson).
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend 
the Chair and ranking member for their efforts, and the subcommittee 
chair and the subcommittee ranking member. We are so delighted to come 
to this point, and I know that our ranking member of the full committee 
is probably so worn out he cannot get here today. But I would like to 
commend all of that leadership for the diligence, the good works, and 
the good attitude, the inclusiveness, and the long overdue legislation 
as a result for the American people.
  And, foremost, the staff; I want to associate myself with the 
previous speakers' recognizing and complimenting the staff because we 
could not have done it without them.
  I thank the Senate for their quick action. I just watched the Senator 
get up and talk about how important it was not to hold up the bill. But 
today we in the House of Representatives send a clear message to the 
American people that investment in America's transportation system is a 
top priority. This

[[Page H7574]]

bill will help to create new, good-paying jobs, promote economic 
development, address congestion, air quality and highway safety 
problems.
  Since 2003 the Nation has anxiously awaited a transportation 
reauthorization bill, and rightly so. Each year the American people 
waste 3.7 billion hours in traffic gridlock, 2.3 billion gallons of 
fuel, to a total cost of $63 billion. We need to address these issues.
  In addition to this congestion cost, the ever-deteriorating 
infrastructure of this country desperately needs attention. Late last 
year, the Texas Section of the Civil Engineers released a 2004 report 
card in which the State's infrastructure received a dismal cumulative 
assessment of below average.
  An ever-increasing population is placing enormous strain on highway 
capacity. The Texas Transportation Commission can fund less than 40 
percent of the worthy road and highway projects; 12,000 of the State's 
48,000 bridges are structural deficient, and deteriorating air quality 
poses an even greater risk to the health of residents, particularly 
seniors and children.
  In closing, I am delighted the product before us is finally one step 
away from bringing the much-needed funding certainty to our States and 
communities that have sought them since the expiration of TEA 21. While 
I regret the investment level falls short of the Transportation 
Department's $375 billion estimate that they advocated, our committee 
responded that this investment level represents a good step in the 
direction of the Nation's transportation needs.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume 
to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), the great Speaker of this 
House. I deeply appreciate his efforts in getting this legislation 
passed.
  (Mr. HASTERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a minute to, first of all, 
congratulate the people who worked for years to make this bill 
possible. First of all, our chairman, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. 
Young) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Petri), the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and the ranking 
member, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) for their hard work in 
getting this done, and their staffs.
  As we know, in the legislative process, sometimes everything does not 
turn out exactly perfect the way we envision when we began. But this 
bill is a result of people working together on both sides of the aisle, 
setting goals, moving toward those goals, talking to each other, 
listening to each other. And it is a very good thing.
  What this bill also means as we move our people and our products 
across this country, whether it be highway or rail or people by 
transit, we can do it in a better and more efficient way.
  So many areas have unique needs. We have growth areas. We have huge 
expanses across this country with not very many people, but yet we need 
to move the goods and products across this Nation. We have a railroad 
industry that some bridges go back almost 150 years. But we need to 
modernize and we need to move forward because if we are going to be an 
economic trader in the years to come, if we are going to be able to 
move our products from the East Coast to the West Coast on things we 
manufacture and produce and buy, then we need to have the 
transportation to move it. This bill will make that possible.
  I think of the hours of days every week that commuters sit on clogged 
interstates, intersections, commuter highways, and the waste of 
American energy and productivity; this bill will begin to help that 
issue. As a father, I can think of all those hours that families sit on 
those interstates slowly moving along, and kids say, Daddy, when are we 
going to get there? Maybe with this bill, we may have to answer that 
three or four less times in our lives.
  I appreciate the great effort to get this bill done. Let us move to 
it.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the leadership. I want to 
acknowledge the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert). I know the 
gentleman has played a key role; perhaps unlike any Speaker in history, 
with the difficult dynamic we had, he played a key role. I appreciate 
the committee leadership that has been acknowledged.
  I would also like to express my appreciation for what people out in 
the country did. We have assembled the largest coalition in support of 
infrastructure investment in the history of the United States. Groups 
that ranged from the Women's Federated Garden Club of America, 
organized labor, environmentalists, people who move freight, people who 
build the facilities all came together with community activists to 
provide a critical push, given the political difficulties that all have 
acknowledged.
  It was testimony also to the people who know how important these 
transportation investments are.
  I appreciate being able to have a series of things in this 
legislation that I care deeply about. I have been working on small 
starts legislation that would help with streetcars, with commuter rail, 
with bus rapid transit, and I appreciate the committee having 3 years 
of investment that is going to help give communities more choices. And 
certainly with the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and the 
ranking committee member, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), we 
were assured that this was going to be the best bicycle bill in the 
history of the United States, and we have it.
  I am also appreciative that we have been able, through all of the 
travails, to keep the fundamental framework of the historic 1991 ISTEA 
legislation. This legislation produced the flexibility, it produced new 
tools for communities, it had a bias for being able to plan and put 
together the pieces right.
  We have had lots of upheaval in Washington, D.C. and in the 
countryside since 1991. It has not been without controversy, but the 
basic framework is intact. And it means, even though this is not as 
much money as I would like to see us invest in America's 
infrastructure, it will be spent more efficiently in ways that 
communities want.

                              {time}  1045

  Because it has taken us 2 years to get to this point, one other thing 
should be reflected upon. We only have 4 years before we are doing it 
all over again. I hope that we take this time, learn from the 
experience, keep the coalition alive in Congress and in the country to 
make sure that when we come back here in 4 years, which is, sadly, a 
very short time in terms of major policy, that we are able to build on 
this, not get hung up over the level of funding, and that we are able 
to deal with critical questions that cry out for adjustment.
  We need to think about what the appropriate role is for Federal 
oversight. There is a lot of work that is done with the Department of 
Transportation, frankly, that costs people money in time and energy 
that may no longer be necessary. I hope we are able to look at that 
role and gear appropriate Federal oversight in ways that add value, not 
take it away.
  I think it is time for us to look at the match methodology, to have a 
uniform set of match provisions so that we are not affecting the 
transportation decisions based on how many dollars we give to the 
particular project. We need to develop more new tools like the Small 
Starts project. We have to critically focus on urban freight mobility.
  This legislation moves us in the right direction, but we have a long 
way to go, and I do not think individuals have spent enough time and 
energy working in their own districts to craft the appropriate 
solutions. We need to look at the critical connections and refine the 
connections between rail, air, and roads. The Speaker referenced them 
in his presentation, but it is not just investing in each of them, it 
is how they fit together and enhance one another.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no better Federal investment than in 
infrastructure that deals with the environment and transportation in 
communities. Spent properly, it is the best dollar spent to strengthen 
that community, make our families safe, healthy, and economically 
secure. This bill is a step in the right direction, and I look forward 
to working to make sure that it is implemented properly.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Thomas), the chairman of the Committee on Ways and 
Means,

[[Page H7575]]

who worked very hard on this legislation.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me this 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, appropriately so, a number of people have been 
complimented. I too want to indicate that the reason this bill was so 
difficult is because there was not enough money to deal with the 
infrastructure needs of this country. As the keeper of the purse 
strings, I am very conscious of the amount of money that we have 
available. Between now and the next time we try this, we are simply 
going to have to rethink the way we provide for the infrastructure in 
this country. We are succeeding in areas that damage us in raising 
revenue to improve infrastructure.
  Every page of this bill, Mr. Speaker, has been built on accommodation 
and compromise. I want to thank the staff, who have all earned graduate 
degrees in bill assembly. It was an extremely difficult job. But I want 
to say this: When we come back in September, we are going to begin 
addressing legislative needs of an aging American society. There will 
be critics of this legislation. It has been said in various ways, and I 
want to underscore it, that not only is America aging but America's 
infrastructure in many parts of this country, bridges, tunnels, and 
others, are octogenarians and older. It is foolish not to make sure 
that we maintain the infrastructure that we have.
  Ironically, in some parts of the country, it requires new 
construction, highways, transit and other costly infrastructure 
improvements. But without doing it, without doing it, it will cost us 
billions. It has been recited how much it costs us today. Today, we 
present $286.4 billion worth of cost. Society will present us on a 
daily basis, through congestion and failure to build the right 
structures, a price tag over the next 5 years far greater than the 
price tag that is presented today. Today, you see the dollar amount. 
Over the next 5 years, we will accumulate a cost of a far greater 
amount.
  I want to compliment those who put this together. I look forward to 
working with you in solving the financing structure. As we get better, 
there is no reason why the Highway Trust Fund should grow less. We need 
to rethink the way in which we pay for the infrastructure in this 
country.
  I want to thank all of you for the most pleasant experience of 
operating in an institutional way to make this place work. Thank you. 
It was a lot of fun.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown).
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the 
chairman, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Petri), and the ranking members, the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) 
for their leadership and hard work in finally getting TEA-LU to this 
point so that we can pass a bill and get a bill signed into law.
  This bill is almost 2 years overdue and should certainly include more 
money, but this bill will be a large win for the American people. This 
bill will provide billions of dollars for highway infrastructure 
improvement, transit systems, new buses and bus stops, congestion 
relief programs, and safety enhancements. It will also create millions 
of new jobs in transportation-related industries and will save 
thousands of lives each year.
  Transportation funding is a win-win for everyone involved. States get 
to improve transportation infrastructure that create economic 
development, put people back to work, enhance safety, and improve local 
communities.
  Finally, I want to ask the ranking member to engage me in a colloquy 
to discuss an issue that did not get included in the bill but is 
important to the cattlemen in my home State of Florida. The current 
weight limitations for Florida cattlemen's shipment is 800 pounds. 
However, neighboring States are grandfathered in at a higher weight 
limit, placing Florida at a competitive disadvantage with its 
neighboring States.
  The Florida delegation is asking that the committee make every effort 
to improve this unfair situation in the rulemaking process and to 
ensure that there is a fair playing field for Florida cattlemen.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. I yield to the gentleman from Oregon.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman. She has been a 
very able advocate for the economic interests of her State, as have 
other Members of the Florida delegation. I want to assure her that at 
least on this side of the aisle, and I am certain on the other side of 
the aisle, we understand these problems and assure her we will work 
with her to try to reach some resolution that is fair to all.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, I 
thank the gentleman for his comments; and, as I take my seat, I want to 
once again thank the chairman and the ranking member for their 
leadership.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), chairman of the great Subcommittee on 
Water Resources and Environment.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alaska for 
yielding me this time; and I want, first of all, to thank him for the 
Herculean job he has done on this legislation. My dad told me years 
ago, and I do not remember what it was about, but he said everything 
looks easy from a distance. Well, I can tell you, this legislation did 
not look easy from a distance or from close up.
  The chairman of our full committee, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. 
Young), the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. 
Oberstar), and our subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Wisconsin 
(Mr. Petri), and his ranking member, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. 
DeFazio), had to work with 535 Members of the House and Senate. Each 
time we would come within a hair of finishing this bill, some glitch 
would develop and some problem; and I can tell you that I cannot 
express strongly enough my admiration and respect for Chairman Young 
and Chairman Petri and ranking members Oberstar and DeFazio for the 
work they have done.
  One national magazine, Mr. Speaker, estimated we lose $67 billion a 
year due to congestion costs and people being stuck in traffic. As one 
other Member just said a moment ago, this job will save thousands of 
lives over these next 5 years. We have spent several hundreds of 
billions of dollars each year in other countries, Mr. Speaker, through 
every department and agency of the Federal Government, but this is an 
American bill. This is a bill to do things for the people of this 
country and to put our own people first.
  I cannot overemphasize the importance of this. This is a 6-year bill 
with 5 years left. It sounds like a lot of money, and it is, but when 
you divide it by six, it really does not cover the infrastructure needs 
of this Nation. I can tell you that I especially appreciate what is in 
this bill for my constituents in east Tennessee.
  This bill is progress for America. It is one of the finest products 
that has come out of this Congress in a long, long time; and it was a 
privilege for me to be a small part of it.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bass). Without objection, the gentleman 
from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) is recognized to manage the time on the 
minority side.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Costello).
  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time, and let me say that I rise in strong support of this conference 
report. I would like to say thank you for a job well done to the 
chairman of the full committee and the chairman of the conference, the 
gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), who did an outstanding job working 
on this legislation, as well as the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Petri), and the ranking member of the subcommittee, the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) and certainly the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. 
Oberstar), who has not only worked very hard in this conference but is 
a champion for transportation in general in the House of 
Representatives. Without the strong support and leadership of Chairman 
Young and Ranking Member Oberstar and Subcommittee Chairman Petri and 
Ranking Member DeFazio, we would not be here today.

[[Page H7576]]

  Let me say that our interstate highway system is 50 years old, and 32 
percent of our major roads are either in poor or mediocre condition. 
Twenty-nine percent of our bridges are structurally deficient or 
functionally obsolete, and 36 percent of the Nation's urban rail 
vehicles and maintenance facilities are in substandard or poor 
condition. This legislation is essential, for it increases investments 
in our roads, our bridges, and it allows States and our local 
communities to not only maintain but to improve their transportation 
system.
  Despite this long process and all of the time that it has taken, let 
me say that we are here today to vote on what I believe is a good 5-
year conference bill. H.R. 3 provides $286.4 billion over 5 years, 
which is a 30.32 percent increase over the last highway bill that we 
passed in the Congress.
  I am also pleased that we were able to retain a section in this 
conference report for national programs of significance, otherwise 
known as megaprojects, in this bill. These projects are extremely 
important to not only our regions but also they are important to the 
Nation as well, and I am grateful to the chairman of the committee and 
also my friend, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri), and the gentleman from Oregon 
(Mr. DeFazio) for including in this conference report a significant 
amount of money from the megaproject fund for the new Mississippi River 
bridge in the St. Louis region. It not only will provide relief to 
congestion in the region but also to the Nation.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support and to vote 
for this conference report.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume to acknowledge the presence of the ranking member, my good 
friend, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar). He has been absent 
from the floor because he was stuck in traffic. What better thing could 
happen to him today as we pass this magnificent bill. As we can see, he 
is here. I welcome him here, and we will be discussing this a little 
later on. Welcome.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Flake).

                              {time}  1100

  Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today feeling a little like a skunk at 
a wedding, or probably more accurately, road kill. I will cast later 
today what I am sure will be a lonely vote against this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope this is the last highway authorization bill we do 
in this fashion. In 1986, President Reagan vetoed the bill because of 
what he said were excessive earmarks or projects. I believe there were 
some 150 in that bill. There are nearly 6,000 in this bill today. That 
is no way to spend money.
  As more earmarks come, fewer dollars as a percentage actually go to 
critical needs. It is spent in other directions, and it is not the 
direction we ought to go. Equally troubling in this bill are budget 
gimmicks, the biggest one being that we rescind on the last day of 
reauthorization $8.6 billion to bring this under the number that the 
President said he will not veto.
  I would submit that nobody actually believes we are going to rescind 
that money. Let us be honest about this: This is busting the budget. I 
urge Members to vote ``no.''
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Millender-McDonald).
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, hallelujah; finally, we have a 
transportation bill. I would like to thank the chairman and the ranking 
member for their leadership and their strong support on relieving 
gridlock on our highways and mobilizing people and moving goods. That 
is why I rise in support of final passage of H.R. 3.
  As a member of the committee and a conferee on this bill, I have been 
supportive throughout this process. I will be quick and to the point.
  The bill is long overdue, 22 months to be exact. This has been a long 
process, but I want to focus on the new beginnings that passage of this 
bill will provide for my constituents and the many businesses across 
this country. The bill is not everything we wanted, but it is a start. 
It will provide mobility for millions of people, create jobs, reduce 
congestion, and improve the movement of our Nation's goods. It will 
benefit the country and it will certainly benefit my home State of 
California.
  I want to thank the leadership for including my language for the 
Projects of National and Regional Significance in the final version of 
this bill. The focus of the Projects of National and Regional 
Significance during the conference committee has been on the funding 
for critical, high-cost transportation facilities, and as we know, it 
is an imperative for the future.
  However, including the definition of this new program and listing the 
criteria for what constitutes a Project of National and Regional 
Significance in this bill is just as important. The new program will 
provide the framework for the ongoing funding of larger projects that 
contribute to the economic vitality of our national and regional 
economies. This program is about the future of our transportation 
infrastructure and the growth of our national economy.
  I would like to thank my ranking member on the subcommittee, the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) and the chairman, the gentleman 
from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri), for their even and measured approach 
throughout this reauthorization process. Their insight, understanding 
and vision on what transportation infrastructure can be and should do 
is evident throughout this bill. I thank you all for what you have done 
for California and this Nation.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Gary G. Miller), a member of the committee.
  Mr. GARY G. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I see on the 
chairman's face a sigh of relief this morning. I know this has been an 
arduous process, dealing with some of the issues, especially in the 
last 2 weeks. This is very good for this country, and specifically for 
my State of California.
  Many things that are good take time. This is one thing that took time 
to percolate. Everybody would have liked to have seen more money, but 
we are not going to break the budget. We are going to work within the 
dollars we have, but this is huge. The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Petri) has worked very hard, along with the ranking member, the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar). And the gentleman from 
California (Chairman Thomas) worked hard trying to provide the funds.
  In California, probably the most significant project, in my opinion, 
would be the Alameda corridor. We have the Port of San Pedro and Long 
Beach, which handles about 40 percent of all of the commerce shipped 
into this country and out of this country, and our communities are 
being tremendously impacted by that. We have a good amount of money 
coming back to California to start this project. We have been given 
assurances that when the moneys are needed, the funds will be provided 
to complete this project.
  Yes, there are things we would prefer to have changed in this bill, 
but the bill we are bringing back to the people of our Nation, 
specifically California, is good. It will provide jobs. People are 
sitting in traffic, sitting at grade crossings watching trains go by. 
Our job is to provide relief and ensure that commerce can flow, people 
can drive to and from work, they can get their kids to school without 
being impacted by traffic issues.
  The State of California has very few dollars, almost zero in the last 
few years, to provide for traffic issues and infrastructure and the 
needs that we have for bridges and highways in California. These 
dollars going back to California are tremendous. Once again, I thank 
the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) for his leadership on this bill.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  First of all, let me join my colleagues in thanking the gentleman 
from Alaska (Chairman Young), the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. 
Oberstar), the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Petri), and the 
ranking member, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) for bringing 
this bill to fruition. I know it was not easy. It was a heavy lift.

[[Page H7577]]

  I am particularly grateful because in my district, the 11th 
Congressional District of Georgia, we have a project called the 411 
Connector. We have been working on that at the State level for 25 
years. It is a very congested area. It involves Floyd and Bartow 
Counties in particular, and will connect a congested road to I-75.
  We have had great help on that project from the gentleman from Alaska 
(Chairman Young) in getting the necessary funding. I want to thank my 
two Senators, Senators Chambliss and Isaakson. I want to thank the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland) for helping us keep the 
necessary funding for this project. Certainly, I thank Secretary Norman 
Mineta for placing this on a fast track list of only six projects in 
this country.
  Last but not least, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mary Peters. I heard 
the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) say she would be retiring to 
her home State of Arizona. Highway Administrator Peters came to my 
district, met with the folks from Bartow and Floyd Counties, and talked 
to us about how to get this project, apply for fast track; and I am 
very grateful to her for those efforts.
  I want to say to Mary Peters, good luck on her retirement and be safe 
on that motorcycle in Arizona, and just ask all of my colleagues to 
support this bill, as I know they will.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. OBERSTAR asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks, and include extraneous material.)
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, there is an old saying, success has a 
thousand fathers, failure is an orphan. We bring to this House success 
with at least 435 parents, starting with the Speaker of the House, who 
is a strong advocate for the original bill that the gentleman from 
Alaska (Chairman Young) and I introduced, and nearly all of the members 
of our committee, for $375 billion, to respond to the Nation's 
transportation needs over the next 6 years. We did that in 2003 at a 
time when gasoline was selling for $1.34 a gallon.
  I appreciate the Speaker being an advocate for a robust investment, 
but I even more appreciate the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young) 
for advocating before his conference this level of investment that we 
did not pick out of the thin air, but that was recommended by the 
Department of Transportation as directed in TEA-21 to evaluate paving 
condition, bridge condition, safety needs, and congestion across the 
country; and they came back with their estimates, after consulting with 
all of the States and all of the transportation experts, what it should 
be, and we did what we thought should be.
  When the chairman broke his pick on that number after vigorous 
advocacy, we agreed to scale the bill back incrementally, further down 
the ladder to below $300 billion, and then down to $275 billion. We 
brought that bill to the House floor last year, and it passed; we went 
to conference with the Senate and they could come to no resolution, as 
we quaintly say in this body.
  We had a little higher threshold. We came back this year, and while 
TV and newspaper stories report conflict and gridlock in Congress, 
there is no black smoke coming out of the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure committee room. There is no discord or disagreement 
on how to approach policy issues. They are resolved in a thoughtful, 
constructive, and positive way that brought a bill that every one of us 
on both sides of the aisle could support, as if there were no aisle. 
For that, I express my deep appreciation and admiration for the 
gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young), whose patience nurtured the 
process along, whose impatience prodded the other body along, whose 
smile deflected critics, and whose scowl sent them skittering.
  The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri), the chairman of the 
subcommittee, whose thoughtful and deliberative approach over many 
years on this committee contributed enormously to our work product. The 
ranking member, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), plunged into 
this subject matter, mastered the issues, and became a vigorous and 
constructive advocate of all of the principal features of the bill. The 
gentleman has been an extraordinary, constructive partner.
  This bill, in the end, was a measure so loved that all who were 
interested came to it bearing gifts and adorned it like a tree. At the 
end, one by one, we took those ornaments off until there was only one 
remaining last night; and that one, too, has been put back in its box 
to await another vehicle, perhaps a future omnibus bill where that 
ornament will be plucked out and hung on another tree. For now we have 
a tree of solid oak for this century, an investment in transportation, 
highways and bridges and transit and safety, tripling the investment in 
safety that we had in TEA-21.
  Most importantly, this bill will move us in the direction of 
reclaiming our productivity in the marketplace and in the world 
economy.
  In 1987, logistics consumed 17 percent of our gross domestic product, 
that is, moving people and goods. Last year, logistics consumed 9 
percent of our gross domestic product, and that is a $750 billion a 
year gain in productivity, meaning it is less costly to move people, 
less costly to move goods. Take the example of UPS for whom a 5-minute 
delay nationwide costs $40 million. We will make an assault upon our 
slipping productivity, keep momentum going, address the congestion 
points across America and move America forward.
  This is a good bill for America. It is good for people, it is good 
for economic sectors, and we all ought to pass this bill this morning 
and move America forward. Vote for the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the conference report for 
H.R. 3, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation 
Equity Act of 2005. I want to acknowledge the work of the 
Transportation Committee on this complex bill and especially thank my 
friend and colleague from Wisconsin, Mr. Petri, for his leadership on 
the legislation; the Wisconsin delegation is lucky to have such a 
strong advocate for our citizens.
  H.R. 3 is a significant economic development and job creation bill, 
and now is certainly the time that we need more jobs throughout the 
country. I consistently hear from constituents who are searching for 
work; who have sent out dozens of resumes and updated their skills but 
remain unemployed. Each billion dollars spent on highway funding 
creates not only safer and better roads, but it also creates an 
estimated 47,500 news jobs. An investment in highway funding is an 
investment for steady work for those in Wisconsin and around the 
nation.
  In addition, I am pleased that the bill recognizes the importance of 
funding crucial highways and bridges in Wisconsin's Third Congressional 
District. Specifically, the inclusion of funding for the Stillwater 
Bridge, which connects Houlton, Wisconsin, and Stillwater, Minnesota, 
is great news for those of us who have been working on this project for 
years. The bridge is only one example of an important project that will 
provide our citizens with safer roads, shorter commutes, and better 
jobs.
  Furthermore, I would like to recognize the important conservation 
provisions that are included in H.R. 3. As a hunter and fisherman, I am 
particularly pleased with a provision which recaptures the final 4.8 
cents of the 18.3 cents per gallon tax on motorboat fuel and directs it 
back into the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act's Aquatic 
Resources Trust Fund (ARTF). This full recovery of the motorboat fuel 
excise tax will provide about $110 million a year for recreational 
trails, new funding for signage identifying access for anglers and 
hunters, and vital safety programs dealing with wildlife-vehicle 
collisions. These important provisions make H.R. 3 the most 
comprehensive transportation bill for sportsmen ever created.
  I am proud to have served on the conference committee to help 
reconcile this bill so it could reach the House and Senate for a final 
vote. Moreover, I would like to thank Senators Kohl and Feingold for 
all the work they have done with this bill to make sure that it 
benefits the citizens of Wisconsin. The long-awaited passage of this 
bill is great news for western Wisconsin. I urge my colleagues to 
support the bill.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend Chairman 
Young and Ranking Member Oberstar, as well as the Subcommittee 
leadership for their hard work in crafting the underlying legislation. 
I consider the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the 
appointed Conferees for this bill to be a ``club'' of sorts, and it is 
in that vein that I commend them for the tremendous job appropriate 
funding for surface transportation projects and environmental 
mitigation projects of importance to every congressional district.

[[Page H7578]]

  Not only am I pleased that the Conference Report contains 
authorization and appropriations of $12.8 million for priority 
infrastructure and surface transportation projects in my District of 
Houston, Texas, but I am happy that other provisions provide for the 
investment of tax dollars for the creation of jobs, economic growth, 
and improved productivity.
  Mr. Speaker, the actions taken in this bill will be instrumental in 
moving forward with an expansion of transit service that is so greatly 
needed in the Houston area. I want to thank the entire Houston 
delegation and most importantly Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison for her 
work on the earmark for Houston METRO. It is very important that we 
work together in a united fashion to improve mobility for the Nation's 
fourth largest city. I have worked for many years to help Houston METRO 
and am glad we can take the next big step in implementing valuable 
transportation and mobility improvements because of this bill.
  The Greater Houston area is subdivided into 6 counties: Chambers, 
Fort Bend, Liberty, Montgomery, Waller, and my District, Harris. Harris 
County contains the city of Houston and the largest concentration of 
people. In the year 2000, approximately 3.5 million people lived in 
Harris County alone--by far the most populous area. Over the next 
twenty years, the population of the Houston region will continue to 
grow.
  The Historic Fourth Ward in Houston is long overdue for major 
transportation improvements that have thankfully been addressed in 
earmarks contained within the Conference Report. The Fourth Ward 
emerged as Houston's most prominent African-American neighborhood when 
thousands of freed slaves flooded into the city after emancipation. 
These newcomers settled on the fringes of the third, fifth, and fourth 
wards. The Freedmentown area north of San Felipe and the streets west 
of downtown not only attracted the largest number of the new black 
residents but also housed the first black churches, schools, and 
political organizations. Several factors combined to facilitate the 
subsequent growth of the Fourth Ward's black community. I thank the 
Conferees for their hard work in retaining important project funding 
such as this.
  Continued improvement to Houston's and Texas' infrastructure will be 
the priority for me and my colleagues, and H.R. 3 represents a major 
advancement toward that goal. For these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I support 
H.R. 3.
  Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, today, the House of Representatives 
approved the conference report for H.R. 3, the six-year reauthorization 
of highway and transit programs. I regrettably voted against this 
legislation because I believe it represents a disservice to American 
taxpayers. With an advertised cost of over $286 billion, the bill on 
its face is more than $2 billion over what President Bush has 
threatened to veto. More importantly though, the bill contains a 
gimmick that disguises significant spending and undermines the 
integrity of the entire Congressional budget process. Several times 
already this year I have opposed legislation that violates either the 
Budget Act or spending limits established by the Congress. We agreed to 
these budget levels and the discipline of the Budget Act. We must learn 
to live by them or we will leave our children and grandchildren a huge 
and unfair financial burden as their inheritance.
  Unless Congress breaks with decades of historical precedent and 
rescinds $8.5 billion in funding in 2009 (on the last day of the bill's 
authorization), the budget gimmick brings the true total to $295 
billion. There are many worthwhile projects in this bill that are good 
for Texas and for the nation. We should be spending Federal highway 
funds on needed highways and bridges, gravel and concrete, not millions 
of dollars on the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan, graffiti elimination 
in New York City or hundreds of millions for a bridge in Alaska so the 
few residents of a remote island can avoid a 7 minute ferry ride.
  The budget ruse and the wasteful items in this legislation are a 
disservice to the American people, who count on Congress to ensure we 
have the necessary infrastructure to sustain continued growth in our 
economy. We need roads to move commuters quickly, safely and 
efficiently and so businesses can ship goods. We do not need H.R. 3 as 
written. I know my position is often lonely in attempting to protect 
the integrity of our Budget Act and the discipline it represents. Still 
I believe the work is critical and I will continue to try to be a 
leader in this area in the House.
  Mr. HONDA, Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the 
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program provisions contained in 
H.R. 3 the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation 
Equity: A Legacy for Users Act.
  While we have made some progress in getting participation by 
minority-owned businesses in the Federal-Aid highway and transit 
programs, we still need the DBE program to encourage further advances 
in this area.
  We have seen that when DBE programs end, many prime contractors 
return to the same exclusionary practices that deny minorities and 
women the chance to compete for business underscoring the continued 
need for the DBE program. Let me also make clear that the DBE program 
is not a quota program. The goals in the program represent a national 
target for the Department of Transportation; state and local recipients 
of DOT funding set their own goals for DOT participation in 
construction projects based on the availability of disadvantaged 
businesses in their markets. There is never an absolute requirement 
that a particular goal be met.
  The DBE program is based on a simple premise of equal opportunity. It 
requires all contractors bidding for Federal highway projects to do so 
on an equal footing, regardless of gender or of race. Federal highway 
projects should be awarded to companies owned by individuals who for 
decades, for decades were effectively shut out from this industry. I 
believe that the DBE program in this bill is needed to open 
opportunities for women and minorities in the highway construction 
industry. It is a program important to a wide range of socially and 
economically disadvantaged persons.
  Mr. Speaker, time has shown that the DBE program works. It is a 
program that meets constitutional muster. It is a program that has a 
rational, national compelling interest. Again, I stand here today to 
express my strong support for a program that has proven to be of 
enormous benefit to countless minority- and women-owned businesses in 
the country.
  Mr. WEINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to congratulate the conferees 
on completing their work to fund our nation's transportation needs for 
the next 5 years. Mr. Young, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Petri and Mr. DeFazio in 
particular deserve credit for clearing the final legislative hurdle to 
making SAFETEA-LU a reality. After 11 extensions of TEA-21 and two 
years of debate, I am glad to see this day come.
  As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that 
approved a $375 billion highway authorization bill in 2003, I supported 
H.R. 3 when it passed the House despite feeling that more funding was 
needed. I was happy to see that the total funding package in the 
conference report totals $286.4 billion, a 30 percent increase over the 
total highway funding in the last authorization bill passed in 1998. I 
wish the Congress had followed the Department of Transportation's own 
needs assessment and funded the bill at $375 billion, but I accept this 
compromise as a way to get much needed money to states and localities 
that need it now.
  New York City will see a 23 percent increase in overall funding under 
this bill, about $8.5 billion dollars overall. In highway funds the 
city will benefit from about $3 billion, a 19 percent increase; and in 
transit funds the city will see $5.5 billion, a 30 percent increase. 
The 19 percent increase in New York City and state highway funding is 
of the utmost importance: it grows the state's federal funding stream 
above the rate of inflation and will allow for planned development to 
proceed.
  On the matter of the minimum guarantee, I am a firm believer that 
states like New York should not be punished for having efficient 
transportation systems that keep fuel consumption down. I advocated for 
a 90.5 percent minimum guarantee in the bill. Given that some of my 
colleagues had called for a 95 percent minimum guarantee to favor 
states like Texas, I accept the conference report's 90.5 percent 
minimum guarantee that balloons to 92 percent by 2008.
  I would also like to commend the conferees for settling on Senate 
language related to grants under the Intelligent Transportation 
Infrastructure Program. The language in the conference report will 
allow for new contracts to be awarded as the program expands into new 
cities instead of making all new projects subject to the old sole-
source contract. In each case the state transportation agency will be 
required to consent to any grant award made. This arrangement will 
promote competition among vendors and place all firms capable of 
installing and operating traffic data collection infrastructure on a 
level playing field.
  Mr. Speaker, I have worked hard to ensure that this bill will make 
significant improvements to the lives of ordinary New Yorkers. Included 
in this bill are a number of projects that will enhance transportation 
throughout New York City and in my district in particular.
  At my urging, the bill includes:
  $15,000,000 for the New York City Department of Transportation to 
build the facilities and purchase the ferry boats necessary to 
establish high speed ferry service between the Rockaway Peninsula and 
Manhattan.
  $500,000 to help the New York State Department of Transportation 
install two permanent variable message signs that will display amber 
alert messages on the Belt Parkway.
  $250,000 for the New York City Department of Transportation to study 
and implement pedestrian safety enhancements in Gerritsen Beach, 
Brooklyn.
  $1,000,000 for the New York City Department of Transportation to 
study and implement traffic improvements to the area surrounding

[[Page H7579]]

the Stillwell Avenue train station in Coney Island, New York.
  $600,000 for each of the boroughs of New York City to make 
improvements to pedestrian safety, allocated within each borough 
according to feedback collected on my website from New York City 
residents.
  $250,000 for the areas surrounding each of 10 schools in New York 
City. Those funds are to be spent on efforts to improve pedestrian 
safety surrounding those 10 schools. Students walking to IS Q114 in 
Belle Harbor, PS Q200 in Electchester, PS K124 in Park Slope, PS K277 
in Gerritsen Beach, Prospect Park Yeshiva in Midwood, PS X81 in 
Riverdale, IS X194 in Parkchester, IS R72/PS R69 in New Springville, PS 
Q153 in Maspeth, and St. Roberts Bellarmine in Bayside will all be 
better protected by improvements installed with funding provided in 
TEA-LU.
  $500,000 to make improvement to pedestrian safety in the Riverdale 
neighborhood of the Bronx in consultation with Rep. Eliot Engel and New 
York State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.
  $500,000 for pedestrian safety improvements on Queens Boulevard.
  $700,000 to abate noise emanating from I-95, I-278, Mosholu Parkway, 
I-495, Grand Central Parkway, and Richmond Parkway: all state roadways 
located within New York City that are paved with concrete. ``Diamond 
grinding'' measures should significantly improve the quality of life of 
those residing within earshot of those roadways.
  $550,000 to improve the roadways surrounding the Brooklyn Children's 
Museum.
  $1,000,000 to be used to build a new facility for the Broad Channel 
Volunteer Fire Department.
  $5,750,000 to be used by the Doe Fund to establish a graffiti 
elimination program throughout the city of New York. It is my intent 
that my $4.75 million project for graffiti removal in Queens, Brooklyn, 
Staten Island and the Bronx be used in the neighborhoods of Woodside, 
Bensonhurst, Boerum Hill, Astoria, Cobble Hill, Windsor Terrace, Hollis 
Wood, Park Slope, Kensington, Glendale, Borough Park, Williamsburg, 
Carroll Gardens, Whitestone, Jamaica Estates, Bath Beach, Dyker 
Heights, Crown Heights, Flatbush, Midwood, Jamaica Hills, Grand Street, 
and Kings Highway from Ocean Parkway to McDonald Avenue. It is further 
my intent that $250,000 of this money will be applied to the Soundview, 
Castle Hill, Throgs Neck and Morris Park neighborhoods in the Bronx, at 
the urging of Rep. Joseph Crowley. I have also included $500,000 for 
Smith Street in Brooklyn and $500,000 for the Riverdale neighborhood.
  $2,000,000 to improve transportation facilities in the vicinity of 
West 65th Street and Broadway in conjunction with the major capital 
improvements being done at Lincoln Center.
  $500,000 to be equally distributed at five locations in New York City 
for the New York City Department of Transportation to enhance the 
enforcement of truck routes. The five locations are:

       The Long Island Expressway Eastbound Service Road at 74th 
     Street to Caldwell Ave, Grand Ave from 69th Street to 
     Flushing Ave, and Eliot Ave from 69th Street to Woodhaven 
     Blvd
       Avenue P between Coney Island Avenue and Ocean Avenue in 
     the 9th District of New York
       The 9th Street and 3rd Avenue intersection in Brooklyn
       From Broadway to Irwin Ave between 232 to 231 in the 
     neighborhood of Kingsbridge, New York
       Victory Blvd Between Travis Ave and West Shore Expressway 
     Travis Section of Staten Island

  $300,000 for Gateway National Park to improve the Riis Park 
Boardwalk.
  $2,000,000 to be used to improve traffic flow in the vicinity of the 
Atlantic Yards Development in Brooklyn.
  $1,000,000 to be used by City and State Agencies to improve homeland 
security at bridges and tunnels throughout New York City.
  $500,000 to improve the roads and facilities at the Kew Gardens Long 
Island Rail Road Terminal.
  $950,000 to design and construct a bicycle and pedestrian walkway 
along the decommissioned Putnam Rail Line in the Bronx at the advice of 
Representative Eliot Engel.
  $2,000,000 to improve 125th Street in Harlem in conjunction with 
improvements being made by Columbia University.
  $2,000,000 to implement congestion reduction measures on Staten 
Island at the urging of New York State Assemblyman Michael Cusick.
  $500,000 to install traffic safety measures at the intersection of 
Rockaway Point Boulevard and Reid Avenue in the Breezy Point 
neighborhood.
  $1,400,000 to repair and improve streets in Astoria, Queens that were 
damaged by water main breaks.
  $836,000 to help Easter Seals purchase and equip cars that provide 
livery service to disabled New Yorkers.
  And $836,000 to establish a bus rapid transit system at a location to 
be determined in consultation with the Transportation Workers Union. 
Bus rapid transit uses a variety of traffic improvements, like 
exclusive bus lanes and coordinated signal changing, to speed bus 
travel on congested city routes.
  These high priority projects will make a considerable contribution to 
the lives of New York City residents. I could not have secured these 
and other programs within TEA-LU without the help and counsel of 
individuals here in Washington, as well as in Albany and New York City.
  In particular, I would like to thank both the Democratic and 
Republican staff of the Transportation Committee, both of whom worked 
tirelessly on this piece of legislation, and who deserve the entire 
Congress' thanks. In particular, I would like to thank Ken House, Eric 
VanSchyndle, Ward McCarragher, Kathleen Zern, David Heymsfeld, and Dara 
Schleiker of Mr. Oberstar's staff.
  I would also like to thank Tom Kearney, Tom Herritt and their 
colleagues at the Albany Office of the Federal Highway Administration, 
Nancy Ross, Fred Neveu, Ron Epstein and their colleagues at the New 
York State Department of Transportation, and Andra Horsch and David 
Woloch and their colleagues at the New York City Department of 
Transportation.
  Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, as we consider the conference report for 
H.R. 3, I would like to express my appreciation to the Chairman and 
Ranking Member for their work on this important piece of legislation, 
and in particular, I would like to recognize the inclusion of measures 
that will reauthorize the U.S. Department of Transportation's 
disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) program.
  The DBE program ensures equal contracting opportunities for women- 
and minority-owned firms. It is an innovative program that expressly 
prohibits quotas, and instead seeks to enhance contracting 
opportunities whenever possible through race and gender neutral means. 
The constitutionality of the DBE program has been upheld in every court 
that has considered its constitutionality, including three federal 
circuit courts.
  The DBE program has helped change the construction industry since it 
was first established over two decades ago. However, it continues to be 
a necessary tool for combating the continuing effects of discrimination 
in the highway construction industry and for creating a level playing 
field among highway construction contractors.
  MGT of America, Inc., a consulting company, produced a disparity 
report of the North Texas Tollway Authority. This 2002 report finds 
underutilization of minority and women owned business entities in four 
of the North Texas Tollway Authority's contracting markets. It reports 
that minority and women owned business entities are available to supply 
33 percent of the construction market; 14.3 percent of the professional 
services market; 9.7 percent of the consulting services market; and 6.4 
percent of the goods and services procurement market for the North 
Texas Tollway Authority. However, in the construction market, there was 
substantial underutilization in prime contracts and subcontracts. With 
the exception of two contracts awarded in 1998, minority and women 
owned firms are underutilized for professional services. The disparity 
indices for firms providing consulting services show overall 
underutilization of minority and women owned firms, and the level of 
utilization is substantially less than the number of firms available to 
do business. In the analysis of goods and services procurement, the 
study reveals underutilization of all women and minority owned firms 
except for contracts awarded to one Asian-American owned firm.
  It is entirely appropriate, indeed necessary, that the 
reauthorization of the DBE program be included in H.R. 3. I support 
H.R. 3 and the DBE program, and intend to vote for its passage.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, this is a day that has been long in 
coming. I would first like to congratulate the distinguished chairmen 
and ranking members for getting near the end of this exceptionally long 
road to reauthorization, and I would like to thank them and the 
committee staff for the tremendous amount of work they've put in to 
make this conference report a reality.
  For me, transportation is about far more than simply getting from one 
place to another. It's about creating jobs, stimulating the economy, 
revitalizing neighborhoods, cleaning our air, and making us more 
secure. And this bill is about more than just laying asphalt and 
pouring concrete. The tremendous increase in transit funding will help 
ease congestion, allowing all commuters to spend less frustrating time 
in gridlock, and more quality time with their families.
  The conference report contains some very important language that will 
help advance the Trans-Hudson Midtown Corridor project, a series of 
improvements that includes a new set of passenger rail tunnels between 
New Jersey and Manhattan. When completed, this project will make it far 
easier for New Jerseyans to

[[Page H7580]]

get to New York for business or recreation, allowing the economy to 
grow on both sides of the river.
  While the Trans-Hudson tunnel will help move people below the water, 
another major project in this bill will help keep things moving on the 
water. The Liberty Corridor leverages the strengths of the megaport of 
the East Coast, Port Newark and Port Elizabeth, to create an economic 
engine like no other in the country, where people can bring ideas, turn 
them into reality, and bring them to the world marketplace. As this 
bill recognizes, this is truly a project of national significance. The 
key to Liberty Corridor is transportation infrastructure, and the 
conference report contains a very generous amount of funding that will 
be used to upgrade the highways and railways in the Port region, 
allowing more cargo to flow, more jobs to be created, more brownfields 
to be returned to productive use, and a better quality of life for 
people throughout New Jersey.
  There are a number of great provisions in this bill, but there is one 
that is conspicuously missing, and that is the Pay-to-Play protection 
amendment that New Jersey desperately needs. The House passed the 
Pascrell-Menendez-LoBiondo amendment that would allow New Jersey to 
combat corruption as it saw fit, but the amendment was stripped in 
Conference without even a vote. This is a sad statement to people who 
believe in clean government, and I will continue to fight to protect 
New Jersey's ability to restore the public's trust in the contracting 
process.
  I look forward to working with the members of the committee to take 
these programs and projects that we worked so hard to turn into law and 
turn them into reality.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
celebrating the completion of the conference report on the 
transportation reauthorization.
  I thank Chairman Young and Ranking Member Oberstar for their tireless 
leadership.
  I also thank them for working with me to include funding in this bill 
for 9 studies that will expand research on critical issues in hazardous 
materials transportation.
  In its Special Report 283, the Transportation Research Board found 
that perhaps ``the most notable gap'' in America's system for ensuring 
the safety and security of hazardous materials transportation is the 
lack of research that is cross-cutting and multi-modal in application.
  The studies funded in SAFETEA-LU will begin to fill this gap by 
providing information on such issues as integrating safety and security 
in hazardous materials transportation, developing multi-modal emergency 
response guidelines, and examining hazardous materials routing. I also 
look forward to receiving the Department of Transportation's assessment 
of whether a permanent hazardous materials transportation cooperative 
research program is needed--as I believe it is.
  I am also pleased that our conference produced a bill that includes 
significant provisions that support the increased development of 
livable communities--particularly by supporting an expansion of transit 
funding, transportation enhancements and the revitalization of existing 
roadways, and projects that significantly expand opportunities for 
people to hike and bike in their neighborhoods.
  Finally, I want to take just a moment to reflect on how regrettable 
it is that the process of funding our nation's transportation system 
has become so acrimonious.
  It has been said that even if you're on the right track, you'll get 
run over if you just sit there. For the past two years, we have been 
sitting in place. I truly hope that as we confront the significant 
challenges in transportation that await us in the future, we will 
remain focused on what must be our shared goal: adequately investing in 
the infrastructure needed to move our nation forward.
  Thus, while I do not agree with every provision in this bill, I 
strongly support this bill because it will provide the investment in 
our nation's transportation system that is so essential to keep our 
economy moving forward by reducing congestion, expanding funding for 
our nation's transit systems, and creating good-paying jobs.
  I encourage my colleagues to remain focused on the future by 
supporting this conference report.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3, the House-
Senate agreement on the ``Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for 
Users.'' This legislation has been a long time in the making, and I 
applaud the conference committee for their commitment to finding a 
compromise that will enhance our transportation system and make our 
roads safer for all Americans.
  Since the last highway bill expired in October 2003, this Congress 
has struggled to produce effective reauthorization legislation. Along 
the way, I have expressed a great deal of concern with specific aspects 
of this process. In fact, I voted against this bill in April 2004, and 
again this past March, due to my concern over proposed changes to the 
formula Congress uses to provide transportation funds to States. Under 
these changes, large States like Texas and Florida would have seen 
their funding for highway construction and transit projects increased, 
at the expense of small States like Delaware.
  While it is important to ensure that all States receive an adequate 
rate-of-return from the Highway Trust Fund, the provisions in the House 
version of the highway bill would have diverted funds away from aging 
infrastructure and heavily congested roads in the northeast. I am 
pleased to see that the final conference report eliminates these 
detrimental provisions and settles on a compromise that guarantees an 
increased funding authorization for all States. Under this agreement, 
Delaware's highly stressed transportation system is expected to see a 
30 percent increase in highway funds over the next few years.
  I am also very pleased to see that the conference committee has 
included safety standards to protect against vehicle rollover, side 
impact crashes, roof crush, and occupant ejection--all of which were 
left out of the House-passed bill. There were 42,800 highway deaths in 
2004, with the largest increase in fatalities occurring in rollover 
crashes. In early July, I joined several of my House colleagues in 
requesting that conferees included this language and I believe it will 
do a great deal to enhance safety requirements for automobiles over the 
next five years.
  In addition, the conference report takes steps to improve the bill's 
environmental regulations, which have been of some concern to me 
throughout this debate.
  Despite these and other encouraging advancements, I remain concerned 
over the conference report's bulky price tag and excessive number of 
Member earmarks. This bill is by no means perfect, however it succeeds 
in finding a degree of balance and providing funding for essential 
programs across the Nation.
  In Delaware, this funding cannot come soon enough. Our State is at 
the nexus of travel on the northeast corridor and our roads and bridges 
are suffering from increased traffic and highway congestion. H.R. 3 
will provide the foundation for tremendous improvements in Delaware and 
it authorizes funding for much needed projects such as the Indian River 
Inlet Bridge and the hectic I-95/SR-1 interchange in New Castle County.
  In 2003, we started out with an impractical proposal and a guaranteed 
veto threat from the President. Today, we have an agreement that is 
reasonable and will create jobs, boost our economy, and provide 
indispensable infrastructure improvements in places like Delaware. This 
bill has come a long way, and I commend the conferees for their 
dedication to finding an agreement that is both fair and effective.
  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this 
conference report on the ``Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for 
Users'' (TEA-LU).
  While the funding provided in the bill will not meet all the needs in 
Colorado's Second Congressional District--let alone those of the rest 
of the State or the country as a whole--it does provide resources for 
many needed improvements.
  The conference report will help our State address challenges that 
face Colorado as a result of a decade of rapid expansion in the 
northwest Denver suburbs and mountain and resort communities. Without 
the passage of this essential long term extension critical 
transportation and infrastructure needs for Colorado and the Nation 
will continue to be ignored.
  This bill will also fuel job creation.
  I am committed to continue working with the Colorado delegation, 
local communities and the Transportation Committee to secure essential 
Federal funding to get people and goods from one place to another with 
a focus on transit and other alternatives and improve current modes of 
Colorado's transportation network.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, when Congress passed ISTEA, it 
revolutionized policy and how our transportation dollars are spent. 
Congress said that we were not just investing in highways, we were 
going to fund a broader range of transportation modes that truly help 
to build more livable communities. Transit, bikes, pedestrian access, a 
greater role for planning and coordination so that we make sure that we 
are doing the right thing to improve neighborhoods, protect the 
environment, provide working families with better access to jobs--these 
were key elements in the original legislation. I am very happy that 
TEA-LU continues to move us in the right direction as a nation.
  The team from Oregon, the entire Congressional delegation, played a 
critical role in making sure that this bill maintained the funding 
flexibility and innovative tools that Oregon has come to rely on. We 
also worked hard to maximize the impact in our State and the Portland 
Metropolitan area.
  The most important element is making sure that Oregon gets its fair 
share, which has

[[Page H7581]]

been achieved in no small part due to heroic efforts on the part of 
Peter DeFazio, who played a critical role in negotiating the final 
elements. The Oregon Senators recently released a joint list of over 
$100 million of projects of statewide significance with a number in the 
Portland metropolitan area. We have all worked to make sure that 
regional highway and transit projects are able to move along in times 
of difficult funding at the State level.
  I am particularly pleased that we were able to secure authorization 
of the next round of expansion for the MAX light rail system. There are 
streetcar provisions that will help continue Portland's growing and 
nationally significant streetcar, so critical to the revitalization of 
neighborhoods. There are also elements that deal with vital freight 
movement and efforts for programs of statewide significance. There's 
also important bike funding, including safe routes to school and work 
that I had done with Congressman DeFazio to create a bike route from 
The Dalles to Eugene along the scenic Columbia River highway and down 
the Willamette Valley.
  Most important, the delegation's work together has enabled us to 
begin laying the groundwork so that we will be in a stronger position 
from a local level and for Federal policy when it comes time for the 
next reauthorization. Since the current bill has been delayed for 
nearly two years with eleven extensions we will be right back in this 
process in just a couple of years, so it is critical that we take 
advantage of these investments and continue an aggressive future 
program.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit 
this letter from the President of the Maryland Washington Minority 
Contractor's Association detailing the discrimination that his members 
continue to face in transportation contracting.

                                           MD. Washington Minority


                               Contractor's Association, Inc.,

                                     Baltimore, MD, July 21, 2005.
     Re: Reauthorization of DBE program.

     U.S. Congress,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Sir or Madame: I address this correspondence to you on 
     a matter of extreme importance. Discrimination against one's 
     racial, ethnic and gender make-up is still the number one 
     impediment for minority entrepreneurs starting and sustaining 
     their businesses in America today. As the leader of a 
     minority trade association in Baltimore, Maryland, I have 
     witnessed and received testimony from many who have 
     experienced first hand the evils of procurement 
     discrimination in Government and private sectors.
       The findings from disparity studies conducted throughout 
     Maryland indicate that countless minority businesses are not 
     being provided opportunities to grow their businesses because 
     of a lack of capital, bonding and retained earnings. Upon 
     attending a recent public hearing at the headquarters of the 
     Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) on the subject 
     of its recent disparity study, I heard a disadvantaged 
     African American business testify that if the WSSC suspends 
     the DBE program, his company would be out of business. This 
     particular company supplies valves and manhole covers to 
     WSSC. The owner of the business further stated that other 
     water supply and treatment centers in the region who do not 
     have DBE programs won't buy from him because he can't get the 
     foundries to supply him. The foundries that do supply him do 
     so only to satisfy WSSC's DBE program.
       If the DBE program is not reauthorized, the fate of the 
     majority businesses doing business under the program is 
     doomed. I urge the continuance of the program without haste.
           Sincerely,
                                            Wayne R. Frazier, Sr.,
                                                        President.

  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support 
for H.R. 3, the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. This 
important measure represents months of hard work and coalition 
building.
  I thank Chairman Young, Ranking Member Oberstar, and Representatives 
Petri and DeFazio for their tremendous leadership during this time. I 
am proud to be a member of a committee that shows true bipartisanship 
and respect for one another.
  As a member who represents one of the largest districts in the 
country, I see the immense needs across rural America. It was for this 
reason that I came to Congress--I want to make a difference for 
communities like mine, communities that don't always have a voice at 
the table. I intend to fight hard to make sure that rural Colorado gets 
its fair share of Federal funding.
  I worked closely with my fellow Committee Members to craft a bill 
that truly represents the needs of all America. I urge my colleagues to 
vote for TEA-LU so we can finally put a bill on the President's desk 
for signature. By passing a transportation bill, localities can move 
forward with plans to build new roads, reinforce bridges, and invest in 
research and development to promote safer and cleaner technology.
  Investment is the key word here--it is what this bill is all about. 
Infrastructure investment is the key to the free flow of trade. It is 
the key to connecting communities and promoting economic growth. And it 
is the key to stimulating jobs and industry development across the 
country.
  This transportation report is a victory for rural Colorado. At a time 
when budgets are being slashed across the board, the communities in the 
Third Congressional District can expect a record number of federal 
dollars for our local highways.
  The Transportation Reauthorization Conference report includes 
earmarks for important projects across the 3rd District of Colorado: 
$12 million for US-160, East of Wolf Creek Pass, $3.2 million for 
Dillon Drive Overpass, $6 million for US-50 State Line from Kansas to 
Pueblo, $5.2 million for the Glenwood Springs South Bridge, and $6 
million for US-550 west side of Montrose.
  By investing in our infrastructure now, we avoid problems down the 
line by reducing congestion and pollution, and improving safety on the 
roads. This funding will be a huge boost to economic development for 
the entire region. Nothing will make me happier than the President 
signing these rural development funds into law.
  I am also pleased that the bill contains over $4.3 million in funding 
for bus and bus facilities across the third district. You don't always 
associate public transportation with rural areas but it is just as 
important in our communities as it is to larger urban areas. From 
Steamboat Springs to Crested Butte to Telluride, we are investing in 
the larger transportation system of a growing region.
  Mr. Speaker, I once again would like to thank the Transportation and 
Infrastructure Committee leadership and their staffs for their hard 
work on the bill we have before us today. I urge my colleagues to vote 
in favor of TEA-LU. We have forced communities and state and local 
governments to wait too long for critical resources.
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the conference 
report for H.R. 3, the Transportation Reauthorization.
  The sad fact is that American transportation infrastructure is not 
keeping pace with population growth, traffic, the increase in the 
movement of goods, and the basic need to have better freeways that 
connect us as a Nation.
  Our freeways and transit systems have been key components of American 
society. They enable us to exercise our fundamental freedom to travel, 
explore and move cross-country with ease.
  Just as important, our freeways allow for the movement of goods and 
interstate commerce. That is why this bill is such an important federal 
priority, and why we should have funded it more generously.
  We know that the United States of America is the single largest 
exporter and the single largest importer on the face of the earth. We 
have an $11 trillion economy.
  The region I represent in California, called the Inland Empire, is 
growing by leaps and bounds. The Inland Empire is among the few 
remaining areas with affordable housing within driving distance of Los 
Angeles.
  The Cities of Fontana, Ontario, Rialto, Colton, and San Bernardino 
stand to nearly double their populations by the end of the decade. The 
Inland Empire will grow by another 1.6 million people by 2020, bringing 
the population to 4.8 million.
  The growth in my district outpaces that of 45 States. This growth 
requires a significant investment in transportation infrastructure to 
allow our residents to commute safely through our roads, rail and 
highways.
  My region also has a constant flow of traffic and rail to and from 
the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, two of the busiest ports in 
the entire world.
  Trucks from all over the nation travel Interstates 10, 15 and 215 to 
deliver their goods to port or to a warehouse.
  Because of the high volume of movement in my region I understand the 
challenges we face in improving our roads and freeways to make them 
safer, cleaner and less congested.
  This conference report includes funding for important grade 
separations that are badly needed in my district so we can improve the 
safety of rail traffic and rail crossings. Also, this conference report 
invests in freeway interchanges and overpasses in the fast-growing 
region I represent.
  I am also glad that this bill contains funds to do the final upgrades 
to the Santa Fe Depot.
  Mr. Speaker, our Nation has waited long enough for these overdue 
infrastructure investments. I urge my colleagues to support the 
conference agreement.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, one of the last items negotiated between 
House and Senate in this Conference Report were pending requests for 
exemptions from hours-of-service regulations for truck drivers in 
various industries. I personally believe that safety and economic 
realities require that there be greater flexibility in the rigid rules 
and regulations governing hours of service and I was disappointed that 
many of these exemptions did not receive more positive consideration.

[[Page H7582]]

  One exemption that I supported, but was ultimately not accepted, 
would provide emergency flexibility that permits the re-rail industry 
to quickly respond to the true emergency needs that arise from railroad 
derailments and accidents. The failure to provide an emergency 
exemption for the Rerail Industry will result in a continuing 
denigration of our ability to protect the lives of citizens living 
along rights of way, assure highway safety and expedite interstate 
commerce by quickly clearing train derailments.
  Today these emergency responders of the rail mode are often given the 
Hobson's choice of rapidly clearing wrecks that endanger lives and 
property and can cost millions of dollars in stacked up traffic or 
being penalized for violating hours of service. This is neither fair 
nor is it in the public interest. One of the best examples is the 
Weyauwega, Wisconsin derailment that took place in my own Congressional 
District. In this case a derailment overturned 15 cars of hazardous 
material and ruptured three cars of LPG and propane which ignited and 
threw fireballs 300 feet into the air. The derailed train was blocking 
a grade crossing and emergency responders could not reach a flaming 
feed mill and storage building. The resulting fire continued to burn 
and the entire town was evacuated for over 2 weeks.
  According to the current rules, driver-operators may not legally be 
allowed to respond immediately to such an accident. But this is exactly 
the choice that must be made over and over again by the men and women 
who work in this industry. The situation these companies and their 
drivers are placed in is neither fair nor is it in the public interest. 
The issue here is balancing of hours of service flexibility against the 
terrible consequences of not responding quickly.
  The exemption I sought was to provide rerail drivers with exactly the 
same treatment currently provided tow truck drivers under existing 
regulation during a declared emergency. As we learned in Weyauwega, 
consequences of a train derailment can be far more severe than your 
average highway accident and should be treated accordingly. I intend to 
continue to work with both the U.S. Department of Transportation and 
the U.S. Congress to provide those who respond to and rail wrecks with 
exactly the same treatment as tow truck operators.
  Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3, the 
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. Specifically, I want to 
speak to the inclusion of the important vehicle safety provisions that 
fall within the jurisdiction of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
  We are a country of drivers, and unfortunately when you have 204 
million vehicles on the road, there will be accidents. In fact, it is a 
sobering statistic that over 42,000 people died in auto accidents in 
2003. It's a number that staggers the imagination.
  The good news is that every year more people buckle their seatbelts. 
And although more cars hit the road every year, and they come in all 
shapes and sizes, the accident rate continues to decline. Despite the 
advances, does anybody doubt that the cars we drive can be even safer? 
I don't.
  Vehicle safety laws and regulations fall under the jurisdiction of 
the Committee I chair--the Committee on Energy and Commerce. We were 
happy to work with Chairman Young and the Senate to include these 
provisions and reauthorize the National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, NHTSA, in H.R. 3.
  By passing this bill, we are ensuring that NHTSA will create rules to 
mitigate the chances of vehicle rollover, occupant ejection, door 
locks, roof strength, and side impact. This bill also gives new car 
buyers more helpful safety information at the point of sale by 
requiring that ratings for front, side, and rollover crashes be posted 
on new vehicle stickers. Additionally, NHTSA will be tasked with 
studying such important problems as tire aging, vehicle backover 
technologies, and data collection.
  I believe these provisions will result in safer cars and trucks, and 
fewer deaths on our Nation's roads. I urge my colleagues to support 
passage of the H.R. 3 conference report.

                              {time}  1115

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this legislation, 
a unanimous vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bass). Without objection, the previous 
question is ordered on the conference report.
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the conference report.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 412, 
nays 8, not voting 14, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 453]

                               YEAS--412

     Abercrombie
     Ackerman
     Aderholt
     Akin
     Alexander
     Allen
     Andrews
     Baca
     Bachus
     Baird
     Baker
     Baldwin
     Barrett (SC)
     Barrow
     Bartlett (MD)
     Barton (TX)
     Bass
     Bean
     Beauprez
     Becerra
     Berkley
     Berman
     Berry
     Biggert
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (GA)
     Bishop (NY)
     Bishop (UT)
     Blackburn
     Blumenauer
     Blunt
     Boehlert
     Bonilla
     Bonner
     Bono
     Boozman
     Boren
     Boswell
     Boucher
     Boustany
     Boyd
     Bradley (NH)
     Brady (TX)
     Brown (OH)
     Brown (SC)
     Brown, Corrine
     Brown-Waite, Ginny
     Burgess
     Burton (IN)
     Butterfield
     Buyer
     Calvert
     Camp
     Cannon
     Cantor
     Capito
     Capuano
     Cardin
     Cardoza
     Carnahan
     Carson
     Carter
     Case
     Castle
     Chabot
     Chandler
     Chocola
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Coble
     Cole (OK)
     Conaway
     Conyers
     Cooper
     Costa
     Costello
     Cox
     Cramer
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[[Page H7583]]



                                NAYS--8

     Boehner
     Flake
     Hensarling
     Jones (NC)
     Royce
     Sensenbrenner
     Shadegg
     Thornberry

                             NOT VOTING--14

     Brady (PA)
     Capps
     Delahunt
     Fattah
     Johnson, Sam
     Mica
     Miller, George
     Paul
     Pitts
     Pombo
     Schakowsky
     Schwarz (MI)
     Stark
     Wexler

                              {time}  1138

  So the conference report was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  Stated for:
  Mr. POMBO. Mr. Speaker, on July 29, 2005 I missed one recorded vote. 
I take my responsibility to vote very seriously. Had I been present, I 
would have voted ``yea'' on H.R. 3, the Transportation Equity Act: A 
Legacy for Users.
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I was not able to be present for the 
following rollcall vote and would like the Record to reflect that I 
would have voted as follows:
  Rollcall No. 453--``yea.''
  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained because of medical 
reasons and was unable to vote on rollcall 453. Had I been present, I 
would have voted ``yea'' on this measure.

                          ____________________