[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 113 (Thursday, July 29, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1485]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 MEMBER-DESIGNATED TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS DATABASE 
                               INITIATIVE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 29, 2010

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to announce a new 
initiative to promote transparency and accountability with regard to 
Member-designated projects within the jurisdiction of the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure: a searchable database of all Member-
designated projects included in Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure bills.
  On the first day of the new Democratic majority of the 110th 
Congress, under the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the House of 
Representatives adopted Rules to institute specific requirements with 
regard to Member-designated projects: congressional earmarks, limited 
tax benefits, and limited tariff benefits. See clause 9(e), 9(f), and 
9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives of the 
111th Congress. For each Member-designated project, a Member of 
Congress must certify that neither the Member nor his or her spouse has 
a financial interest in the project. See clause 17 of rule XXIII. In 
addition, each committee report on a bill must identify any 
congressional earmarks included in the bill. These transparency and 
accountability requirements also apply to manager's amendments and 
Conference Reports. As Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure, I have vigorously enforced these rules.
  In addition, in the interests of full disclosure, transparency, and 
accountability, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, at 
my direction, requires Members of Congress to comply with all of the 
requirements of clause 9 of rule XXI and clause 17 of rule XXIII, even 
if the earmark rules do not apply, if the Member of Congress requests 
that the Committee take legislative action targeted to a specific 
State, locality, or Congressional district. For instance, the Committee 
requires Members to certify requests for corrections to descriptions of 
previously designated projects, such as corrections to high-priority 
projects that were included in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 
Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users--Technical 
Corrections Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-244), even though the corrections do 
not involve any new funding. See Committee Print 110-175. The Committee 
also requires Members to certify requests for General Services 
Administration, GSA, Capital Investment and Leasing Program 
Resolutions, GSA Public Building Project Survey Resolutions, and U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers Survey Resolutions, even though congressional 
earmark rules do not apply to these Committee actions.
  In the 111th Congress, we have built upon these efforts. Member-
designated projects can play an important role in certain programs, 
such as the Federal-aid highway program. They provide constituents with 
a chance to weigh in directly with their elected officials on their 
community priorities, and allow Members an opportunity to advocate for 
surface transportation and mobility improvements that may be overlooked 
by a State Department of Transportation. Yet, it is also necessary to 
use a commonsense approach to dealing with projects that are complete 
or no longer viable. Earlier this week, on July 27, 2010, the House 
passed, by a vote of 394-23, H.R. 5730, the ``Surface Transportation 
Earmark Rescission, Savings, and Accountability Act'', introduced by 
the gentlewoman from Colorado, Ms. Markey, to clear the books of 
projects that will not go forward and save taxpayer money. The bill 
eliminates a total of $713 million in unobligated funding for 309 
Member-designated projects contained in four previous surface 
transportation acts enacted over the past two decades. Similarly, 
during consideration of H.R. 4715, the ``Clean Estuaries Act of 2010'', 
in the House in April of this year, I offered an amendment, which the 
House adopted, to strike the statutory earmarks included in the 
National Estuary Program under current law.
  In addition, the Committee has adopted a series of Member-designated 
project reform principles to further promote transparency and 
accountability. The Committee requires Members of Congress to:
  Provide specific information on the type, location, total cost, 
percentage of total cost of the project, that the request would 
finance, and benefits of the project;
  Provide at least one letter of support for the project from state or 
local government agencies; certify that neither the Member nor his or 
her spouse has any financial interest in a project requested; and
  Post requests for projects on the Member's website.
  Today, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure takes 
another step in its continuing effort to provide unparalleled 
transparency and accountability of Member-designated projects. We 
launch a searchable database of all Member-designated projects included 
in Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure bills in the 110th 
and 111th Congresses.
  The Member-designated projects database, located on the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure website, includes the ability to 
search Member-designated projects by Member of Congress, State, 
Congressional district, bill, bill title, and amount. Each Member-
designated project includes an electronic copy of the individual ``no 
financial interest'' certification of the Member of Congress and, 
beginning with H.R. 5892, the ``Water Resources Development Act of 
2010'', a copy of a letter from the state or local government 
expressing support for the project. Finally, the Committee makes copies 
of all Member-designated project requests available in the Committee 
office.
  As Chairman, I am deeply committed to transparency and accountability 
in all of the activities of the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure. I look forward to working with public interest groups 
to endeavor to find even more ways to shine a light on the actions of 
our Committee.

                          ____________________