[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 23 (Wednesday, February 6, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H1372-H1374]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              REVIVING AMERICA'S SCENIC BYWAYS ACT OF 2019

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the

[[Page H1373]]

bill (H.R. 831) to direct the Secretary of Transportation to request 
nominations for and make determinations regarding roads to be 
designated under the national scenic byways program, and for other 
purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows

                                H.R. 831

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Reviving America's Scenic 
     Byways Act of 2019''.

     SEC. 2. NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYS PROGRAM.

       (a) Request for Nominations.--Not later than 90 days after 
     the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
     Transportation shall issue a request for nominations with 
     respect to roads to be designated under the national scenic 
     byways program, as described in section 162(a) of title 23, 
     United States Code. The Secretary shall make the request for 
     nominations available on the appropriate website of the 
     Department of Transportation.
       (b) Designation Determinations.--Not later than 1 year 
     after the date on which the request for nominations required 
     under subsection (a) is issued, the Secretary shall make 
     publicly available on the appropriate website of the 
     Department of Transportation a list specifying the roads, 
     nominated pursuant to such request, to be designated under 
     the national scenic byways program.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from Louisiana 
(Mr. Graves) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.


                             General Leave

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 831.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The National Scenic Byways Program was created in 1991 in the 
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act--ISTEA, as it was 
called--and, since that time, has helped designate and provide funding 
for 150 scenic roads across the country.
  In the consolidation of Federal highways programs in MAP-21, which 
was enacted in 2012, funding for a separate National Scenic Byways 
Program was eliminated; however, the authority of the Department of 
Transportation to continue to designate roads was retained. 
Unfortunately, the Department of Transportation has not designated any 
new scenic byways since the dedicated program was eliminated in 2012.
  Madam Speaker, this legislation will ensure that there is a process 
once again for States, Tribes, and Federal land management agencies to 
request designations for roads that meet the scenic byways criteria.
  I thank the sponsor of this legislation, Mr. Cicilline, who has 
supported efforts to preserve the scenic beauty of our country's 
natural and man-made environments as co-chair of the Congressional 
America the Beautiful Caucus for introducing this legislation, and I 
strongly support H.R. 831 and urge my colleagues to join in passing 
this legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 831, and I thank my friend, 
the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline) for carrying the ball 
on this one.
  Madam Speaker, our scenic byways, the national program, has a few 
mottos. One of them is: No two experiences are the same. Another one 
is: Exploring the heart and soul of America.
  Madam Speaker, some of the top or most visited tourist destinations 
in the United States are areas like Central Park and other areas of 
Manhattan. You have Las Vegas, our own Union Station, Disneyland, 
Disney World, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

                              {time}  1245

  But some of the real experiences in America are in some of these more 
scenic areas, and we have such extraordinary treasures in our country. 
There is much more to America.
  By reopening the scenic byways designations, we are giving access to, 
we are bringing attention to some of these great places, some of these 
great experiences in helping to highlight those and bring tourists to 
those areas.
  In my home State of Louisiana, we have two right now. Number one, we 
have the Louisiana Great River Road, a scenic byway which goes along 
the length of the Mississippi River, through my hometown of Baton 
Rouge; and, also, the Wetlands Cultural Byway that goes through our 
wetland areas in south Louisiana's Sportsman's Paradise.
  Madam Speaker, it really is just incredible. Years ago, the 
Department of Tourism in Louisiana came up with a motto saying, ``the 
Atchafalaya Basin, America's Foreign Country,'' and I really think that 
applies to much of south Louisiana, which is home and where I 
represent. It is such a unique place in terms of the food, the culture, 
the people. We need to bring more attention to some of these treasures 
that America has.
  I thank, again, my friend from Rhode Island, for carrying the ball on 
this.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), my good friend and the 
sponsor of this legislation.
  Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, 
and I am particularly delighted to be here in support of this 
legislation with the Speaker pro tempore on the rostrum, who 
understands the value of scenic byways in our beautiful country.
  I rise today in strong support of this bipartisan legislation, 
Reviving America's Scenic Byways Act.
  The National Scenic Byways Program was established by Congress in 
1991 in order to recognize, preserve, and enhance designated roadways 
throughout the United States. Since that time, 150 roads across the 
country have received the scenic byway designation. However, no new 
designations have been made since 2009.
  Under this program, the Secretary of Transportation designates 
certain roads as all-American roads or national scenic byways based on 
one or more archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, 
or scenic qualities that capture the unique characteristics of a 
region.
  The National Scenic Byways Program is a national asset that showcases 
our Nation's natural grandeur, our history, and our culture, as well as 
being a very significant economic driver of tourism. It has been 
identified by Brand USA, the organization created by Congress to 
promote travel to the United States, as a core element in promoting 
international visitation to the United States and creating tourism-
related jobs.
  According to the National Scenic Byway Foundation, State departments 
of transportation report approximately 60 State scenic byways, and 
nearly 30 States are interested and prepared to seek designation as a 
national scenic byway or an all-American road.
  For example, in my own State, roadways such as Paradise Avenue on 
Aquidneck Island in Newport and Route 102 are really excellent 
candidates for designation and all the benefits that will follow.
  This bill will allow those States to once again apply for scenic 
byway designations and directs the Department of Transportation to 
announce new designations within 1 year of requesting nominations.
  I thank the chairman of the committee and the ranking member for 
their work. I urge passage of this legislation, and conclude by, again, 
thanking the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), who is the lead 
Republican on this legislation, for his partnership, his passion about 
this issue, his presence here today, and his words in support of the 
legislation.
  Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis).
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, 
Mr. Graves, for the surprising yielding.
  This is a program, and this bill needs to be passed.
  My district in central and southwestern Illinois contains numerous 
scenic byways, and I am excited that this bill is such a bipartisan 
bill, too.

[[Page H1374]]

  This bipartisan bill needs to pass because the Department of 
Transportation has got to undertake a process to designate the scenic 
byways in my district, in Rhode Island, in Louisiana, and throughout 
this Nation, designate them under this program. This good fix is a 
message of bipartisanship that the President delivered last night on 
this floor, and I certainly hope this bill passes.
  Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, you see the bipartisan nature of this 
bill, and it doesn't require us to appropriate any funds, but we can 
imagine what States would do with this designation on their own.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 831.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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