[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 110 (Tuesday, June 27, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H5220]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED FUNDING TO VETTED WATER RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT 
                                PROJECTS

  (Mr. THOMAS J. ROONEY of Florida asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. THOMAS J. ROONEY of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to talk 
about something called congressionally directed spending when it comes 
to Army Corps projects.
  I have a bill, which is called the REPAIR Act, which would make a 
limited change to the House rules definition to allow Congress to 
direct funding to vetted water resource development projects of the 
Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation.
  The REPAIR Act does not authorize or appropriate any new funds for 
these projects, which comprises just one-half of 1 percent of our 
overall annual discretionary spending, and stays exclusively within the 
budget cap set by Congress.
  After several years of divided government, almost every Member of 
Congress here has experienced the direct correlation between our 
inability to provide for these projects over the executive agencies, 
especially as it pertains to these essential public works projects.
  The REPAIR Act is a zero-cost solution to this problem that will 
simply allow Congress to respond to the water resource infrastructure 
needs of their communities rather than waiting for an unelected, 
faceless bureaucrat in the executive branch to move on these projects.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the REPAIR Act.

                          ____________________