[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 168 (Monday, November 16, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HIRE MORE HEROES ACT OF 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 3, 2015

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 22) to amend 
     the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exempt employees with 
     health coverage under TRICARE or the Veterans Administration 
     from being taken into account for purposes of determining the 
     employers to which the employer mandate applies under the 
     Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act:

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chair, it is a sad commentary on the state of 
this House that the highway bill we are considering is being called a 
victory, and that the mere act of bringing a bill to the floor is a 
major step forward.
  As a nation with a D+ grade on infrastructure from the American 
Society for Civil Engineers, we need an ambitious plan to rebuild and 
modernize. We need to invest in transit, fix structurally-deficient 
bridges, connect people to jobs, and move goods across the country. We 
need to put people to work in every community bringing our 
transportation system into the 21st century. That's why I introduced a 
version of the President's GROW America Act that would have invested 
more in our infrastructure.
  Instead, we are considering a very modest proposal. It's a six year 
bill at current funding levels adjusted for inflation, with only three 
years of funding. The pay-fors include bad and inefficient policies 
like hiring private debt collectors to harass taxpayers. It 
dramatically cuts the TIFIA loan program and fails to provide adequate 
funding for transit. And it needlessly erodes environmental and 
community review of projects.
  This bill does have some positive provisions providing resources for 
major projects, continuing funding for bike-ped and Safe Routes to 
School, and strengthening Buy American requirements. I appreciate that 
my amendment to allow communities to protect consumers from predatory 
towing has been included in the bill. And I strongly support 
reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank to open up international 
markets for American goods.
  But I am disappointed that this bill does not go farther to improve 
and transform our transportation networks. As we begin conference 
negotiations with the Senate, we must significantly boost investments, 
eliminate problematic offsets, and restore meaningful project review.

                          ____________________