[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 106 (Wednesday, July 9, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H5884]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL FREIGHT NETWORK TRUST ACT

  (Ms. HAHN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, our Nation suffers from an infrastructure 
crisis, but if we want to remain globally competitive, goods movement 
is the ticket to our Nation's economic success.
  Although I understand we are going to do a short-term fix for the 
highway trust fund, I have come up with an idea for a long-term fix 
that creates a dedicated funding source to better serve our roads and 
railways that connect the freight network to the ports of entry into 
this country.
  This dedicated freight network trust fund will help fund critical 
infrastructure like dedicated truck lanes on the highways, better 
bridges, and on-dock rail.
  The trust fund will be made up of existing fees that we already 
collect at our Nation's ports and will be at no new cost to businesses 
or taxpayers.
  This fund will infuse nearly $2 billion back into the economy every 
year. It will help create good-paying American jobs, keep our Nation's 
ports strong and globally competitive.
  I believe this idea is a win-win for our ports, our small businesses, 
and for our Nation's economy. I urge my colleagues to support the 
National Freight Network Trust Act.

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