[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 7, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H3468-H3469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             INFRASTRUCTURE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2019, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly) is 
recognized for the remainder of the hour as the designee of the 
minority leader.
  Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, for over 100 years, America's 
railways, roadways, runways, and rivers were the envy of the entire 
world. Now they are emblems of a past time that requires significant 
upgrades to support our current needs. They not only allow us to 
participate in a global economy, but allow us to dominate that economy.
  First, let me note that American infrastructure is made up of the 
following: 4.1 million miles of public highways, over 600,000 bridges, 
140,500 miles of railways, 11,300 miles of public transit systems, 
25,000 miles of navigable waterways, 250 water ports, and 19,500 
airports.
  Much of that infrastructure is decades old and in dire need of 
repair. For too long, America has stood by and allowed our once world-
leading infrastructure to crumble.
  Our competitors have not only caught up with us, but, in many cases, 
have surpassed us. Countries like China and India spend billions on new 
roads, new rails, and ports, while we have allowed ours to decay.
  America still has the most dynamic, innovative, and diversified 
economy in the entire world, but we must rebuild our Nation's 
infrastructure to remain competitive.
  Our taxpayers already pay enough in taxes, so we have to find ways to 
pay for these infrastructure improvements. It is imperative that we do 
so without putting a heavier burden on our hardworking American 
taxpayers.
  That is why I have worked on legislation over the years, with 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle, that uses a combination of 
public and private funds to fix our public works. By working together, 
we can rebuild our Nation's infrastructure by harnessing the private 
sector's capacity for innovation and investment, rather than raising 
taxes.
  I would like to outline some of the legislation that I am talking 
about, which I believe is just the type of outside-the-box thinking we 
need to achieve those goals.
  Today, Earl Blumenauer and I introduced the BUILD Act. This 
legislation raises the Federal statutory cap on private activity bonds 
that can be issued by or on behalf of State and local governments for 
qualified highway and freight improvement projects from $15 billion to 
$20.8 billion. In short, it allows State and local governments to 
enhance their capacity to finance surface transportation projects 
through private-public partnerships.
  As more of our Nation's infrastructure requires critical investment 
and improvements, we must find ways to reinvest in our roads and rails 
without burdening our hardworking American taxpayers. This bill will 
help finance improvement projects at a minimal cost to taxpayers with a 
maximum impact on America's roads, bridges, and rails. This is a jobs 
bill.
  I joined with Chairman DeFazio, Ranking Member Graves, Representative 
Napolitano, and Representative Westerman to introduce H.R. 2440, the 
Full Utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Act. This 
bipartisan bill ensures the harbor maintenance trust fund is used for 
its intended purpose, and that is maintaining our federally authorized 
harbors.
  Erie, Pennsylvania, knows that our airports badly need this support. 
The Port of Erie is part of our economic lifeblood. For decades, cargo 
ships have had to light load because of a lack of dredging, 
significantly increasing the cost per unit for shipped goods.

  People ask: What do you mean by light load? What I mean by that is 
they cannot load to their full capacity. They are light loading so the 
ships can navigate through areas that have not been dredged in years.
  Our Nation's 59 busiest ports are available less than 35 percent of 
the time. Conditions of our midsize and emerging harbors are far worse.

[[Page H3469]]

  Currently, there is over $9 billion sitting in the harbor maintenance 
trust fund. This money has come from the users of those assets. They 
have put that money in for the express purpose of thinking that it was 
going to be used to improve the ports that they used.
  Over the next decade, there is going to be an additional $24.5 
billion in revenue that will be collected by the harbor maintenance 
tax. This bill provides for the investment of approximately $34 billion 
for our Nation's coastal and inland harbors over the next decade 
without raising one dime in taxes for our hardworking American 
taxpayers. This money will provide for dredging of all Federal harbors 
to their constructed widths and depths.
  Because of developments like the opening of the expanded Panama Canal 
in 2016, larger container ships will increasingly call upon our 
Nation's ports, and dredging is necessary if they are allowed to have 
access to these ports. Our goal is to guarantee that our Nation is 
competitive in the global economy of the 21st century.
  Also with Earl Blumenauer, I introduced the Public Buildings Renewal 
Act. This bipartisan legislation will spur private investment in public 
building infrastructure throughout the United States by creating $5 
billion in private activity bonds for the improvement of government-
owned public buildings.
  In every small town or city in America, the conditions of our public 
schools, our public hospitals, our universities, and our police and 
fire stations are deteriorating because of delayed maintenance. We just 
haven't been able to afford to do it.
  With State and local budgets becoming increasingly tight, capital 
investments in public buildings have fallen by the wayside. For 
example, the average public school building is at least 40 years old, 
and the current backlog of maintenance and repair projects adds up to 
more than $45 billion, annually, in unmet funding needs.

                              {time}  2015

  The Public Building Renewal Act aims to unlock private sector capital 
for the public sector's benefit. The public buildings that house vital 
services for Americans must be maintained and improved.
  We have also dropped the Building Rail Access for Customers and the 
Economy Act. Representative Blumenauer and I introduced this bill just 
recently.
  The short line rail industry operates on nearly 50,000 miles of 
railroad track in 49 states. And is part of the origination or the 
termination of one out of every five cars, railroad cars, on the 
national railroad system.
  Short line railroads serve the most vulnerable part of the rail 
network. Small towns and small businesses who would have otherwise been 
cut off from the national network, are now served by the short lines.
  Unfortunately, though, as the freight rail industry has evolved, many 
short line railroads and smaller communities have been abandoned.
  This removes a critical first- and last-mile link between producers, 
consumers, and export opportunities in large and small communities 
across America.
  Since it was first enacted in 2005, the 1- or 2-year increment 
extensions of the Short Line Railroad Maintenance Credit provided 
limited certainty for short line railroads to make investments in their 
infrastructure.
  Our legislation delivers confidence by making the short line railroad 
maintenance credit permanent while also applying it retroactively to 
tax year 2018.
  The short line railroad maintenance tax credit is responsible for 
more than $4 billion of investment in privately held short line 
railroads across America.
  The tax credit requires the short line railroad to invest $1 dollar 
for every 50 cents in credit up to a credit cap of $3,500 per track 
mile.
  In 2015 alone, 2,140 rail miles were improved.
  5.27 million railroad ties were replaced; and the short line industry 
invested nearly 25 percent of their revenue on infrastructure 
improvements.
  These investments ensure that more than 10,000 rail companies can 
rely on safe, efficiently and economically competitive transportation 
for their products.
  Also, I would like to talk just a little bit about the GAIIN Act.
  During the last Congress, I introduced a bipartisan bill with a broad 
coalition from the Republican Study Committee, the Congressional Black 
Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the House Freedom 
Caucus.
  This legislation has the potential to help fund critical 
infrastructure projects in the Nation's poorest communities while 
simultaneously paying down on our national debt.
  The poorest areas in our country have been routinely overlooked or 
are in dire need of infrastructure improvements that will facilitate 
economic growth and self-sustainability.
  Reviving these forgotten cities and breathing life back into these 
towns throughout America is both a moral and economic imperative that 
uniquely unites all lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
  Selling some of the $2 trillion of nonperforming debt and lease 
assets held by Federal agencies on the open market would be a good 
strategy for a down payment on infrastructure improvements.
  The GAIIN Act will do that and reduce our debt without asking 
taxpayers for one more penny of their money.
  Half the proceeds from these sales will be put into projects and 
communities below the poverty line and directly lead to jobs and 
economic growth where it is most needed.
  Also, the contractors doing this work in these communities would be 
required to hire people who actually live there, to help build these 
products and projects.
  Imagine the generational pride that will be created when fathers and 
mothers and grandfathers and grandmothers tell their children and 
grandchildren, ``We rebuilt this community for you.'' It lasts for 
generations, and it is a pride that you can't just stop thinking about 
how good it is for our country.
  Now, the other half of the revenue we collect would go to debt 
reduction. And this is a private-sector solution to a public-sector 
problem, and another huge win for America.
  It is time for us to come together as a Nation to keep America on its 
path of greatness.
  This is not a red State or blue State issue. This is not a Republican 
or Democrat issue. This is a red, white, and blue American issue.
  We must make sure American infrastructure allows our people to 
compete in the global economy now and in the future. In an economy that 
we not only participate in, but that we dominate, that America takes 
its rightful place in the world when it comes to what we are able to 
do.
  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the President's rescission of the 
onerous regulations unleashed our economy, and we are seeing the best 
job numbers that we have seen in over half a century.
  Now, in order for that success to be sustained and long-term, it is 
incumbent that we upgrade our infrastructure.
  So I call on all my colleagues to work together and come up with 
creative solutions to pay for these very necessary improvements and to 
support the bills I have outlined today.
  America's best times lie in front of her, not behind her. And once 
again, it is Yankee ingenuity that will lead us to the top again and we 
will become that country that others long to belong to and become a 
part of.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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