[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 14, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S594-S595]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Surface Transportation Act

  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. President, I am pleased to present 
the Banking Committee's public transportation bill to the Senate as an 
amendment to the surface and transportation legislation now before us. 
The transit bill was reported by our committee unanimously. Maintaining 
investment in our Nation's transportation infrastructure is a priority 
of mine and of our committee.
  I wish to thank our committee's ranking member, Senator Shelby, who 
has worked for a long time on this bill. Without his support, this 
bipartisan legislation would not be possible. I also wish to thank our 
committee chairman, Senator Menendez, and all the other members of the 
committee who offered their contributions.
  With this bill, we have the opportunity to preserve public 
transportation funding for 2 years at current levels and deliver 
critical investments in the Nation's aging transportation 
infrastructure. In addition, the bill will institute much needed 
reforms, such as eliminating earmarks and speeding the construction of 
public transportation projects. The bill also includes transit safety 
provisions that have been stalled for 2 years. These are important 
reforms that many Senators have worked on. Now is the time to move them 
forward.
  Finally, our bill increases formula funding for all types of transit: 
additional urban and rural funds, new money for every State to address 
the state of good repair needs and more money for tribal transit. Our 
Nation's transit systems need more than $77 billion to address 
backlogged repairs. This bill cannot address all those needs, but it 
can ensure that our transit systems don't fall further behind, and 
transit funding will support more than 386,000 jobs.
  Americans make 35 million trips on public transit every weekday. Many 
of these trips are in our cities, but in places such as South Dakota 
rural transit service connects seniors with their doctors and helps the 
workers travel long distances to get to jobs. Everyone benefits from 
public transportation, and I urge Senators to support this bipartisan 
bill.
  I yield the floor for the ranking member of the Banking Committee.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I rise in support of legislation to 
reauthorize the surface transportation bill, and, in particular, the 
Federal Public Transportation Act of 2012, which is the transit 
amendment before us today.
  While we are nearly 3 years beyond the September 2009 expiration date 
of SAFETEA, I am pleased we are finally moving one step closer to 
legislation that would allow infrastructure investments to move 
forward.
  Chairman Johnson and I worked together to produce bipartisan 
legislation that eliminates outdated, inefficient programs and promotes 
greater efficiency and effectiveness in public transportation systems 
all across America. The Federal Public Transportation Act passed the 
Banking Committee with unanimous support. This legislation before us 
reflected in the amendment currently under consideration maintains 
funding for public transportation programs at $10.5 billion a year. 
Unlike previous reauthorization bills, the committee was unable to 
provide an increase in the baseline funding amount for public 
transportation. We were, however, able to provide a substantial 
increase to existing programs by eliminating the bus discretionary 
program which previously contained earmarks totaling $984 million.
  In fact, we did not just eliminate one account that included 
earmarks, we eliminated all earmarks that were previously included in 
the reauthorization bill. These reforms have allowed us to provide 
public transportation systems with an increase in their guaranteed 
formula funding over the next 2 years. In addition to providing a 
stable source of funding, I believe we must institute a system that 
ensures greater accountability and encourages real investment in 
maintaining our aging public transportation infrastructure all over 
America.
  This issue, also known as state of good repair, is extremely 
important for public transportation, and our amendment makes it an 
integral part of the transit programs. The new starts process has 
undergone significant reforms in order to streamline and to improve 
delivery of capital investment projects. It also includes a new pilot 
project with the sole purpose of expediting project approval and 
attracting private investment.
  Setting aside, for a moment, the specific issues related to this 
amendment, I wish to speak briefly to what I believe is the most 
significant issue surrounding the reauthorization of SAFETEA--the 
solvency of the highway trust fund. According to the Congressional 
Budget Office, the mass transit account of the highway trust fund will 
end in 2013 with $2.8 billion--$6 billion short of what it will need to 
continue to meet its obligations resulting from this reauthorization 
bill before us. While the Senate is considering a 2-year authorization 
bill, others have advocated a longer term reauthorization. The length 
of the reauthorization is not as important, however, as the need to pay 
for all this spending before us.
  I believe most Americans would agree that a reauthorization bill that 
leaves the program insolvent or near insolvency upon its expiration 
would be irresponsible. I hope this is not what we are doing with this 
bill. Infrastructure spending is essential to our long-term economic 
stability and growth in this country. Nevertheless, this country cannot 
continue to deficit spend its way out of its problems for 
infrastructure or anything else. Therefore, I think we must begin this 
discussion with the realization that difficult decisions are going to 
have to be made, and for our part I believe the Banking Committee has 
begun to make some of these difficult decisions by providing level 
funding and eliminating unnecessary earmarks from the program 
structures.
  I look forward to continuing this debate and moving one step closer 
to completing a responsible and paid-for reauthorization bill.
  I thank the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, let me begin by recognizing the hard 
work and dedication of my friend from South Dakota, Chairman Johnson, 
and for his tireless leadership on this legislation

[[Page S595]]

that made this possible. Let me also recognize the ranking member, 
Senator Shelby, for his efforts to work in an incredibly positive, 
cooperative, and bipartisan manner that, in fact, created the ultimate 
result of a unanimous bipartisan vote, something we would love to see 
more of these days. It was his work, along with the chairman's, that 
got us to that point. I am glad to have been added to that as the 
subcommittee chair as well.
  Millions of Americans take over 10 billion transit trips a year. It 
has taken over 2 years of hard work, and it is part of an overall bill 
that creates or saves 2 million jobs, but those trips and the jobs that 
get created by it and the opportunity of people to get to employment, 
to get to a hospital, to go see family and friends are incredibly 
important in the context of our national economy. At a time when job 
creation is essential, it invests in every State to keep us competitive 
as a nation in the global marketplace.
  Under this legislation, for example, my home State of New Jersey 
stands to receive about $519 million in Federal transit funding without 
any increase in Federal spending. This bill cuts waste and eliminates 
earmarks so New Jersey will see benefits from a $63 million increase in 
transit funding, more transit funding than in any previous year. This 
bill invests in our infrastructure and improves public transportation 
without increasing the Federal budget, and it provides more funds to 
make the improvements they need to ease congestion and mitigate 
transportation delays. It is good for America because it will help 
communities concentrate on smart growth around transit hubs that mirror 
my Livable Communities Act and my State's Transit Village Program that 
will help make New Jersey attractive to businesses and a model job 
creation hub. It can do that for other communities throughout the 
Nation.
  It is good because it is energy smart and increases competitive 
funding for clean fuel transit vehicles to help agencies to switch from 
dirty, expensive fuels to cleaner, cheaper fuels. It not only 
streamlines the process for Federal approval of new transit projects, 
but it will help upgrade older systems by adding a new station or 
another track or a bigger train car to increase capacity rather than 
having to build new systems from scratch.
  It also includes a provision establishing a program to allow public 
transportation providers temporary flexibility during periods of high 
unemployment to use a limited portion of their Federal funds for up to 
2 years, provided they meet the established criteria for operating 
expenses.
  One last but perhaps most important thing the bill accomplishes is to 
provide for a strong Federal role in transit safety oversight by 
establishing a national public transportation safety plan to improve 
the safety of all public transportation systems that receive Federal 
funding.
  Under this legislation, the Secretary will develop minimum 
performance standards for vehicles used in public transportation and 
establish a training program for Federal and State employees who 
conduct safety audits of public transportation systems. Fundamentally, 
this bill improves the effectiveness of State safety oversight 
agencies, increases Federal funding for safety, and provides new 
enforcement authority over public transportation safety to the 
Secretary of Transportation.
  At the end of the day, making our transit system as safe as humanly 
possible in every State, from coast to coast, must be a national 
priority.
  So let me conclude by saying, once again, thanks to Senators Johnson 
and Shelby for their leadership over the last 2 years. I think the bill 
is a victory for every American community. It is a commonsense 
investment that will create jobs, keep this Nation competitive, and 
make our communities more productive, accessible, and livable. It is a 
victory for those who believe we can create jobs, get people back to 
work, and keep us on the cutting edge of the global economy.
  So now we need to make sure we continue to reach across the aisle, as 
the chairman and the ranking member and I have done during this 
process, and get this investment in America's future to the President's 
desk and signed into law as soon as possible.
  With that, I yield the floor.

                          ____________________