[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 175 (Thursday, December 3, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H8988-H9000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 22, SURFACE TRANSPORTATION REAUTHORIZATION
AND REFORM ACT OF 2015
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 546, I call up
the conference report on the bill (H.R. 22) to authorize funds for
Federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit programs,
and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 546, the
conference report is considered read.
(For conference report and statement, see proceedings of the House of
December 1, 2015, at page H8679.)
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Shuster) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) each will control
30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
General Leave
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the conference report to accompany H.R.
22.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I am very pleased that today the House is considering the conference
report to H.R. 22, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation, or the
FAST Act.
I believe this bill will be one of the most important things this
Congress can accomplish for our country. This conference report is
appropriately named the FAST Act for a few reasons.
It will certainly help fix America's surface transportation
infrastructure. The process has been fast. In fact, from the day of
introduction until today is 44 days that we have moved this bill
forward; so, it happened fast.
I think some of our staff, who worked very hard in this process to
help get this bill done, actually had to fast over the Thanksgiving
holiday. So my thanks go out to staff on both sides of the aisle for
working through the holiday as they did to get this bill put together
and brought to the floor.
Ranking Member DeFazio and I worked diligently with our House and
Senate conferees to put together this conference report. I want to
thank Mr. DeFazio for all his efforts.
Before I describe the transportation provisions in the conference
report, I do want to note that the conference report includes numerous
other provisions that were in either the House- or the Senate-passed
versions of the bill. These provisions are in the jurisdiction of the
Committees on Ways and Means, Financial Services, Energy and Commerce,
Natural Resources, and Judiciary.
Mr. Speaker, since I became chairman, one of my top priorities has
been to pass a long-term surface transportation reauthorization bill.
For the last year and more, I have traveled across the country to talk
to transportation and business leaders about the need for a
reauthorization bill. What I have heard is that all States and
communities have significant infrastructure needs and they all need
long-term certainty to address them.
The FAST Act represents a bipartisan and bicameral agreement to
provide that certainty. This is the first time we have come together in
a long-term bill in 10 years. It is fully paid for and reauthorizes
Federal surface transportation programs for 5 years.
It improves our Nation's infrastructure, including our roads, public
transportation, and rail systems; reforms our Federal transportation
programs; refocuses these programs on national priorities, including
the flow of freight and commerce; provides greater flexibility for
States and local governments to address our needs; streamlines the
Federal bureaucracy and accelerates project delivery; promotes
innovation to make our surface transportation system and programs work
better; and maintains a strong commitment to highway, rail, and hazmat
safety.
This bill also includes robust reforms of Amtrak, which the House
already passed overwhelmingly this year. It cuts waste, holds Amtrak
accountable, and increases transparency. It enhances opportunities for
competition on routes and increases private sector participation in
station development and right-of-way leveraging. It gives States more
power and control over their Amtrak routes.
This legislation has wide support from throughout the stakeholder
community.
The FAST Act invests in America, continues the essential Federal role
in transportation, and helps keep our country economically competitive.
I strongly urge all my colleagues to support this conference report.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 4 minutes.
I want to thank the chairman and the chairman of the subcommittee for
their tremendous cooperation and hard work.
I certainly want to thank the staff, who spent the whole Thanksgiving
break pulling this together and negotiating with the Senate, and I want
to thank our colleagues in the Senate.
We have something that is very rare in Washington, D.C., these days
here on the floor of the House: a truly bipartisan approach to very
real problems confronting our Nation.
I have been to the floor many dozens of times to talk about our
country falling apart, and I won't reiterate all those statistics again
today. They are in the Record.
But this is now 10 years and 3 months since Congress last passed a
long-term bill. This 5-year bill will give States and local
jurisdictions, cities, and counties the capability of dealing with
bigger problems that confront our system of transportation.
The series of short-term fixes we have had over the last 5 years and
3
[[Page H8989]]
months, or the MAP-21 bill, did not give them the long-term certainty
they needed.
There is predictability in this bill. They know how much money they
will be receiving, and the levels are higher than current expenditures.
Sure, I think we should invest more, but the bill also contains a
provision I championed that says, should a future Congress allocate
more funds to Transportation and Infrastructure, that money will flow
through the policies and the formulas in this bill with no further
action required and no tampering by this or future Congress; i.e., it
would be expedited and it would go right into the investments we need
to put more people back to work.
This will be the biggest jobs bill passed by this Congress. There is
no way we can do more for the American economy than making these long-
term investments, putting hundreds of thousands of people to work
rebuilding our critical infrastructure. It also doesn't just go to
construction, design, engineering, and small business, as do highway
contracts. It also has a major investment in transit.
We increase the Buy America percent for transit vehicles to 70
percent. So that will create more American jobs. There are many other
critical things.
We create for the first time--amazingly, for the first time, given
the importance of our country--a major Federal freight program, an
intermodal Federal freight program, that will help us be more
competitive in the world economy and make major investments in more
efficiently moving goods into our country and out of our country in
accessing ports.
It invests in workers with reforms of the workforce retraining
program. It promotes local control. We are increasing the share that
flows through to local jurisdictions. The chairman already addressed
that. It invests in all modes. It preserves the existing split between
transit and highways and includes alternate modes.
It includes a new safety grant program to prevent bicycle and
pedestrian deaths, which would go to local or State jurisdictions that
put forward comprehensive plans that deal with that growing problem.
It provides grants to States that come up with innovative future ways
to fund transportation for them to experiment, laboratories around the
country experimenting with vehicle miles traveled or other programs
that could pave the way for future bills in terms of spending and
investing in our infrastructure.
It improves hazmat safety very significantly in this bill. It also
invests in rail--Amtrak--and will help local communities who are
dealing with passenger commuter rail implement positive train control.
This is a true bipartisan product. I recommend a ``yes'' vote.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Missouri (Mr. Graves), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and
Transit.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in enthusiastic
support for this conference report, which reauthorizes the surface
transportation program for 5 years.
Mr. Speaker, I would argue that few investments made by the Federal
Government are more important than the ones we are discussing here
today. We depend on a very well-run transportation network for just
about everything we do in this country. Improving that system becomes
more critical as we become more mobile as a society.
In the immediate future, this conference report is going to allow
States to plan and execute some much-needed infrastructure repair. In
Missouri alone, long-term surface transportation reauthorization
translates into improvements for 35,000 miles of highway and 10,000
bridges.
Specifically, this conference report reforms the Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration and increases transparency within its
compliance, safety, and accountability program. These reforms will
fundamentally change the way the agency analyzes and develops rules for
the trucking industry.
This is an industry that we all rely on as Americans, but Federal
regulations continue to make it harder and harder for small and
independent truckers to do business.
The FAST Act also increases efficiency within high-cost construction
programs. It uses existing funding to develop a new formula for highway
freight projects and creates a competitive grant program for projects
of national or regional importance.
While this 5-year reauthorization is fully paid for, it doesn't
address the long-term funding issues staring down the highway trust
fund. That is why we directed research into more sustainable long-term
funding sources, including a user-funded model that does more than just
rely on the existing gas tax.
But, looking ahead, this bill sets the stage for us to continue
reshaping and rethinking America's transportation network. It will
allow us to modernize roads and transit systems using innovations from
the private sector. It is going to help us employ advances in
technology and interconnectivity to improve safety on America's
highways.
Ultimately, this report guarantees that local governments are going
to no longer be forced to operate off of one short-term extension after
another. This gives the States the certainty and the funding they need
to improve their roads, rebuild their bridges, and invest in their
infrastructure.
I am proud of the bipartisan work that the House and the Senate have
done to finalize this long-term Federal reauthorization. I would like
to echo the words of the ranking member.
This was a very bipartisan bill. Thanks to Ranking Member DeFazio,
Chairman Shuster, and Ranking Member Norton, I think we did a fantastic
job when it comes to putting the bill together. I look forward to
seeing the President sign it.
{time} 1145
Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), the ranking member on the
subcommittee.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, the reputation of our committee is that we
are the most bipartisan committee in the Congress, and I think we have
shown it with this bill.
I can't thank my partners enough--Mr. Graves you just heard from;
Chairman Shuster; Mr. DeFazio, who is the ranking member; both good
friends and, of course, the staff--for their countless hours, including
missing Thanksgiving. I particularly thank the conference committee
Members because this bill needed compromises on both sides if we were
going to get it done this year, and that is what we have done.
This bill was improved in conference in many ways. If you are in the
States, you will probably say the most important way is that you are
getting more funding than anticipated. There was a tradeoff, of course,
because it is now a 5-year rather than a 6-year bill, and we needed the
longest term bill we could get; but it does mean almost $13 billion
more annually in funding for the States, and they were so starved for
funds that, I believe, this 5-year tradeoff was most important for us
and for them.
The reason I have come to the floor with this chart is not to show
you something about my own district, but because this chart is
emblematic of what this bill will do for your district and for
districts all over the United States. I chose it because one of my
major projects is the H Street Bridge. I didn't just choose a bridge; I
chose a bridge with intermodality at its vortex. This is the bridge
that runs over Union Station. All you have to do is look at it, and you
will see the trains; and there is freight beneath this bridge, and
major freight is in this bill. You will see Amtrak. Across the H Street
bridge itself runs inner-city buses, local buses, and streetcars.
You see how transit is the key to development itself. So, if you
don't get the transit done, if you don't get the infrastructure done
for our bill, then other infrastructure which depends on it will not
occur.
We are trying to expand Union Station here. This bridge has to be
done if they are to accomplish this. They are going to expand the Union
Station concourse. This bill will allow the improvements in the
Northeast corridor, which is so important to so many Members. In a real
sense, this bridge and this poster tell the story of this bill.
There were so many of my major priorities in this bill that I would
just
[[Page H8990]]
like to say something about a couple of them.
One is the way we are now trying to get a hold of the highway trust
fund which is a trust fund in name only--the $15 million to $20
million--that will allow for the States to experiment with new ideas.
States are the only ones that are doing it, which is going to be
absolutely necessary before the next long-term bill. We didn't have
anything of the kind in MAP-21.
Look what we had to do instead. We took money to pay for this bill,
for example, from the Federal Reserve and from the strategic oil
reserves, for the first time in history--that is the cutest one--
because oil is worth less than when it was used as an offset. We had to
face down this highway trust fund, and that is why my major priority
was new trust fund ideas.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mrs. NAPOLITANO. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.
Ms. NORTON. Finally, I want to say that I am very pleased that we
worked together to get the Disadvantaged Business Enterprises provision
done, and there is funding in this bill for a very important issue in
our country for grants to address racial profiling.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Denham), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Railroads,
Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. The gentleman did a lot of work on
the Amtrak bill, which made it into this final bill.
Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I appreciate the opportunity
to have been a conferee on this important piece of legislation.
This piece of legislation was a bipartisan effort between not only
Republicans and Democrats in the House, but as a conferee who has been
working between the House and the Senate, we have now culminated a
number of different issues that, for years, we have had hearings on.
Specifically, in the subcommittee that I chair--Railroads, Pipelines,
and Hazardous Materials--we are dealing with passenger rail in this
bill, with rail safety, and with hazardous material.
Under the hazmat title of this bill, it contains many important
provisions on crude-by-rail safety:
First, we require all new tank cars carrying flammable liquids to
actually have a thermal blanket and top fittings protection, which is
something that the DOT failed to include in its rule;
We also ensure that railroads provide States and local emergency
responders with information on crude-by-rail shipments within their
States. In my community, this is a huge issue for our first responders,
who want to know exactly what is traveling through our community;
We also include a provision that fixes a loophole that would have
allowed more than 35,000 legacy DOT-111--these old tank cars--to
actually remain in service.
The rail title follows closely the PRRIA bill of 2015--the passenger
rail reauthorization--which we passed out of this House in March of
this year:
In the bill, we reform Amtrak to actually run more like a business,
ensuring that Northeast corridor profits get reinvested into the
corridor and make Amtrak more accountable to the States;
In the wake of the Philadelphia crash, we make a number of safety
improvements, including having cameras in the locomotives. I will
remind you that the purpose of this video footage is to assist crash
investigators, which is something that would be important in
Philadelphia. Let's make sure that this does not punish or retaliate
against the employees.
Separately, this bill includes reforms that I have long championed
and have based on legislation that I have authored in committee, the
NEPA Reciprocity Act. We need to eliminate the duplicative
environmental reviews. It will save us millions of dollars and years in
project delivery time while still ensuring that appropriate steps are
taken to mitigate the environmental impact. In California, we have the
California Environmental Quality Act. We want to make sure that we have
a strong environmental policy. Let's just not waste years in
duplication to get these projects done. Let's do them quickly. Let's do
them efficiently. Let's save millions of dollars in the process.
The bill also provides a much-needed boost in funding to fix our
crumbling bridges in our communities. In my community, I continuously
talk about the Seventh Street Bridge in Modesto. It is ridiculous that
we have any bridges that are below satisfactory, but in this case, this
bridge is rated 2 out of 100.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. SHUSTER. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.
Mr. DENHAM. It is so bad that we don't allow school buses on this. We
have passenger cars as well as trucks--trucks that carry goods through
Modesto and through our community--yet it is unsafe for school buses
and our kids. This much-needed bridge funding will help us to fix many
of these threats around our State and around the country.
Finally, this legislation will codify pets on trains. For years now,
pet owners have been able to take their pets on airplanes. I can go
from California to D.C. with my dog; yet I can't take my small dog onto
Amtrak. This now changes that. I know that it is a big deal for those
who travel on trains frequently to be able to take their pets with
them.
In conclusion, this is a great bipartisan, long-term highway bill,
and I am excited that we are going to finally give certainty to our
States.
Again, I thank the chairman, Mr. DeFazio, and Mr. Capuano--all who
worked hard to make this a great bipartisan effort.
Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
California (Mrs. Napolitano).
Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the
conference report on H.R. 22, the FAST Act. I do associate myself with
the remarks of Chairman Shuster, of Ranking Member DeFazio, and, of
course, of their extraordinary staffs, including mine, who have been
very effective in working on this very bipartisan and very thorough
bill.
I have been honored to serve on the conference committee, thanks to
Leader Pelosi's appointment. I especially thank our transportation
stakeholders in my district--California, of course--for their input on
the policies included in this bill, which will benefit not only
California but many of our Nation's constituencies by improving their
commutes, by enhancing the transportation of goods to market, and by
increasing transportation safety and air quality.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. DeFAZIO. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.
Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Those entities that really sent good, solid
information to this committee were the San Gabriel Valley Council of
Governments, the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership, the Alameda
Corridor-East Construction Authority, the Foothill Transit, the Gold
Line Foothill Transit Project, the Gateway Council of Governments, the
Access Services of Los Angeles, the LA Metro, the Southern California
Association of Governments, Caltrans, the California Department of
Natural Resources, and the California Department of Labor.
I ask my colleagues for their support, and I ask for an ``aye'' vote
from all of us. This is a great bill thanks to their bipartisan
support.
Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record a list of the items that were
able to be included in the bill.
Overall Funding Levels
The bill authorizes Highway, Transit and Railroad programs
at $305 billion over 5 years. $281 billion is directly funded
from revenues in the bill (aka ``contract authority
programs'') which is for highway programs and most transit
programs. This is $12.8 billion higher than the House passed
bill. This higher funding level was requested by California
transportation agencies including Caltrans, the Metropolitan
Planning Organizations (MPOs) and the California Councils of
Governments (COGs).
$24 billion is authorized to be appropriated annually. The
programs needing appropriations are New Starts Transit
construction grants (which the larger California Transit
Agencies strongly support) and Amtrak passenger rail
investments (California has 3 of the top 5 Amtrak rail
corridors).
Local Control--Increased Local Suballocation of Transportation Funding
The bill increasie's the percentage of funds that flow
directly to local regions (instead of the State) within the
Surface Transportation Program (STP) from the current 50% to
55%
[[Page H8991]]
(1% per year). This issue was supported by CAL COG and local
CA Transportation agencies.
Transit Funding Increases
The bill provides $13 billion over 5 years for the state of
good repair transit formula program. These funds are
distributed to state and local governments for repairs and
upgrading of rail and bus rapid transit systems. This is a
20% increase over current funding. The bill provides $3.7
billion over 5 years for bus and bus facilities and sets
aside $1.5 billion for a competitive bus grant program. This
is a 75% increase over current funding. California Transit
agencies strongly supported increased transit funding.
Freight Programs
The bill creates two funded freight programs. The first is
a Formula Freight program funded at $6.3 billion over 5 years
which is allocated to the states. The second is a Nationally
Significant Freight and Highway Projects Competitive grant
program funded at $4.5 billion over 5 years that state and
local governments can apply for.
Creating these funded freight programs was a big priority
of California Transportation agencies including Caltrans,
California Association of Councils of Governments, League of
CA Cities, Metropolitan Transportation Commission of the SF
Bay Area, Southern California Association of Governments, San
Diego Area Association of Governments, L.A. Metro, and
Sacramento Area Council of Governments.
In addition, language was included that many CA
Transportation agencies care about to make local
transportation agencies (such as JPA's) eligible recipients
of grant funds and to address local environmental impacts of
freight movement.
Transportation Alternatives--bicycle, pedestrian, trails, safe routes
to school projects
The bill funds transportation alternatives at $835 million
per year in 2016 and 2017 and $850 million per year in 2018,
2019 and 2020, which is more than the House bill level of
$819 million per year. The bill gives Metropolitan Planning
Organization's (MPO) new flexibility to use up to 50% of this
funding for other Surface Transportation Eligible projects.
California transportation agencies, environmental
organizations, bike associations, and safe route to school
advocates strongly support this program.
TIFIA Loan Program
The TIFIA loan program is funded at $275 million/year in
FY16 & 17 and $300 million/year in FY18, 19, 20. This is more
than the $200M/yr in the House bill. TIFIA is strongly
supported by many California transportation agencies
(especially those with local transportation funding sources
such as sales tax measures) because they can use the
government backed loans to expedite their projects and save
money in the long run.
Language was included to allow unused TIFIA funds to go
back into TIFIA and to provide eligibility to Transit
Oriented Development projects. This language was also a
priority of CA transportation agencies.
Railway Highway Grade Crossing Program
The bill maintains the current railway-highway grade
crossing program and increases funding by $5 million/year to
$245 million in FY20. California Transportation agencies,
including the Alameda Corridor East Construction Authority in
my district strongly support this program because safety
issues around highway rail grade crossings are a big concern
in our state.
Positive Train Control Grants
The bill provides $199 million for positive train control
grants that commuter railroads can apply for. This was a big
priority of Metrolink as they are currently developing and
implementing positive train control safety systems.
New Starts Transit Construction Project Changes
The bill allows local transportation agencies to use
Surface Transportation Program funding as the local match for
New Starts. This was a priority of CA MPOs and CALTRANs
because the original House bill prohibited this flexibility
in funding.
Transit Workforce Training Programs
The bill focuses transit workforce training programs on the
front line workforce (bus drivers, rail operators, mechanics,
etc.). The bill also focuses on career opportunities for
underepresented populations, including minorities, women,
veterans, low-income, and the disabled. This was a priority
of LA Metro and California Transit Unions.
Transit Operator Safety
The bill requires DOT to perform a rulemaking on transit
operator safety to address the growing concern of violence
against transit workers. This was a priority of California
Transit Unions.
Allowing Paratransit Coordinated Fare Structures to Continue--Los
Angeles County Issue
The bill allows Access Services paratransit provider of Los
Angeles County to continue using a tiered, distance-based
coordinated paratransit fare system. For over 20 years,
Access Services has had a DOT approved tiered fare structure
that averages all the fares of 44 transit agencies into 2
fares. For riders traveling under 20 miles the fare is $2.75
and for riders traveling over 20 miles the fare is $3.50
(these paratransit fares are dramatically lower than the rest
of the country). DOT was going to require Access Services to
change their fare structure by Jan. 1, 2016 based on
confusing formulas for each individualized trip a disabled
customer takes. 95% of the public comments from the ADA
community strongly opposed this change. This provision will
allow Access to continue operating with their current tiered
fare structure.
Buy America
The bill increases the domestic content requirement for
buses and transit rail cars from 60% to 70%.
Innovative Funding Alternatives Grant Program
The bill creates a $15-$20 million/year grant program to
allow states to experiment with alternative transportation
user fees such as vehicle miles traveled taxes. California
would benefit from this program because we are implementing
one of the only alternative transportation user fee pilot
programs in the country.
National Surface Transportation and Innovative Finance Bureau
The bill creates a new Bureau within the office of the
Secretary to streamline the administration of the TIFIA and
RRIF loan programs, private activity bonds, and the new
freight program. California and Los Angeles County in
particular has been a large recipient of TIFIA and RRIF loans
but many agencies have complained at how long, burdensome,
and bureaucratic the process is. This Bureau will address
these concerns.
Funding for Locally owned Bridges on the Federal-Aid Highway System
The bill fixes a major concern Los Angeles County had with
the last transportation bill (MAP-21) which only allowed
bridges on the National Highway System to be funded by the
National Highway Performance Program. A lot of locally owned
bridges in California are on the federal-aid highway system
and previously received direct bridge funding but no longer
do because they are not on the National Highway System. This
bill allows all locally owned bridges on the federal-aid
highway system to be eligible for funding in the National
Highway Performance Program.
Park and Ride Relinquishment
The bill allows states to relinquish ownership of park-and-
ride lots to local governments if they wish. This was a big
priority for CALTRANs and local CA MPOs like LA Metro because
some local agencies would like to take ownership of state
park-and-rides in order to invest in them and improve their
performance within regional, multimodal transportation
systems.
HOV Degradation Standards Impact on California
The bill allows for California or a local transportation
agency to apply for a waiver from the current HOV degradation
standard. It also requires the state or local agency to have
a plan to improve their HOV operations. Fixing problems with
how the current HOV degradation standard works in California
was a major priority of CALTRANs and local MPOs.
The current HOV degradation standard requires HOV lanes to
maintain an average speed above 45 mph 90 percent of the time
during peak hours. This standard does not take into account
the specific transportation concerns of each state. The most
recent data indicates that 60 percent of California's HOV
network is degraded under the current federal standard, but
it also indicates that ``recurrent congestion'' is not a
primary source of degradation in California. Other variables
such as inclement weather, traffic incidents, or
unforeseeable nonrecurring congestion have a greater impact
on HOV lane performance in California. The point of the
federal standard is to address manageable traffic policy
which is recurrent congestion. Since degraded facilities must
be brought back into compliance under this federal law, the
high levels of degradation in our state will require scarce
resources to correct a problem that, in the majority of
cases, is relatively infrequent and unpredictable. This bill
allows the state to request a waiver from this unreasonable
standard.
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program
Funding for local Transportation Projects
The Conference Report continues to allow local California
Transportation agencies to fund transit, congestion
management, and bicycle/pedestrian projects with Congestion
Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program funds. The original
House and Senate bills contained provisions that local CA
transportation agencies strongly opposed that would have
restricted their ability to use CMAQ funds for actual
transportation projects.
No Preemption of CA Meal and Rest Break Laws for Truckers
The conference report does not include a provision from the
House bill that would have preempted state meal and rest
break laws as they apply to the trucking industry. The
original provision in the House bill was a direct attack on a
recent court decision in California that ruled that
California truck drivers were entitled to meal and rest
breaks under California labor law.
The California Department of Labor and the California
Teamsters strongly opposed the original House bill provision.
No Comprehensive Oil Spill Response Plan Section that was opposed by
California
The bill does not include Section 7011 of the original
House bill that required federal
[[Page H8992]]
oil spill response plans for railroads. This section was
strongly opposed by the California Department of Natural
Resources because it would preempt state law and California's
ability to impose their own rail oil spill response plans.
Privatizing Engineering
The bill does not include language requiring or
incentivizing states to outsource public engineering work. We
must continue to support states that hire public engineers in
order to protect the public interest.
Nation-wide Truck Size and Weight Issues not in the bill
The bill does not increase truck sizes with double 33s or
weights to 91,000lbs. (l.c. ``el''). There were attempts to
increase truck size and weights but they were strongly
opposed by CA Sheriffs Association, CA Peace Officers Assoc.
(PORAC), and CA highway safety groups.
Port Performance included was a concern
I am concerned that the bill includes a provision to
require the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to collect
data on port performance freight statistics at the nation's
top 25 ports. I am glad this provision was amended in
Conference to create a working group which includes labor
representatives and port representatives that will determine
how the port performance statistics program will be
implemented.
WIFIA FIX Included
The Conference Report fixes a problem with the Water
Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan
program from WRRDA 14 that prohibited local water agencies
from combining tax exempt debt (i.e. municipal bonds) with
WIFIA loans. This Conference Report changes that and allows
water agencies to use municipal bonds (which are a major
source of their revenue) as the local match to federal
financing provided by the WIFIA. This fix to WIFIA was
strongly supported by CA water agencies including ACWA and
CASA.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Gibbs), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources
and Environment.
Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 22, Fixing
America's Surface Transportation Act.
I want to thank Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member DeFazio, Chairman
Graves, Ranking Member Norton, and my colleagues on the committee for
coming together to craft bipartisan legislation that provides States
with the certainty they need with this 5-year bill, which will provide
long-term infrastructure planning.
The FAST Act builds on the reforms that we did in MAP-21 to ensure
that projects are completed in a timely manner. I was pleased to see
that a number of priorities that are important to my district have been
included in this legislation, including that of reforming the broken
Compliance, Safety, Accountability program, which ensures that motor
carrier safety ratings are fair and accurate.
As the subcommittee chairman on Water Resources and Environment, we
worked to get a provision into WRRDA called WIFIA. In this bill, we put
in a provision to allow WIFIA loans to be used in conjunction with tax-
exempt bonds to leverage private capital. This will help our
infrastructure needs and clean water projects. This is an important
loan guarantee program that is similar to TIFIA, which provides
municipalities with additional funding for water infrastructure
projects. This will complement programs like the Clean Water SRF
Project.
I urge the support of this bipartisan legislation, which provides
certainty and makes a good investment to provide transportation in
order to move commerce and people in the future.
Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Nadler).
Mr. NADLER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the FAST Act, which authorizes $305
billion over 5 years for highways, transit, and rail, including Amtrak.
Although many of us would have preferred much higher funding levels,
the conference agreement provides an increase in funding of $12.8
billion above the House bill and $26.8 billion in guaranteed funding
above fiscal year 2015 levels. The funding increase allows us to
preserve core highway and transit programs and to still invest in new
key areas.
New York State will get an additional $1.5 billion above current
levels in highway and transit formula funding over the life of the
bill, of which an estimated $500 million will go to projects in New
York City.
The bill provides $4.5 billion for the new freight program,
originally created in the House bill for large-scale, multimodal
projects that are critical to our regional and national economy. This
was a key recommendation of the freight panel on which I was the
ranking member, along with Mr. Duncan as chairman, and I am very proud
that it is included in the final conference report.
The bill increases funding for transit, including the major programs
that benefit New York, such as section 5340--High-Density States
program, the State of Good Repair program, and capital investment
grants, and it preserves the ability to flex other transportation
funding toward major transit projects.
I am mostly pleased that the conference report authorizes $10.2
billion over 5 years for intercity passenger rail, including $8 billion
for Amtrak; dedicates resources for Northeast corridor improvements;
and provides $200 million to help commuter railroads implement positive
train control. It also increases the liability limit on rail passenger
accidents to $295 million, retroactively, to help cover claims for
those killed or injured in the Amtrak derailment outside of
Pennsylvania last May.
I commend Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member DeFazio, and my fellow
conferees for all of their hard work in finally bringing a long-term
transportation bill to fruition. It has been too long. I am glad we
finally did it. I urge all of my colleagues to vote for this conference
report.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Transportation Conference
Report, now called the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST)
Act of 2015. I want to thank Chairman Shuster, and Ranking Member
DeFazio, for developing a bipartisan bill that we can all be proud to
support.
The Conference Report authorizes $305 billion over five years for
highways, transit and rail, including Amtrak. Although many of us would
have preferred higher funding levels closer to the Administration's
GROW America Act, the conference agreement provides an increase in
funding of $12.8 billion above the House bill and $26.8 billion in
guaranteed funding above FY15. Every state will get an increase in
transportation funding. New York State will get an additional $1.5
billion above current levels in highway and transit formula funding
over the life of the bill, of which an estimated additional $500
million will go to projects in New York City. The funding increase
allows us to preserve these core programs, and still invest in new key
areas.
The bill provides $4.5 billion for the new freight program,
originally created in the House bill, for large scale multimodal
projects critical to our regional and national economy. This was a key
recommendation of the Freight Panel that I co-chaired with Mr. Duncan,
and I am very proud that it is included in the final Conference Report.
For over a decade, we have made various attempts to address major
freight projects that are too big or complex for states to address on
their own. The PNRS program that we created in SAFETEA-LU was meant to
address such projects, but was divvied up into many, relatively small,
earmarks. In MAP-21, the PNRS program was reauthorized, but subject to
appropriations, and never received any funding. This bill finally gets
it right, and provides guaranteed, dedicated funding to address goods
movement throughout the country.
In addition to the grant program for large multimodal projects, the
bill includes a new freight formula program to the States passed as
part of the Senate bill, and it requires strategic planning at the
state and federal level. All of these programs together will bring
about unprecedented resources to fund freight projects that are long
overdue and critical to our economy. It is a ground breaking
achievement, and one of the things that sets this bill apart from its
predecessors.
The bill increases funding for transit, including all the major
programs that benefit New York. The Conference Report not only
restores, but increases, funding for the High Density State program
under Section 5340 that provides approximately $100 million for transit
projects all across New York State. The bill includes a 20% increase in
funding for the State of Good Repair program, and it increases funding
for Capital Investment Grants.
The conference report does not include language restricting the
ability of transit agencies to use other transportation programs, such
as CMAQ and TIFIA, to fill the gap in federal funding for transit New
Starts, which Mr. Lipinski and I fought against in the House bill. The
bill maintains the historic 80/20 split between highway and transit
funding, and it provides enough finding to create a robust Bus & Bus
Facilities grant program that will benefit all fifty states while
dedicating resources to the programs upon which our urban centers rely.
[[Page H8993]]
I am also pleased that the Conference Report authorizes $10.2 billion
over five years for intercity passenger rail, including $8 billion for
Amtrak, and dedicates resources for improvements along the Northeast
Corridor. The bill includes language to help the Gateway project
compete for future funding, and it authorizes a new consolidated grant
program to help railroads make safety and reliability improvements.
Additionally, the bill dedicates $200 million to help commuter
railroads implement Positive Train Control, and it increases the
liability limit on rail passenger accidents to $295 million
retroactively to help cover claims for those killed or injured in the
Amtrak derailment outside of Philadelphia in May of this year.
Overall, this is a balanced bill that will provide certainty and
reliability for transportation agencies over the next five years. It
would have been my preference to provide significantly more funding to
address the major backlog of investment needs on our roads, bridges,
transit and rail, but given the political reality this Conference
Report is something we can all be proud to support. It increases
funding for core programs, addresses new critical areas, and although
it includes a few objectionable provisions, it is generally free of
major poison pills.
I commend Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member DeFazio, and my fellow
conferees, for all their hard work in finally bringing a long term
transportation bill to fruition. I urge all my colleagues to vote for
this Conference Report.
Thank you.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Franks).
Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to express concerns regarding a particular
provision in the bill before us today. The provision in question
retroactively increases a Federal statutory cap on liability to cover
one railway accident that occurred earlier this year.
{time} 1200
Mr. Speaker, retroactive legislation is not always unconstitutional,
but it is clearly disfavored. The Supreme Court outlined in a case
called Eastern Enterprises v. Apfel, and I quote:
``Retroactivity is generally disfavored in the law, in accordance
with the `fundamental notions of justice' that have been recognized
throughout history. In his `Commentaries on the Constitution,' Justice
Story reasoned: `Retrospective laws are indeed generally unjust; and,
as has been forcibly said, neither accord with sound legislation nor
with the fundamental principles of the social compact.' ''
Mr. Speaker, while recognizing that retroactive legislation is
constitutional in some instances--limited instances, I might add--none
of those instances would clearly appear to apply to the provision in
question.
The Supreme Court further stated, ``Our decisions . . . have left
open the possibility that legislation might be unconstitutional if it
imposes severe retroactive liability on a limited class of parties that
could not have anticipated the liability, and the extent of that
liability is substantially disproportionate to the parties'
experience.''
In the case of the provision in question in the bill before us today,
the retroactivity imposes severe increases in liability--almost a 50-
percent increase, in this case--on a limited class of parties who could
not have anticipated that liability.
While I support reasonable compensation for those who have been done
legal injury, I am concerned that this particular provision may not
pass constitutional muster. For that reason, I would register my
concern.
Mr. DeFAZIO. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Lipinski).
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the FAST Act, which
will create jobs, boost the economy, ease congestion on our roads and
rails, and improve our quality of life.
I want to thank Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio for
producing this bill and thank them for working with me in committee, on
the House floor, and on the conference committee to make this bill
better.
Recommendations made by our Freight Panel, led by Chairman Duncan and
Ranking Member Nadler last Congress, led to new provisions that will
improve the efficiency of freight movement and ease congestion on our
roads and rails. This is critical for our Nation's freight hub in
northeastern Illinois as we continue the CREATE rail program and other
large freight projects.
The bill includes revisions I authored to create Buy America content,
deploy zero-emission buses, and improve tank car safety standards,
which will produce more American jobs, protect the environment, and
improve community safety.
The FAST Act will also improve public transit and active
transportation infrastructure and safety. Commuter rail safety will be
increased through PTC grants, and this bill prepares us for the future
by including research provisions from my FUTURE TRIP Act.
I would like to thank Science, Space, and Technology Committee
Chairman Smith for working with me on this. Thanks, finally, to my
staff--Andrew Davis, Jason Day, Eric Lausten, and Shawn Kimmel--and all
the committee staff for their work on this bill.
We have more work to do. This bill will not solve all of our
transportation problems, but this bill is a big step forward for jobs
and for surface transportation in our Nation.
I urge my colleagues to approve this conference report.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Nevada (Mr. Hardy), a hardworking member of the committee.
Mr. HARDY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and ranking member for
all their hard work.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the long-term nature of this
highway bill.
After 35-plus extensions, the upper and lower Chambers of Congress
are sending the President a 5-year highway bill. I want you to think
about that. We haven't had legislation this long that provided
certainty and confidence to our States in over 10 years.
Before coming to Congress, I was a general engineering contractor. I
built those highways, roads, bridges, and dams. I also previously
served on the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada,
and I know what it takes to invest in infrastructure.
I will be honest. These short-term patches would have been a
disservice to our States and our districts. They need long-term
certainty to build a master plan for the future.
Many may not understand the aspects of what it takes to actually
build infrastructure in our Nation. It is not all about just going out
and investing a dollar and going and building a highway, a railroad, or
other infrastructure. It takes a lot to go through the NEPA process and
the engineering processes before you can even get to the point where
you can turn a shovel of dirt.
So we need to make sure that we find other funding mechanisms for the
future. We need to start today and recognize that we need to plan for
the future and invest in this country so it has quality infrastructure
for our safety and the needs of this country.
While the funding mechanisms are not perfect, we are moving in the
right direction and putting our Nation back on the path to prosperity.
That is why I proudly stand here today as a conferee to support this
long-term funding bill.
Mr. DeFAZIO. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms.
Brown).
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, this certainly is a great day for
the people in this country, and I want to thank the leadership on this
committee.
I believe wholeheartedly that this surface transportation bill will
give the economy just the type of boost it needs. A long-term
transportation bill will strengthen our infrastructure, provide quality
jobs, and serve as a tool to put America back to work long-term.
This important legislation includes a critical freight grant program,
additional funding for transit systems and pedestrian safety program,
includes funds to speed the implementation of positive train control,
improves the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing loan
program, and creates a disadvantaged business enterprise program at the
Federal Railroad Administration.
It also includes additional funds for Amtrak, moves us closer to
restoring passenger rail for the Gulf States, and protects our ports
from unnecessary paperwork.
[[Page H8994]]
Transportation and infrastructure funding is absolutely critical to
this Nation. If properly funded, it serves as a tremendous economic
boost. For every billion dollars we spend in transportation, it
generates 44,000 permanent jobs. When we pass this legislation, we will
put millions of hardworking Americans back to work to fix our Nation's
crumbling infrastructure and prepare our country for the future.
Mr. Speaker, there is no better present for the people in this
country than to pass this transportation bill.
Merry Christmas, and God bless America.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis), a hardworking member of the committee.
Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, article I, section 8 of
the U.S. Constitution grants this body the power to regulate commerce
with foreign nations and among the several States as well as the power
to establish post offices and post roads.
Maintaining and improving our Nation's infrastructure is an important
constitutional responsibility that we, as Members of this body, have,
which is exactly why I told voters what I wanted to do when I came to
Washington was to work together in a bipartisan fashion to address
issues just like this transportation bill is going to address.
What does this bill mean to the voters in central Illinois who sent
me here? It means about 80 percent of all of the road projects that are
funded in my State of Illinois are funded by Federal dollars.
The vision that has been laid out in this bill--and we could argue
about the pay-fors, whether they are not perfect. But we can also show
the American people that we can work together to rebuild our Nation's
crumbling infrastructure.
I am confident that as soon as this bill passes overwhelmingly today,
under the leadership of Chairman Shuster, he will begin debating how we
move into the future in our next transportation bill. That is what is
great about service on this committee.
I want to commend Chairman Shuster, Chairman Graves, Ranking Member
DeFazio, and all the hardworking members of this committee who put a
great bill together.
Everybody has stood up and said it is not perfect, but no bill that
comes out of this institution is perfect. We don't always get
everything we want, Mr. Speaker. But what we get is a long-term plan
that is allowing our States to continue to plan and rebuild our roads
and bridges.
I also want to thank Chairman Shuster because he helped new leaders
on our committee become leaders in transportation. I want to talk about
Cresent Hardy, who just spoke a few minutes ago. He was able to show
his constituents that he is able to lead on transportation issues and
work together to get things done.
John Katko, Garret Graves--these are new members of the committee
that are able to go back to their constituents and show governing and
bipartisan success.
This is what we came here to address, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. DeFAZIO. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr.
Hoyer), the minority whip.
Mr. HOYER. I want to congratulate both Mr. Shuster and Mr. DeFazio
for their work on this bill. I want to thank the Senate, as well, for
their work and their leadership.
This is a good week, in many respects. We passed yesterday, on an
overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, a bill to make sure that our education
system works better. Today, we will pass, by an overwhelmingly
bipartisan vote, a bill to give more stability and investment to our
infrastructure in America. Those are good things.
I lament the fact that, although the previous speaker talked about a
sound, long-term fiscal path for infrastructure investment, my own view
is we don't do that. We do better than what is but not what we ought to
do.
My own view is that we need to dedicate the user fee we call the
gasoline tax at a level which has not been raised since 1993 to a level
that will in fact put us on a path to fiscal stability and certainty
for our infrastructure package.
But this is a good package, and I want to thank my friend Bill
Shuster for his leadership. Very frankly, that was critical to getting
us to this point, not only on his side on the aisle but on our side of
the aisle as well. And I want to thank Mr. DeFazio.
As has been said, this is not a perfect reauthorization. We ought to
stop saying that because nothing we pass is perfect. What we hope for
is the good, and this is good. It is a compromise. All these efforts
are critical to creating the kind of environment that encourage
private-sector development and job growth.
At the same time, I am very pleased that a wide majority of Members,
nearly every Democrat and most Republicans, worked together to ensure
that this conference report includes a multiyear reauthorization of the
Export-Import Bank, supported by a majority of Republicans and all but
one Democrat.
It is unfortunate that Congress, through inaction by the Congress,
allowed the Ex-Im Bank to shut down in July. Now, it didn't actually
shut down, but it had no authority to guarantee loans, which cost us
jobs.
We are changing that policy in this bill. Today, we are coming
together to reopen it so that it can help American businesses and
workers compete on a level playing field in overseas markets.
During the time the Bank was shut down, businesses began shifting
jobs overseas and others refrained from investing here because of the
uncertainty over whether it would reopen. Today, that certainty will be
restored.
To that extent, the Export-Import Bank is in the same position that
Governors and mayors and county executives all over this country will
be put in by this bill, giving them some degree of certainty that there
will be a cash flow for infrastructure projects, bridges, roads, and
other transportation items.
I want to thank again Ranking Member Maxine Waters for her work on
the Export-Import Bank and Denny Heck and Gwen Moore for their work
that led to this provision in the transportation bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. DeFAZIO. I yield an additional 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Maryland.
Mr. HOYER. I also want to thank, who showed great courage and great
leadership, Stephen Fincher of Tennessee and Frank Lucas of Oklahoma,
my Republican colleagues, without whom this Export-Import Bank
provision would not be in this bill. I congratulate them for their
courage and their leadership.
I thank again Peter DeFazio and Bill Shuster.
This is a good day for our country. This is a bipartisan day for this
Congress. And I urge my colleagues to support this product.
{time} 1215
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
California (Mrs. Mimi Walters), one of the newest members of our
committee.
Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support
of the conference report for the FAST Act.
As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, I am pleased this bill reflects the committee's hard
work. This legislation makes a fundamental investment in our Nation's
roads, bridges, and infrastructure, providing long-term certainty for
local governments and ensuring the efficient movement of consumer
goods.
Importantly, it also streamlines the environmental review and
permitting processes to ensure transportation projects stay on time and
on budget.
I was pleased that three provisions of significance to my district
were included in the final bill. One directs Department of
Transportation to study the effects of marijuana-impaired driving. The
second would incentivize the use of innovative pavement material. The
third would help address congestion in HOV lanes.
This 5-year bill is fully paid for and will put a stop to short-term
extensions that are costly to taxpayers and create significant
uncertainty for local and State governments.
I am pleased to support this historic bill coming before the House
floor today, and I thank Chairman Shuster for his hard work in making
this bill a reality.
[[Page H8995]]
Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Frankel).
Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the FAST
Act, our first long-term surface transportation bill in nearly 10
years.
I want to thank Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio for their
bipartisan leadership. It has truly been an honor to work on a
committee where we can show the American people that we know how to
work together.
Mr. Speaker, transportation moves our economy. Passing the FAST Act
will shift America's infrastructure into higher gear. This legislation
brings American families tens of thousands of new good-paying jobs
while promoting safer, more efficient travel on our transportation
infrastructure. It sends more dollars to our local communities, who
know their needs best.
I will associate myself with the remarks of my colleague
Representative Brown when I say that this is a wonderful gift to the
American people for this holiday season.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Marino).
Mr. MARINO. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Shuster and Ranking
Member DeFazio for their work and express my appreciation for the
opportunity to serve as a conferee.
There are several significant items in this bill that fall within the
jurisdiction of the Committee on the Judiciary.
Chairman Goodlatte and I were also deeply involved in another part of
this important bill: efforts to enact meaningful and effective permit
streamlining reforms. Enacting legislation to streamline the Federal
permitting process has been among my primary goals.
The RAPID Act, my bill to improve and review permitting timelines,
has passed this House on three occasions on a bipartisan basis. Our
goal has been to fix the flaws in our Federal permitting process that
too often doom projects, leaving millions of jobs and hundreds of
millions of dollars in economic activity on a bureaucrat's desk.
This year, we worked with our colleagues Senators Portman and
McCaskill on this important project. The amendment we offered on the
floor during House consideration of this measure represented a
carefully crafted compromise that further achieves these goals. It was
the product of a bipartisan cooperation, and I am proud that these
provisions were included in the conference report we are considering
today.
This conference report is an example of the many ways that we can
reach across the aisle to find solutions to problems facing us. Our
priorities will make lasting reforms that are sure to improve our
infrastructure and strengthen our economy. I am glad they will be made
law through the enactment of this conference report.
This 5-year bill establishes certainty, stability, confidence, and,
most importantly, trust. I am a States' rights guy, and the less
Federal Government in my life, the better. Congress has removed
obstacles for the States, who know best what is needed for their
infrastructure. We must continue to remove impediments for our States
to move into the 21st century without job-crushing regulations.
Please support this bill. This bill will improve the quality of life
for all Americans.
Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining on
both sides.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Oregon has 10\1/2\
minutes remaining. The gentleman from Pennsylvania has 8 minutes
remaining.
Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Minnesota (Mr. Nolan), a member of the committee.
Mr. NOLAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by getting the
attention of our chairman over there and thanking him for the terrific
job that he did, as well as our ranking member, Mr. DeFazio. It was a
real treat. It was, for me, a take-back to an earlier time when regular
order prevailed around this place.
Quite frankly, that is how you fix things and get things done. It is
not always just a matter of attitude; it can be a matter of process.
When you have a chair and a ranking member that welcome all members to
bring their ideas before the committee, to have an opportunity to have
them discussed, examined, argued, and debated, that is how you bring
people together. That is how you fix things. That is how you get things
done.
I would also be remiss if I didn't thank the staff, both the
Republican and Democratic staff. You all worked so hard and late into
the night and long hours, day after day, getting us to this point. I
thank my own staff assistant, Eddie Wytkind, in particular, for the
work that he has done on this.
With regard to the bill itself, you know, finally, after kicking this
can down the road some 34, 35 times, we finally have the kind of long-
term surface transportation legislation that people in this country
have been crying for and begging for so that we could begin fixing the
roads and the bridges that are falling down and the trains that have
been coming off the tracks.
It is a good, nonpartisan piece of legislation that will allow our
States, our counties, and our cities to plan accordingly. Of course,
that brings with it greater efficiency.
It will put a lot of people back to work. Everyone has told us that
infrastructure, transportation is fundamental to our ability to grow
jobs, to grow our economy, and to strengthen business opportunities.
I am particularly grateful for our Duluth amendment that solves a
particular little problem, but an important one, that we have there
with regard to logging trucks on our Main Street.
Last but not least, I want to commend the leadership for including
the reauthorization of Ex-Im Bank with this. As we all know, it is a
great banking institution that helps us reduce the deficit and creates
jobs throughout the country, including the Eighth District of
Minnesota.
Thank you to all who were a part of moving this important legislation
forward.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Louisiana (Mr. Graves).
Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to
be here today.
This is a historic event. For 10 years now, we have been doing
patches and temporarily providing funding for our roadways. It costs
taxpayers money to do that, to do these temporary extensions, to
compartmentalize the funding. You have to take projects, and you have
to separate them into smaller pieces. You have to pay for contractors
to come out and to leave and to come back again. I will say it again:
It costs taxpayers money to continue to do these patches and these
temporary extensions.
This is historic because it provides 5 years of funding. It provides
funding certainty.
Having run a large-scale infrastructure program for a number of
years, I am well aware of the difficulty caused by doing these
temporary patches and the increased cost. I will tell you, I think it
results in less safe roads. It absolutely doesn't deliver what
taxpayers deserve.
The other great thing about this bill and a reason that it is
historic is that it is bipartisan, something that has been lacking for
some time now, to see that Members on both sides come together on
something as important as infrastructure funding.
I want to thank Chairman Shuster, I want to thank Ranking Member
DeFazio, respective staff directors Chris and Kathy, and everyone who
worked on this bill on the conference staff. I know you put in a lot of
time and you gave up your Thanksgiving. I want to thank you very much
for all the work that has been done.
This bill also increases funding for transportation. It results in
nearly a 10-percent increase in investment in infrastructure. In the
case of Louisiana, we will see a $100 million increase in the fifth
year of this bill--a $100 million increase just in that one year as
compared to current funding levels. We need these funds.
Something else important in this bill is the grant program that was
established in the House bill for nationally significant corridors, for
freight corridors, $800 million to $1 billion a year to address these
large-scale infrastructure needs that have not been addressed.
[[Page H8996]]
In the case of my home State of Louisiana, we are in dire need of a
new crossing on the Mississippi River. Getting across that
extraordinary bottleneck, where the interstate drops down to one lane--
the only place in the United States--is a great need that we have. It
causes incredible traffic problems.
Addressing roads that need to be upgraded, like LA 1, Highway 30,
connecting Walker to Gonzales, addressing a Pecue Lane exit, upgrading
Highway 90 to interstate standards--projects that are in dire need and
cause national implications because of their inability to efficiently
move commerce across this country, Louisiana being one of the top
export States in the United States.
This bill also ensures that the roads are safer, ensures that we
address at-grade rail crossings, ensures that we have the right safety
mechanisms in place to ensure that we are not going to have fatalities
associated with driving and traffic accidents.
Importantly, this bill addresses technology. Mr. Speaker, we are
still using traffic light technology from the 1920s. It is 2015. We can
actually do on our telephones what took mainframe computers decades
ago.
This bill establishes a framework to ensure that innovation, to
ensure that competition is actually integrated into our traffic
management systems so we are not sitting around at traffic lights when
no other cars are there, to ensure that our cars can communicate with
one another, our phones can communicate with traffic lights, where we
can really take intelligent transportation systems to the next level.
It expedites the NEPA and environmental review process to ensure that
we are getting dirt turned and getting roads in place as soon as
possible while still respecting the environment.
It, importantly, includes something that we were pushing very hard,
the Sport Fish Restoration and the Boating Safety Act, ensuring that
boat safety, ensuring that sport fish and restoration, ensuring that
the CWPPRA program continues to move forward and we have those
important restoration activities.
Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I just want to say I appreciated very much the
opportunity to be a conferee. This is a historic bill. And I want to
urge: Increased funding, safer roads--this is the right direction for
this country. Support this conference report.
Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
California (Mrs. Capps).
Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Oregon for
yielding.
The bipartisan highway conference compromise before us is just that,
a compromise. But, despite its faults, I will support it.
While this bill adequately funds our Nation's long-term highway
infrastructure needs, which our communities desperately need, it does
fall short of making the robust long-term investments our crumbling
infrastructure truly needs.
I am pleased the bill does take an important step to protect
consumers by prohibiting companies from renting or loaning out
dangerously recalled vehicles for the first time. I have spearheaded
this effort for years in honor of Raechel and Jacqueline Houck, two
young sisters who were killed by their rented vehicle that was under
recall.
To be clear, this is an important step for consumer safety. But I am
disappointed that, during conference, companies with fewer than 35
rental or loaner vehicles were exempted. Unfortunately, by our bowing
to special interests, some consumers will still be at risk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30
seconds.
Mrs. CAPPS. However, we will continue to build on the important step
of holding large rental companies and auto dealers accountable until,
one day, all Americans can be confident that the cars that they drive
are safe. This is our goal: that all rental cars be safe for their
drivers to engage in as they rent them.
{time} 1230
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I have already thanked the committee staff. They did do
a fabulous job.
I also want to recognize others who were involved: the Senate staff
of the Committee on Environment and Public Works; the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation; and the Committee on Finance.
Over here, we are a little more consolidated when we deal with these
issues. The Senate is a little more spread out, but that is the Senate.
They were all involved and all a critical part of this product.
I also want to thank some others, beyond committee staff. The House
Legislative Counsel, led by Curt Haensel, has provided a tremendous
assistance in the drafting of this very extensive legislation, as well
as the staff of the U.S. Department of Transportation, particularly the
Federal Highway Administration.
Curt Haensel and Carolyn Edwards of FHWA have been involved in every
surface transportation bill since the nineties, and their expertise was
invaluable. We come up with policy ideas, but they have to figure out a
way to lay down the legislative language so that we accomplish those
goals. So they did great work.
Mr. Speaker, this is, as many have said, historic for this Congress
and recent Congresses in terms of the bipartisan nature of it and the
fact that we are putting in place long-term assurances for major
investments that our country needs for our transportation
infrastructure. But it is a starting point. This is not the end.
It provides certainty and modest funding increases for the next 5
years, but it does not even rise to the level of assuring that our
transportation infrastructure 5 years from today will be in a better
state of repair than it is now.
There are tremendous unmet needs out there. This will help, but it is
not the overall solution. Numerous times we have moved money from the
general fund into the highway trust fund. We are again engaging in that
activity here. The total, at this point, is $145 billion.
I don't resent moving general fund money, but I think there are
better ways and more certain ways and more robust ways to finance the
future of our investments in infrastructure.
So we can say today we are celebrating, as we should, but there is
more work to do. Next week, we should begin anew and recognize that we
have to work together--Democrats and Republicans, truckers, transit
agency, builders, and shippers--to find a way to restore the user fee
mechanism to finance these investments.
President Eisenhower is often credited with establishing the
Interstate Highway System, which now bears his name. Actually, Congress
designated the system in the forties, but it was not until 1956 that
Congress, with then-President Eisenhower, developed a user fee system
to actually construct our incredible interstate system.
So we need to work together to renew the mandate and find a path
forward for long-term, sustainable funding for these critical
investments. Celebrate today, but it is back to work tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
In my closing, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my
House colleagues on both sides of the aisle, members of the committee,
and the conferees.
There was broad, bipartisan support of this bill. There are over 250
Members of this House that contributed to the bill. Working together on
this important piece of legislation I think proves to the American
people that we can get big things done.
I would also like to thank Mr. DeFazio. He has been a real partner in
this. We certainly had our moments of disagreement, but we were able to
work through it and get a bill which he and I say is a good, solid
piece of legislation. And, through that effort, we were able to achieve
that.
I also want to thank Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Norton for
their hard work and support in this effort.
I want to thank the vice chair of the full committee, Mr. Duncan, who
[[Page H8997]]
chaired two important panels last Congress, one on freight movement and
one on public-private partnerships. From that work with a cross-section
of the committee and across jurisdictional lines of the subcommittees,
they were able to produce recommendations that became critical parts of
this bill. So I thank Congressman Duncan from Tennessee for his work.
Finally, I thank the Speaker of the House. In becoming Speaker, he
told the Conference and our House he was going to make sure we did
regular order. This bill is a product of regular order. He had an open
process on the House floor. We dealt with over 103 amendments specific
to the transportation portion of the bill but then another 20 or so
that dealt with provisions in this bill.
So it was an open process, and, again, I want to thank Speaker Ryan
for keeping his word to the Members of this body to have regular order
and an open process.
I also want to thank my Senate colleagues and their conferees for
their efforts in putting together this bill.
I want to thank the House and Senate Legislative Counsel, who don't
often get a whole lot of credit, but I thank Curt Haensel, Tom Dillon,
Rosemary Gallagher, Karen Anderson, and Tim Brown, for their efforts in
writing up this bill and helping us throughout this process.
Finally, I want to thank the staffs of both the majority and minority
of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. As I said in the
opening remarks, they worked through the Thanksgiving holiday, a lot of
long hours, and they are dedicated to the work of this committee. We
wouldn't be here today without their efforts. I thank them from the
bottom of my heart for their efforts.
I will include in the Record the names of those committee staff
people because it is a long list and I don't want to screw anybody's
name up. I just want to say thanks again for their long hours in
getting this bill put together and brought to the floor.
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Staff
Republican T&I Staff
Chris Bertram, Matt Sturges, Jennifer Hall, Murphie
Barrett, Geoff Gosselin, Mary Phillips, Alex Etchen, Caryn
Moore Lund, Nicole Christus, Kristin Alcalde, Jim Billimoria,
Clare Doherty, Keith Hall, Justin Harclerode, Holly Woodruff
Lyons, Hannah Matesic, Collin McCune, Tracy Mosebey, Anna
Oak, Max Rosen.
Beth Spivey, David Connolly, Arielle Giordano, Fred Miller,
George Riccardo, Adam Twardzik, Kevin Rieg, Isabelle Beegle-
Levin.
Democrat T&I Staff
Liz Cooney, Kathy Dedrick, Jen Gilbreath, Ashley Guill,
Russ Kelley, Ward McCarragher, Ben Lockshin, Auke Mahar-
Piersma, Andrew Okuyiga, Luke Strimer, Helena Zyblikewycz,
Ryan Sieger, Jennifer Homendy, Alexa Old Crow.
Mr. SHUSTER. The FAST Act is absolutely critical to America and our
economy. I think everybody speaking here today laid out the many
provisions. It is important to America.
I would encourage my colleagues to all support this bipartisan,
bicameral agreement. And I believe it will have strong support today.
Mr. Speaker, I urge everybody to vote for this bill. It is good for
America.
Joint Explanatory Statement of the Committee on Conference H.R. 22,
Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act
Title XLIII of the Joint Explanatory Statement provides a
summary of section 43001 concerning requirements in agency
rulemakings pursuant to this Act. Section 43001 of the House
amendments to H.R. 22 was not agreed to in conference and
does not appear in the conference report to accompany H.R.
22. The summary of section 43001 in the Joint Explanatory
statement therefore appears in error. Accordingly, title
XLIII of the Joint Explanatory Statement has no effect.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we were able to come
together to find a longer-term solution for our nation's
infrastructure. We cannot keep operating on short-term fixes.
Investments in our country's infrastructure need certainty. Though I
would have preferred to see greater funding levels across the board, I
am pleased to see provisions such as the High Density States Program
are protected and funded for the next five years. While I will vote for
this bill because it puts Americans back to work and allows our state
and transit authorities to do long-term planning for our crumbling
infrastructure, I must highlight some of the reasons this bill falls
short.
The most substantial decreases in injuries and deaths on our roads
and highways occurred as a result of major safety advancements, such as
requiring seatbelts and airbags in all new cars. Today, we have a
vehicle title that does not include such a safety advancement and does
little to improve safety. This was a missed opportunity. This bill
could have included meaningful safety improvements, such as imminent
hazard authority to allow NHTSA to expedite a recall order when
necessary, a requirement that ensured recalled used cars are repaired
before they are sold, safety standards for rear seat crashworthiness,
and the elimination of regional-only recalls that no longer make sense
for our increasingly mobile world. And civil penalties should have been
higher so that sacrificing safety will not be treated as a ``slap on
the wrist'' or just another cost of doing business.
Instead, this vehicle title includes provisions that take a step
backwards on safety and that could actually lead to more injuries and
deaths on our roads. For example, it includes a provision that exempts
an unlimited number of replica cars--that is, new cars made to resemble
old cars--from vehicle safety laws, clean air requirements, and state
emissions testing. It also includes a whistleblower provision that will
not encourage, and may effectively discourage, whistleblowers from
reporting serious safety problems to the government. And even the
promising rental car provision section, which requires rental car
companies and auto dealers to repair recalled cars before renting or
loaning them to customers, was weakened by excluding those that have a
fleet of fewer than 35 vehicles.
I am disappointed that the bicameral, bipartisan process failed to
craft a vehicle title that actually enhances safety.
Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bipartisan
transportation authorization, the Fixing America's Surface
Transportation Act, also known as the FAST Act.
I thank the Chairman for his leadership on this bipartisan
transportation reauthorization.
This is a 5-year bill that provides both budgetary certainty and
project flexibility for our states and localities so that they may
invest in and upgrade our transportation system and do so with more
innovative technologies and approaches.
The certainty provided by this long-term bill also saves money by
stopping the short term patches that complicate planning and yield cost
overruns.
As a representative in Northern Virginia, I know too well the traffic
congestion issues we face and appreciate that this bill provides much-
needed assistance in this area.
I am pleased to have served on the Conference Committee for this
bill, and pleased that numerous provisions from one of my bills on
congestion relief and research were included.
This measure will help promote the development of transportation
technologies and tools for congestion relief.
The bill also includes some of my provisions related to Metro safety
and accountability that I worked on with my DC and Maryland
counterparts, Ms. Holmes Norton and Ms. Edwards.
Again, I thank everyone involved in this process.
I urge my colleagues to support the FAST Act.
Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, now that the House has approved the
conference report I would like to recognize and commend my colleagues
on both sides of the aisle for supporting the inclusion of bill
language in H.R. 22 (Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act of
2015) that will help protect consumers from the longstanding problem of
predatory towing.
For some time now, egregious vehicle towing and storage practices
performed by some unscrupulous companies have been a serious concern in
many parts of the country. While the vast majority of towing and
storage firms are honest and well-intentioned, some have been engaged
in predatory business tactics designed to delay access to vehicles and
increase costs for consumers. Because these companies have possession
of vehicles, they are in a position to take advantage of consumers and
charge excessive towing and storage fees.
For reasons that are not entirely clear, current Federal law allows
states to regulate some, but not all aspects of tow truck operations,
limiting their ability to protect consumers from predatory towing
tactics. The language included in the amendment introduced by myself
and Rep. Van Hollen broadens the authority of states and localities to
regulate tow truck operations, which is limited by current motor
carrier law. This additional authority will now allow states and
localities to regulate all aspects of tows conducted without the prior
[[Page H8998]]
consent or authorization of the owner or operator of a vehicle. The
language is also intended to apply to accident scene and breakdown
towing, to allow states to protect consumers who are often unable to
make an informed choice and give meaningful consent or acknowledgment
on towing in those situations.
I want to thank the conference chair and vice chair for their support
of this important provision. I would also like to thank my predecessor,
Jim Moran, who was a champion on this issue for so long and first
introduced this language during the 109th Congress.
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, today is a historic day, as we are voting
for a five year surface transportation reauthorization bill that
provides critical investment to our roads and bridges. This will help
keep America competitive and provide certainty to states and
communities planning infrastructure projects.
However, it is irresponsible that neither the House nor the Senate
has worked on serious reforms. We have not adjusted the user fee for
our infrastructure in 20 years or considered new, sustainable revenue
streams. Instead, we have spent valuable time searching for short term
gimmicks. Make no mistake; I am disappointed with the offsets in this
bill. We should not be robbing the banks or Customs to pay for our
roads and bridges.
This is fiscally irresponsible. At some point, we have to say enough
is enough. That time has come. We need a long-term, robustly funded
bill. We missed an opportunity with this legislation, but we in
Congress must work together to continue finding common ground on
innovative ideas to ensure the Highway Trust Fund has a sustainable
revenue source. We cannot allow our children and grandchildren to pay
for the investments we should be making now.
As a Conferee, I was happy to work with Chairman Shuster, Ranking
Member DeFazio, and my Senate Colleagues on important roadway safety
issues, such as preventing heavier trucks from driving on our local
roads.
This bill fully funds the Highway Safety Improvement Program, which
invests in infrastructure like guardrails, rumble strips, and
retroreflective signs. While you will never read the headline, ``Rumble
strip saves family of four,'' this program saves lives every day and
for that reason alone, I urge my colleagues to support this bill today.
Additionally, I was pleased to see common-sense provisions that I
championed included in the final agreement. For example, I introduced
the Local Farm Vehicle Flexibility Act to make sure farm vehicles are
not regulated like long haul trucks. Today, this highway bill includes
language to prevent farmers from getting tickets for driving from field
to field without covering their load.
It makes crude oil being transported by freight rail safer and gives
first responders more time to react in the unlikely event of a
derailment by including top fitting protections for the pressure relief
valves. It also includes language that I strongly support to reduce
paperwork burdens on concrete truck drivers.
I worked with my fellow conferees to encourage the use of U.S. iron
and steel in rolling stock frames and car shells. This provision will
increase use of U.S. iron and steel in the fabrication of rolling stock
frame and car shell components and subcomponents.
Finally, many of the policy ideas that I introduced in the Safer
Trucks and Buses Act were incorporated in this final version. We must
work to make sure we fix the important safety score program so that
good decisions can be made on scores that actually represent truck and
bus safety records.
Investing in infrastructure is good for the economy and good for
America. I am happy to vote for this long term bill and look forward to
working with my colleagues on policy ideas that could be included in a
comprehensive tax reform bill to ensure the Highway Trust Fund has a
sustainable funding source.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Conference
Report to H.R. 22, the ``Surface Transportation Reauthorization and
Reform Act of 2015,'' a bill to authorize Federal Funding for highways,
highway safety programs, and transit programs.
I thank Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Shuster, Ranking
Member DeFazio and the House and Senate Conferees for their work in
bringing the Conference Report for the Surface Transportation
Reauthorization and Reform Act to the floor for a vote.
It is good to see the spirit of bipartisanship return to the process
of funding our nation's transportation needs.
As the former Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security
Subcommittee on Transportation Security, I am well aware of the
importance of our nation's transportation system.
A well-functioning transportation system is critical to the nation's
prosperity.
Whether it is by road, transit, aviation, rail, or waterway, we rely
on our transportation system to move people and goods safely,
facilitate commerce, attract and retain businesses, and support jobs.
Houston is the fourth most populous city in the country; but unlike
other large cities, we have struggled to have an effective mass transit
system.
Over many decades Houston's mass transit policy was to build more
highways with more lanes to carry more drivers to and from work.
The city of Houston has changed course and is now pursuing mass
transit options that include light rail.
This decision to invest in light rail is strongly supported by the
increased use by Houstonians in the light rail service provided by
previous transportation appropriations bills.
The April 2014, Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority report on
weekly ridership states that 44,267 used Houston's light rail Service--
representing a 6,096 or 16% change in ridership in April of last year.
This increase in light rail usage outpaced ridership of other forms
of mass transit in the city of Houston: metro bus had a 2.3% increase
over April 2013; metro bus-local had a 1.3% increase over April 2013;
and Metro Bus-Park and Ride had an 8.0% increase over April 2013.
On February 5, 2013, the Houston Chronicle reported on the congestion
Houston drivers face during their daily commute to and from work.
The article reported that Houston commuters continue to experience
some of the worst traffic delays in the country, according to the 2012
urban mobility report. Houston area drivers wasted more than two days a
year, on average, in traffic congestion, costing them each $1,090 in
lost time and fuel.
Funds made available by the legislation will be available for the
construction of the University rail line and support of local
government decisions by the Houston Metropolitan transit Authority and
the city of Houston to expand rail service.
More needs to be done to address the transportation needs of our
nation from rural communities to major metropolitan areas.
I appreciate that two Jackson Lee Amendments are included in the
underlying bill.
The first Jackson Lee Amendment ensures that the goals of improving
transportation efficiency and safety take into consideration the topic
of public safety, a rest stop, and public parking that is funded by
this bill.
The Jackson Lee Amendment requires the Transportation Secretary to
report to Congress on the security of locations that are intended to
encourage public use of alternative transportation, as well as personal
transportation parking areas.
An essential part of the success of public transportation usage is
the ability of automobile drivers to park their vehicles in safety.
More than 1 in 10 property crimes occur in parking lots or garages.
The report will provide an opportunity for Congress to do more to
enhance the safety of parking areas that are used by students, women,
seniors, disabled, and other vulnerable members of the public.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics provides a detailed report on the
place of occurrence for violent and property crimes from 2004 through
2008.
For example, purse snatchings and pocket pickings typically occur
away from home.
According to Bureau of Justice Statistics 28.2% of purses snatched
occur in open areas such as the street or on public transportation.
The inclusion of this Jackson Lee Amendment will lead to enhanced
safety of car pool parking lots, mass transit parking; local, state,
and regional rail station parking; college or university parking; bike
paths, walking trails, and other locations the Secretary deems
appropriate.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that victimization and
property crimes occurring between 2004 and 2008 in parking lots and
garages include: 213,540 victimization crimes that occurred in
noncommercial parking lots and garages; and 864,190 property crimes.
The Bureau's report on victimization crimes that occur at public
transportation or in stations was 49,910 and property crimes was
132,190.
The Jackson Lee Amendment will make surface transportation travel
safer.
More importantly, it will increase safety of the traveling public,
especially women, seniors, students, disabled persons, and children.
The second Jackson Lee Amendment included in the Conference Report
provides a report to Congress from the Secretary of the Department of
Transportation on the ``Internet of Things'' (IoT) and its potential to
improve transportation services to the elderly and persons with
disabilities as well as assist local, state and federal transportation
planners in achieving better efficiencies and cost effectiveness, while
protecting privacy and security of persons who use IoT technology.
The IoT refers to the wireless environment that will support
networking of physical objects or ``things'' embedded with wireless
electronic components, software, sensors, and network connectivity
technology, which enables these objects to collect and exchange data on
people, places and things.
[[Page H8999]]
The IoT will introduce the functionality of computing into physical
space as computing technology is integrated into devices and systems.
It will also challenge the privacy and security of users of the
technology if precautions are not taken to ensure that information on
these devices is not protected.
This Jackson Lee Amendment will allow Congress to take into
consideration how IoT technologies can be used to make public
transportation, safer, more convenient to the elderly and disabled, and
how it may improve mass and personal transportation efficiency.
The ability to include wireless technology into physical things or
support communication among digital devices that may be nearby or at
distances will offer many benefits to consumers.
IoT products are already being deployed for personal, recreational,
city planning, public safety, energy consumption management,
healthcare, and many other applications.
Today, local governments are working to incorporate IoT services into
transportation; garbage pickup, as well as the provision of wireless
connectivity for their residents.
The Jackson Lee Amendment will help ensure that we harness the
benefits of the ``Internet of Things'' for the travelling public and
minimize the threats to privacy and cybersecurity presented by this new
and exciting technology.
This is a good bill and I encourage my colleagues to support its
passage.
Mr. LoBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer comment on the FAST
Act.
I will support the bill. This is a strong, multi-year reauthorization
which includes desperately needed funding for infrastructure repair and
investment. I commend Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio for
their work in producing a bipartisan bill
I will also take this opportunity to remind my colleagues of a
priority of mine to promote storm-resilient construction projects
within the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
The concrete products industries in my district in southern New
Jersey has much to offer in helping the country build its
transportation infrastructure. I know that many of my colleagues have
similar constituent companies and workers, and I urge them to take note
of my comments.
I was pleased to support language in MAP-21 that was designed to help
incorporate permeable pavements into the FHWA mission. Many of us on
the eastern seaboard learned the utility of permeable pavements on
Superstorm Sandy, and what flooding can do to our districts without
warning if we are not prepared. I am happy to report that that language
in MAP-21 dealing with permeable pavements is making good progress
toward technological innovation that will Improve storm water
mitigation, water quality, and more while providing aesthetically
appealing paving surfaces.
I will remind my constituents in New Jersey that, while the FAST Act
overlooked an opportunity to take that technology further, I am still
looking for ways to move permeable pavement technologies into the
mainstream where they can benefit our constituents and save taxpayer
money as well.
In accordance with that goal, I submit the following material on
passage of the FAST Act, and I hope that staff at FHWA and that the
House and Senate will take note as well.
MAP-21 authorized the Secretary to conduct technology transfer and
adoption of permeable infiltration paving materials, practices, and
systems that are designed to minimize environmental impacts, stormwater
runoff, and flooding. Prior to MAP-21 and since, extreme rain events
like Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and Superstorm Sandy, have
underscored the need for stormwater mitigation. We encourage the
Secretary to accelerate work on permeable pavements in anticipation of
future events like Katrina, Rita, and Sandy. The Secretary is
encouraged to conduct research on full scale load testing in permeable
pavements for street, highway, and road shoulders to decrease
environmental impacts and enhance sustainability. The Secretary is
encouraged to conduct permeable pavement projects that demonstrate
flood control and stormwater pollutant and volume reductions, including
mitigation of impacts from superstorms and hurricanes, and life cycle
cost analysis compared to conventional impervious pavements. Projects
may include re-use and integration of permeable pavements with other
cost-effective water conservation practices designed to treat, reduce,
or remove pollutants by allowing stormwater runoff to retain
infiltration capability similar to predevelopment hydrologic
conditions, and for stormwater harvesting.
We hope that FHWA will act upon language in Sec. 1428 of the FAST Act
and previously existing authority to improve infrastructure integrity
by adding innovative segmental wall technology for soil bank
stabilization and roadway sound attenuation, and articulated technology
for hydraulic sheer-resistant erosion control--areas in which emerging
technologies could improve deliver marked benefits in surface
transportation. Examples of emerging technologies that could meet the
goals of this Act include cost effective segmental retaining walls that
can make use of native soils and reduce construction costs, durable
geosynthetic soil stabilization and anchoring, more durable articulated
segmental unit slope protection and erosion control that are more
resistant to hydraulic sheer and overtopping than riprap, and segmental
roadway sound attenuation barriers that can give planners more options
and help reduce procurement costs. We hope the Secretary will place
primary emphasis on activities designed to assist state and local
transportation agencies in reducing initial cost of construction of
retaining walls, slope protection and erosion control, and sound
attenuation barriers using high-quality transportation-grade materials,
designs and engineering techniques. Specific activities might include
validation of technology materials, soils requirements, design
methodologies and engineering data; research to develop current,
accurate scientific data on the performance of geosynthetic
reinforcement for structural characteristics; a cost-sensitivity
analysis to assist state and local authorities in projecting initial
construction cost savings to life cycle requirements while providing
competitive reliability; calibrating design methodologies based on
tests of instrumented, full-scale testing of walls and barriers, slope
stability, and segmental sound attenuation assemblies.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in
support of H.R. 22, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST)
Act. This long-term authorization of surface transportation programs
will provide the certainty that states and municipalities need to plan
and build out critical transportation infrastructure projects.
This 5-year, $305 billion measure represents a bi-partisan compromise
to help repair our crumbling infrastructure and secure our economic
future while creating thousands of good paying jobs. As both a conferee
to the transportation bill and the senior Texan on the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I can say with strong
confidence that this legislation is a good-faith effort to make the
important investments in our transportation infrastructure that our
nation so desperately needs. While there are some shortcomings in the
bill and some of us would like to have higher levels of investments be
included, this bill will still help to further new and existing
projects for the long-term.
I am pleased to see that this bill supports research and development,
including expanding university transportation center outreach to women
and underrepresented populations. In going forward, I hope that we can
do more to elevate our nation as a leader in multimodal transportation
innovation.
Mr. Speaker, Americans demand more investment in infrastructure and
it is the responsibility of this Congress to make that investment. I
applaud Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio and other members
from the various committees of jurisdiction for their hard work on this
bill. Passage of this legislation is a strong first step in keeping
America competitive and helping to build and maintain our nation's
critical transportation infrastructure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 546, the previous question is ordered.
The question is on the conference report.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 359,
nays 65, not voting 9, as follows:
[Roll No. 673]
YEAS--359
Abraham
Adams
Aderholt
Allen
Ashford
Babin
Barletta
Barr
Barton
Bass
Beatty
Becerra
Benishek
Bera
Beyer
Bilirakis
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (MI)
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blum
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Bost
Boustany
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brady (PA)
Brady (TX)
Brooks (IN)
Brown (FL)
Brownley (CA)
Buchanan
Bucshon
Bustos
Butterfield
Byrne
Calvert
Capps
Capuano
Cardenas
Carney
Carson (IN)
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Cartwright
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chabot
Chu, Judy
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Cole
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Comstock
Conaway
Connolly
Conyers
Cook
Cooper
Costa
Costello (PA)
Courtney
Cramer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Crowley
Cummings
Curbelo (FL)
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny
Davis, Rodney
DeFazio
DeGette
Delaney
DeLauro
DelBene
Denham
Dent
DeSaulnier
Deutch
Diaz-Balart
Dingell
Doggett
[[Page H9000]]
Dold
Donovan
Doyle, Michael F.
Duckworth
Duncan (TN)
Edwards
Ellison
Ellmers (NC)
Emmer (MN)
Engel
Eshoo
Esty
Farenthold
Farr
Fattah
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foster
Frankel (FL)
Frelinghuysen
Fudge
Gabbard
Gallego
Garamendi
Gibbs
Gibson
Goodlatte
Graham
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Griffith
Grijalva
Guinta
Guthrie
Gutierrez
Hahn
Hanna
Hardy
Harper
Hartzler
Hastings
Heck (NV)
Heck (WA)
Herrera Beutler
Higgins
Hill
Himes
Hinojosa
Honda
Hoyer
Huffman
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurd (TX)
Israel
Jackson Lee
Jeffries
Jenkins (KS)
Jenkins (WV)
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, E. B.
Jolly
Joyce
Kaptur
Katko
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilmer
Kind
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kinzinger (IL)
Kirkpatrick
Kline
Knight
Kuster
LaHood
LaMalfa
Lance
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latta
Lawrence
Lee
Levin
Lewis
Lieu, Ted
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Loebsack
Lofgren
Long
Loudermilk
Love
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lujan Grisham (NM)
Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
Lummis
Lynch
MacArthur
Maloney, Carolyn
Maloney, Sean
Marino
Matsui
McCarthy
McCaul
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McHenry
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
McNerney
McSally
Meadows
Meehan
Meng
Messer
Mica
Miller (MI)
Moolenaar
Mooney (WV)
Moore
Moulton
Mullin
Murphy (FL)
Murphy (PA)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Newhouse
Noem
Nolan
Norcross
Nunes
O'Rourke
Olson
Palazzo
Pallone
Pascrell
Paulsen
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Perry
Peters
Peterson
Pingree
Pittenger
Pitts
Pocan
Poe (TX)
Poliquin
Polis
Price (NC)
Price, Tom
Quigley
Rangel
Reed
Reichert
Ribble
Rice (NY)
Rice (SC)
Richmond
Rigell
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rokita
Rooney (FL)
Ros-Lehtinen
Ross
Rothfus
Rouzer
Roybal-Allard
Royce
Ruiz
Rush
Russell
Ryan (OH)
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sarbanes
Scalise
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schrader
Scott (VA)
Scott, Austin
Scott, David
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sessions
Sewell (AL)
Sherman
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Sinema
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (WA)
Speier
Stefanik
Stivers
Stutzman
Swalwell (CA)
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Titus
Tonko
Torres
Trott
Tsongas
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Van Hollen
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Visclosky
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walorski
Walters, Mimi
Walz
Wasserman Schultz
Waters, Maxine
Watson Coleman
Webster (FL)
Welch
Westerman
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Wilson (FL)
Wittman
Womack
Woodall
Yarmuth
Young (AK)
Young (IA)
Young (IN)
Zeldin
Zinke
NAYS--65
Amash
Amodei
Blackburn
Brat
Bridenstine
Brooks (AL)
Buck
Burgess
Chaffetz
Clawson (FL)
Coffman
Culberson
DeSantis
DesJarlais
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Fleming
Flores
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Garrett
Gohmert
Gosar
Gowdy
Grothman
Harris
Hensarling
Hice, Jody B.
Holding
Hudson
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hurt (VA)
Issa
Jones
Jordan
Labrador
Lamborn
Marchant
Massie
McClintock
Miller (FL)
Mulvaney
Neugebauer
Nugent
Palmer
Pearce
Pompeo
Posey
Ratcliffe
Renacci
Rohrabacher
Roskam
Salmon
Sanford
Schweikert
Smith (TX)
Stewart
Tipton
Walker
Weber (TX)
Wenstrup
Wilson (SC)
Yoder
Yoho
NOT VOTING--9
Aguilar
Cuellar
Johnson, Sam
Meeks
Payne
Ruppersberger
Sanchez, Loretta
Takai
Williams
{time} 1325
Messrs. CLAWSON of Florida and WALKER changed their vote from ``yea''
to ``nay.''
Mr. HOYER, Ms. ESTY, and Mr. YOUNG of Indiana changed their vote from
``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the conference report was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Stated for:
Mr. WILLIAMS. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 672 on final passage of H.R.
8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015, I
would have voted ``aye,'' which is consistent with my position on this
legislation.
Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, on December 3, 2015,
I was unable to vote on the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 22, the
Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015 (rollcall
No. 673). Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''
Personal Explanation
Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I was not able to vote today for
medical reasons.
Had I been present on rollcall vote 666, I would have voted ``no.''
Had I been present on rollcall vote 667, I would have voted ``yes.''
Had I been present on rollcall vote 668, I would have voted ``yes.''
Had I been present on rollcall vote 669, I would have voted ``no.''
Had I been present on rollcall vote 670, I would have voted ``yes.''
Had I been present on rollcall vote 671, I would have voted ``yes.''
Had I been present on rollcall vote 672, I would have voted ``no.''
Had I been present on rollcall vote 673, I would have voted ``yes.''
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, December 3rd, I am not
recorded on any votes because I was absent due to family reasons. If I
had been present, I would have voted: ``nay,'' on rollcall 666, on
ordering the Previous Question providing for further consideration of
H.R. 22; ``yea,'' on rollcall 667, on H. Res. 546, providing for
consideration of the Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 22; ``yea,''
on rollcall 668, on the Cramer Amendment to H.R. 8; ``nay,'' on
rollcall 669, on the Rouzer Amendment to H.R. 8; ``nay,'' on rollcall
670, on the Pallone Amendment to H.R. 8; ``yea,'' on rollcall 671, on
the motion to recommit H.R. 8; ``yea,'' on rollcall 672, on passage of
H.R. 8; ``yea,'' on rollcall 673, on passage of the Conference Report
to Accompany H.R. 22.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Mr. TAKAI. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, December 3, I was absent from
the House due to illness. Due to my absence, I am not recorded on any
legislative measures for the day. I would like the record to reflect
how I would have voted had I been present for legislative business.
Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall 666, the
previous question providing for consideration of the Conference Report
to Accompany H.R. 22.
I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall 667, the rule providing for
consideration of the Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 22.
I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall 668, the Cramer Amendment to
the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015.
I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall 669, the Rouzer Amendment to
the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015.
I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall 670, the Pallone Amendment to
the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015.
I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall 671, the Democratic Motion to
Recommit H.R. 8.
I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall 672, final passage of the North
American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015.
I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall 673, Agreeing to the
Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 22.
____________________