[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 4 (Friday, January 9, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S261]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SANDERS (for himself and Mr. Leahy):
  S. 198. A bill to direct the Secretary of Transportation to waive 
non-Federal share requirements for certain transportation programs and 
activities through September 30, 2009; to the Committee on Environment 
and Public Works.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague from 
Vermont, Senator Sanders, to introduce a bill that will help states 
struggling with meeting non-federal match requirements for federal 
transportation funding under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and 
Efficient Transportation Equity Act, SAFETEA. Representative Peter 
Welch from Vermont introduced identical legislation in the House today 
as well.
  Our States are struggling with enormous budget deficits due to the 
current economic crisis. As a result, nearly every one of our states 
has been forced to make drastic cuts to their transportation budgets. 
On top of that, state and local governments around the country report 
they do not have the necessary funding in their budgets to match any 
new Federal transportation money possibly forthcoming in an economic 
stimulus package. The inability of our states to improve roads and 
bridges, support public transit agencies facing record demand, and 
upgrade rail lines puts a strain on our already sagging economy.
  Waiving the non-federal match requirements for all highway, transit, 
and rail projects contained in SAFETEA would allow cash-strapped states 
to implement high priority transportation projects immediately--at no 
additional cost to the Federal Government. Since State and local 
transportation officials have ready-to-go projects that simply cannot 
move forward without untying the strings of the required match, our 
legislation would waive the non-federal matching requirements of 
SAFETEA through September 30, 2009.
  I hope my colleagues will take a good look at our bill and support 
this important legislation that will stimulate needed transportation 
infrastructure investments all across the country.
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