[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 24, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H1856]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  INCREASE HARBOR MAINTENANCE FUNDING

  (Ms. HAHN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call on Congress to keep its promise 
to invest in our Nation's ports.
  The harbor maintenance tax collected at our ports should be returned 
to our ports, not stockpiled or diverted to other spending.
  For years, only about 50 percent of the tax was returned to our 
ports. The harbor maintenance trust fund now has a surplus of 
approximately $9 billion.
  Last year, with bipartisan support, we passed the Water Resources 
Reform and Development Act, which set targets for annual increases in 
usage of the trust fund, leading to 100 percent use by the year 2025.
  I have offered an amendment to the budget resolution to meet that 
target funding level for 2016 established in WRRDA, and I am 
disappointed that the Rules Committee did not rule it in order.
  To keep our United States ports globally competitive, we should fully 
use the harbor maintenance trust fund to maintain and improve our 
harbors and navigation channels.

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