[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 56 (Friday, March 30, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE 
                          JANUARY-MARCH, 2007

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                         HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 30, 2007

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, when you accepted the gavel, you pledged 
that the House under your Leadership would waste no time in addressing 
the pressing needs facing our nation. Your legislative initiative for 
the first 100 hours of the new Congress proved that you meant what you 
said.
  In those first 100 hours, the House passed six major bills, including 
legislation to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, 
raise the minimum wage, and help older Americans afford prescription 
drugs, and help their grandchildren obtain student loans. It also 
adopted Rules to help restore the people's trust in this Chamber.
  In those hours, Madam Speaker, you showed America that you were going 
to waste no time in getting important things done for this country. I 
thank you and the Majority Leader, Mr. Hoyer, for your tireless 
efforts.
  In that spirit, I would like to call your attention the 
accomplishments of the House Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure, which I am honored to chair.
  Since the Committee held its organizational meeting January 17, our 
Committee has met 34 times in full or Subcommittee session. We have 
held 28 hearings, including two field hearings. In the first three 
months of 2007, we have met for nearly 80 hours, and gathered testimony 
from 165 witnesses. The Committee has initiated a series of hearings on 
reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration, which must be 
completed this year, and begun the hard work of considering the myriad 
issues of reauthorizing the highway, transit, and highway safety 
programs in 2009. We have begun to restore vigorous oversight to the 
programs, policies, and agencies in the jurisdiction of our Committee 
that is critical to ensuring that our transportation and infrastructure 
laws implemented effectively and efficiently.
  The Committee has held seven markups, including three Subcommittee 
markups and four Full Committee markups. The Committee has acted on 29 
bills, including 24 bills that have passed the House--each with an 
overwhelming bipartisan majority. Among the many Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure bills, the House has passed:
  H.R. 720, a bill to authorize $14 billion for the Clean Water State 
Revolving Funds and provide the necessary resources to help States 
address their critical wastewater infrastructure needs;
  H.R. 569, a bill to authorize $1.7 billion for States and communities 
to control combined sewer overflows and sanitary sewer overflows to 
address public health and safety and environmental concerns with such 
overflows;
  H.R. 802, a bill to reduce air emissions from maritime vessels and 
implement Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention 
of Pollution from Ships;
  H.R. 1195, a bill to make technical corrections to the Safe, 
Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy 
for Users; and
  H.R. 798, a bill to direct the Administrator of General Services to 
install a photovoltaic system on the headquarters of the U.S. 
Department of Energy.
  The Senate has passed four of the 24 House-passed Committee bills and 
the President has signed each one.
  Madam Speaker, such success cannot be accomplished without incredible 
effort and I thank each of our Committee Members, particularly Ranking 
Member Mica and the Subcommittee Chairs and Ranking Members, for their 
enormous bipartisan efforts to carry out the agenda of the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure.
  It also cannot be accomplished without a talented, dedicated staff, 
and I would like to recognize each one by name:
  Staff Director David Heymsfeld, Chief Counsel Ward McCarragher, and 
Administrator Dara Schlieker. Also in the front office: Jimmy Miller, 
Sharon Barkeloo, Helena Zyblikewycz, Jennifer Walsh, Erik Hansen, 
Keelin Haddix, Elisa Yi, and Mike Obrock.
  Our Communications staff: Jim Berard, Mary Kerr, and Julie Carpenter 
Lotz.
  On the staff of our Subcommittee on Aviation: Stacie Soumbeniotis, 
Giles Giovinazzi, Jana Denning, Christa Fomarotto, and Pam Keller.
  The Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation: John 
Cullather, Richard Hiscock, Lucinda Lessley, and lanta Summers.
  The Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and 
Emergency Management: Susan Brita, Mike Herman, Elliot Doomes, and 
Alexis Barrios.
  The Subcommittee on Highways and Transit: Jim Kolb, Art Chan, Amy 
Scarton, Jackie Schmitz, Kathy Dedrick, and Peter Gould.
  The Oversight and Investigations staff: Trinita Brown, Clay Foushee, 
Leila Kahn, and Laurie Bertenthal.
  The Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials: 
Jennifer Esposito, John Drake, Niels Knutson, Nick Martinelli, and Rose 
Hamlin.
  The Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment: Ryan Seiger, Ted 
Illston, Ben Webster, Beth Goldstein, Rod Hall, and Mike Brain.
  The Editorial staff: Tracy Mosebey and Gilda Shirley; and our 
Information Systems team: Keven Sard and Scott Putz.
  Madam Speaker, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has 
a history of bipartisan cooperation, and our Committee staff on the 
other side of the aisle share in our success this year. I thank Chief 
of Staff Jim Coon, Counsel Charles Ziegler, Policy Director Fraser 
Verrusio, and the rest of the Minority staff for their hard work and 
cooperation.
  The Committee has no plans to slow down. We are hopeful that the 
House will consider H.R. 1495, the ``Water Resources Development Act of 
2007'', in the coming weeks. We have scheduled 11 hearings and 2 
markups for late April and early May. We are just hitting stride.
  Madam Speaker, in the words of Vaudeville entertainer Al Jolson, 
``You ain't seen nothin' yet!''

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