[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 135 (Thursday, July 30, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E701-E702]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     H.R. 2, THE MOVING FORWARD ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. RICK LARSEN

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 30, 2020

  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of 
medium-sized cities in Washington state and across the country who play 
a critical role in driving the nation's economy.
  In Washington state, transportation and infrastructure mean jobs and 
are key to economic recovery as the nation grapples with the COVID-19 
pandemic. Recently, the House passed H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, a 
comprehensive package that invests more than $1.5 trillion in America's 
transportation and infrastructure over the next five years. This 
includes nearly $7 billion for Washington state's transportation 
network. The Moving Forward Act is part of a long-term vision to put 
Americans back to work, jumpstart the economy and make the 
transportation network smarter, safer and greener.
  Although H.R. 2 significantly increases surface transportation 
funding, it falls short in helping the nation's medium-sized cities, 
like Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood and Oak Harbor in my district. 
Congress must recommit to supporting medium-sized cities' efforts to 
improve their transportation systems and foster economic development. 
We can do this by increasing federal infrastructure investment.
  Previously known as Transportation Investment Generating Economic 
Recovery (TIGER) grants, the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) 
Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program 
awards grants to local surface transportation projects across the 
country. However, the BUILD program's structure can force medium-sized 
cities to delay or indefinitely postpone vital transportation projects.
  The City of Mountlake Terrace, Washington is one example. The city 
applied for a BUILD grant in 2011 and 2012 to help fund the 
redevelopment of Main Street to facilitate economic development and 
affordable housing connected to the planned Light Rail station. Despite 
receiving among the highest economic benefit ratios by DOT, the city's 
population size was the main reason DOT did not fund the project.
  The City of Shoreline, Washington faced a similar problem. For the 
past two years, Shoreline has submitted a BUILD grant application for a 
project to rebuild a highway interchange that will help reduce 
congestion and improve mobility. Although this project was highly rated 
and advanced to the Transportation Secretary's desk for consideration, 
it has not received federal funding due to its medium-sized population.
  To help address these issues, I introduced the Better Utilizing 
Investments to Leverage Development for Underfunded Projects (BUILD UP) 
Act earlier this year. The BUILD UP Act would require at least 30 
percent of funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation's BUILD 
grant funding be awarded to cities with 10,000 to 75,000 residents. 
Over the past two years, cities with populations between 10,000 and 
75,000 have received approximately 35 percent of BUILD funding. The 
BUILD UP Act would codify current DOT distribution practice and not re-
route funding from other rural or urban areas.
  As the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress must 
ensure medium-size cities can access the federal resources necessary to 
proceed with shovel-ready infrastructure projects and to help put 
Americans back to work. I encourage House leadership

[[Page E702]]

and the Appropriations Committee to include a similar BUILD UP set-
aside in a final FY2021 appropriations package.

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