[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 98 (Monday, June 23, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S3899]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. McCONNELL (for himself and Mr. Paul):
  S. 2512. A bill to establish an emergency transportation safety fund 
for the reconstruction of bridges along the Interstate Highway System, 
and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Emergency 
Interstate Bridge Safety Fund Act, cosponsored by my friend and 
colleague from Kentucky, Senator Paul. This bill seeks to authorize 
additional funding for our Nation's critical transportation 
infrastructure through spending offsets provided by the repeal of the 
antiquated Davis-Bacon Act. Last year, the Congressional Budget Office 
estimated that over 10 years, repealing the Davis-Bacon Act would save 
the Federal Government some $13 billion.
  Kentucky is home to a number of critical interstate bridges that are 
in need of replacement, including the Brent Spence Bridge in Northern 
Kentucky, the I-65 bridge in Louisville, and an I-69 bridge in 
Henderson. This bill seeks to create a fund to help advance these very 
types of interstate bridge projects without raising taxes, adding to 
the deficit, or by authorizing tolling. Federal funding saved through 
the repeal of the Davis-Bacon Act could be much better spent building a 
number of interstate bridges that are sorely needed in Kentucky and 
communities across America. I call on my Senate colleagues to support 
this measure to invest in our Nation's critical transportation 
infrastructure, on which American commerce depends.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2512

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency Interstate Bridge 
     Safety Fund Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The Davis-Bacon Act requires that workers on all 
     federally funded or federally assisted construction projects 
     be paid what is commonly referred to as a prevailing wage, as 
     calculated by the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of 
     Labor.
       (2) According to the Congressional Budget Office, if the 
     Davis-Bacon Act were repealed, the Federal Government could 
     save an estimated $12,700,000,000 in discretionary outlays 
     from 2015 through 2023.
       (3) These savings could be redirected to the reconstruction 
     of closed and functionally obsolete bridges along the 
     Interstate Highway System, which would improve highway safety 
     and interstate commerce.

                   TITLE I--ESTABLISHMENT AND FUNDING

     SEC. 101. REPEAL OF DAVIS-BACON ACT OF 1931 WAGE 
                   REQUIREMENTS.

       (a) In General.--Subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, 
     United States Code (40 U.S.C. 3141 et seq.), is repealed.
       (b) Reference.--Beginning on the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, any reference in any law to a wage requirement 
     under subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States 
     Code, shall be null and void.

     SEC. 102. EMERGENCY INTERSTATE BRIDGE SAFETY FUND.

       (a) Establishment.--There is established in the Treasury of 
     the United States a trust fund to be known as the ``Emergency 
     Interstate Bridge Safety Fund''.
       (b) Transfers to Emergency Interstate Bridge Safety Fund.--
     -
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall 
     regularly transfer amounts equal to the savings achieved 
     through the repeal of the wage requirements under subsection 
     (a) from the capital budgets of each affected Federal agency 
     to the Emergency Interstate Bridge Safety Fund.
       (2) Emergency relief expenditures.--Section 125(c) of title 
     23, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:
       ``(3) Emergency interstate bridge safety fund.--Amounts 
     deposited into the Emergency Interstate Bridge Safety Fund 
     established under section 102(a) of the Emergency Interstate 
     Bridge Safety Fund Act are authorized to be obligated to 
     carry out, in priority order, the projects on the current 
     list compiled by the Secretary under section 201(b)(1) of 
     such Act that meet the eligibility requirements set forth in 
     subsection (a).''.

       TITLE II--EMERGENCY INTERSTATE BRIDGE SAFETY PRIORITY LIST

     SEC. 201. EMERGENCY INTERSTATE BRIDGE PRIORITIES.

       (a) List.--The Secretary of Transportation, in consultation 
     with a representative sample of State and local government 
     transportation officials, shall compile a prioritized list of 
     emergency interstate bridge projects, which will guide the 
     allocation of funding to the States from the Emergency 
     Interstate Bridge Safety Fund established under section 102.
       (b) Criteria.--In compiling the list under subsection (a), 
     the Secretary of Transportation, in addition to any other 
     criteria established by the Secretary, shall rank the 
     emergency interstate bridge projects in descending order, 
     beginning with projects that--
       (1) are part of the Federal interstate highway system;
       (2) involve a bridge that is closed or deemed functionally 
     obsolete by the Federal Highway Administration for safety 
     reasons;
       (3) have a significant impact on interstate commerce;
       (4) would affect a significant volume of traffic; and
       (5) have the greatest overall value to the surrounding 
     community.
       (c) Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall 
     submit a report to Congress that includes--
       (1) a prioritized list of emergency interstate bridge 
     projects to be funded through the Emergency Interstate Bridge 
     Safety Fund; and
       (2) a description of the criteria used to establish the 
     list referred to in paragraph (1).
       (d) Quarterly Updates.--Not less frequently than 4 times 
     per year, the Secretary of Transportation shall--
       (1) update the report submitted pursuant to subsection (c);
       (2) send a copy of the report to Congress; and
       (3) make a copy of the report available to the public 
     through the Department of Transportation's website.

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