[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 82 (Monday, May 19, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H4098-H4099]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1137) supporting the goals and ideals of National 
Public Works Week, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1137

       Whereas public works infrastructure, facilities, and 
     services have far-reaching effects on the United States 
     economy and the Nation's competitiveness in the world 
     marketplace;
       Whereas public works infrastructure, facilities, and 
     services play a pivotal role in the health, safety, and 
     quality of life of communities throughout the United States;
       Whereas public works infrastructure, facilities, and 
     services could not be provided without the skill and 
     dedication of public works professionals, including engineers 
     and administrators, representing State and local governments 
     throughout the United States;
       Whereas public works professionals design, build, operate, 
     maintain, and protect the transportation systems, water 
     supply infrastructure, sewage and refuse disposal systems, 
     public buildings, and other structures and facilities that 
     are vital to the citizens, communities, and commerce of the 
     United States;
       Whereas the Corps of Engineers, in partnership with public 
     port authorities, provides navigational improvements that 
     link United States producers and customers with national and 
     international markets;
       Whereas the public waterways, including locks and dams 
     constructed, operated, and maintained by the Corps of 
     Engineers, provide a safe, energy efficient, and cost 
     effective means of transporting goods and services;
       Whereas the Corps of Engineers, in partnership with local 
     public entities, provides levees, reservoirs, and other 
     structural and nonstructural flood damage reduction measures 
     that protect millions of families, homes, and businesses;
       Whereas highway investment by all levels of government 
     supported a total of 2,140,000 jobs in 2007;
       Whereas every $1 invested in public transportation 
     generates as much as $6 in economic returns to the Nation's 
     economy;
       Whereas the capital asset program of the General Services 
     Administration is authorized annually to provide Federal 
     employees with necessary office space, courts of law, and 
     other special purpose facilities;
       Whereas since 1972 the Nation has invested more than 
     $250,000,000,000 in wastewater infrastructure facilities to 
     establish a system that includes 16,000 publicly owned 
     wastewater treatment plants, 100,000 major pumping stations, 
     600,000 miles of sanitary sewers, and 200,000 miles of storm 
     sewers;
       Whereas the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety 
     Administration is charged with the safe and secure movement 
     of almost 1,000,000 daily shipments of hazardous materials by 
     all modes of transportation and oversees the safety and 
     security of 2,300,000 miles of gas and hazardous liquid 
     pipelines, which account for 64 percent of the energy 
     commodities consumed in the United States;
       Whereas the National Railroad Passenger Corporation 
     annually provides more than 25,000,000 people with intercity 
     rail service;
       Whereas 8 airfield projects are under construction, 
     including 3 new runways, 2 airfield reconfigurations, 1 
     runway extension, 1 end around taxiway, and 1 center taxiway, 
     providing some of the busiest airports in the Nation with the 
     potential to accommodate more than 400,000 additional annual 
     operations and improve airport safety and efficiency while 
     decreasing the average delay per operation at these airports 
     by almost 2 minutes;
       Whereas in the report of the Department of Transportation 
     entitled ``2006 Status of the Nation's Highways, Bridges, and 
     Transit: Conditions & Performance'', the Department confirms 
     that investment in the Nation's highway, bridge, and transit 
     infrastructure has not kept up with growing demands on the 
     system;
       Whereas the National Surface Transportation Policy and 
     Revenue Study Commission report estimates that the United 
     States needs to invest up to $340,000,000,000 annually for 
     the next 50 years to upgrade the Nation's existing 
     transportation network to a good state of repair and to build 
     the more advanced facilities the Nation will require to 
     remain competitive; and
       Whereas public works professionals are observing National 
     Public Works Week from May 18 through 24, 2008: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Public Works 
     Week;
       (2) recognizes and celebrates the important contributions 
     that public works professionals make every day to improve the 
     public infrastructure of the United States and the 
     communities that those professionals serve; and
       (3) urges citizens and communities throughout the United 
     States to join with representatives of the Federal Government 
     in activities and ceremonies that are designed to pay tribute 
     to the public works professionals of the Nation and to 
     recognize the substantial contributions that public works 
     professionals make to the Nation.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Hawaii (Ms. Hirono) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Hawaii.


                             General Leave

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous materials on H. Res. 1137.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Hawaii?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1137, supporting 
the goals and ideals of National Public Works Week. I thank the 
gentleman from Minnesota, Jim Oberstar, Chair of the Transportation and 
Infrastructure Committee, for bringing this measure to the floor and 
for his strong advocacy in support of our Nation's infrastructure 
needs.
  This week, we honor and recognize the oftentimes unsung heroes of 
this Nation's public health and economic livelihood, the public works 
professionals who keep our country running smoothly. The infrastructure 
facilities and services that these professionals design, maintain and 
repair are critical to addressing our country's vast needs. Without our 
rail systems, our airports, our pipelines, our water treatment plants 
and other such services, our country would be unable to function.
  Instituted as a public education campaign in 1960, every third week 
in May recognizes the quiet dedication of the workers who continue to 
build and maintain our country's transportation and infrastructure each 
year. For the hard work that these workers put in to improve each 
citizen's life on a daily basis, it is only fitting that we designate 
one week a year to celebrate their efforts. In the past, Presidents 
Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson have sent letters of 
acknowledgment to this event, and a Presidential Proclamation was 
signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962.
  While we will continue to formally appreciate this week, I believe it 
would

[[Page H4099]]

also be fitting for us to show our appreciation through our actions. 
Last August, the House of Representatives passed the Water Resources 
Development Act of 2007, WRDA, by a vote of 381-40. This past November, 
this body overrode a presidential veto for WRDA 2007 by a vote of 361-
54. The vote showed an ever-present need to continue to invest and 
improve in our country's vast network of infrastructure. We must 
continue to remind our President that these projects need funding, and 
that ignoring our Nation's needs will only cause our current problems 
to grow and our infrastructure to deteriorate.
  I support our public works professionals, our transportation and 
infrastructure systems and National Public Works Week. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I join in support of the resolution before us. It is 
appropriate and important that we honor the hardworking men and women 
who make our infrastructure the envy of the world. Investment in the 
Nation's highway, bridge and transit infrastructure has not kept up 
with growing demands on the system. Our Department of Transportation 
found that to maintain highway bridge and transit networks, governments 
at all levels would need to invest nearly $95 billion per year for each 
of the next 20 years, and to improve highway, bridge and transit 
networks, that level of investment would need to increase to nearly 
$154 billion per year.
  Recently, the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue 
Study Commission, a bipartisan commission made up of representatives 
from various transportation sectors appointed by leadership in both 
parties and from the executive branch, reported to the Congress that 
the United States needs to invest up to $340 billion annually for the 
next 50 years to upgrade the Nation's existing transportation network 
to a good state of repair and to build the more advanced facilities 
that our people will require to remain competitive with other emerging 
economic powers around the world.
  We have neglected this work for a generation, and it will come back 
to haunt our children and our grandchildren, unless we begin the 
necessary investment and the necessary work, not just to provide the 
jobs, which is obviously important, but to provide the efficient 
undergirding of our economy, which will enable us to maintain our 
standard of living, improve it, and maintain our competitiveness as an 
international power.
  Our committee, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has 
jurisdiction over our water transportation system, and that consists of 
926 coastal and inland harbors maintained by the Corps of Engineers and 
some 25,000 miles of inland and coastal commercial waterways. If we 
don't keep our harbors and waterways operating efficiently, we 
obviously threaten our economic prosperity. To meet these needs, as 
well as the need for flood protection and environmental restoration, 
passing a Water Resources Development Act for 2008 is high on our 
committee's agenda.
  According to separate studies conducted by the Congressional Budget 
Office, EPA and municipal groups, the current rate of capital 
investment will not keep our waterway treatment systems operational. 
State and local governments are spending nearly $10 billion a year in 
capital investments and waste water infrastructure, and most of this 
funding comes from local ratepayers.

                              {time}  1500

  However, to meet the needs of communities all over our country, we 
should be doubling that spending. We can't continue to take our modern 
wastewater treatment facilities for granted. Not only are they critical 
to protect our health and environment, they are important to protect 
our economy as well.
  Public infrastructure plays an important role in enhancing our 
quality of life, improving our environment, and contributing to our 
economic prosperity. These systems, and the professionals, engineers, 
and administrators who maintain them, are sometimes taken for granted. 
So it is important that Congress recognize the contribution they make 
to ensure that America remains the world's premier economic power, and 
passage of this resolution will do that. I urge all Members to support 
House Resolution 1137.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. HIRONO. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the 
gentleman for his acknowledgement of the importance of maintaining our 
infrastructure, rail, water, air, and highways.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House 
Resolution 1137. This resolution acknowledges and celebrates Public 
Works Week, which this year is celebrated the week of May 18 through 
May 24.
  We celebrate National Public Works Week for a full week each year 
during the month of May. This week honors the many public works 
professionals--those individuals who design, build, operate, maintain, 
and protect transportation systems, water supply infrastructure, sewage 
and refuse disposal systems, public buildings, and other structures and 
facilities that are vital to our Nation. H. Res. 1137 pays tribute to 
these professionals.
  Public works do exactly that--they allow our public to work, and they 
keep our country safe. Our industries and communities rely on 
railroads, highways, airports, and public transit to travel, and our 
government conducts business in public works buildings across this 
Nation.
  Towns and cities around the country are serviced by necessary systems 
for sewage and waste disposal, as well as water supply for our homes, 
businesses, and crops. Pipelines safely transport natural gas and 
hazardous liquids over millions of miles throughout the country.
  It is appropriate to designate a week to recognize these entities and 
those who work for them and the public good. Public works are often not 
recognized until problems are encountered. As public works 
professionals work daily to coordinate, design, and maintain our public 
works, we must also work to fund our country's infrastructure needs, 
which our so critical to our Nation's economy and its citizens.
  Last November, this Congress overrode a veto of the Water Resources 
Development Act (``WRDA'') of 2007 by an overwhelming margin (361-54), 
showcasing the desires of the American people for renewed investment in 
our infrastructure. In contrast to this action, President Bush failed 
to include any projects authorized by WRDA in the fiscal year 2009 
budget.
  The House of Representatives has passed three additional water 
infrastructure bills: H.R. 569, the Water Quality Investment Act of 
2007; H.R. 700, the Healthy Communities Water Supply Act of 2007; and 
H.R. 720, the Water Quality Financing Act of 2007. I urge my colleagues 
in the Senate to promptly take action on similar legislation.
  On August 1, 2007, on the same evening that the House passed the WRDA 
Conference Report, the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapsed during 
rush hour traffic in my home State of Minnesota. Of the 597,340 U.S. 
highway bridges, 73,784 are structurally deficient and 80,317 are 
functionally obsolete. This tragic event further highlighted the public 
works investment needs that our Nation faces.
  Last week, the leadership of this committee introduced a bill to 
revitalize the Amtrak intercity passenger rail system.
  I continue to vigorously support our country's public works, and I 
urge my colleagues to join me in agreeing to this resolution.
  Ms. HIRONO. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Hirono) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1137.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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