[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 199 (Monday, December 4, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H6085-H6086]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       I-27 NUMBERING ACT OF 2023

  Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (S. 992) to amend the Intermodal Surface 
Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to designate the Texas and New 
Mexico portions of the future Interstate-designated segments of the 
Port-to-Plains Corridor as Interstate Route 27, and for other purposes, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 992

       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 ``I-27 Numbering Act of 
     2023''.

     SEC. 2. NUMBERING OF DESIGNATED FUTURE INTERSTATE.

       (a) In General.--Section 1105(e)(5)(C)(i) of the Intermodal 
     Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (Public Law 
     102-240) is amended by inserting ``The routes referred to in 
     clause (i) (other than subclauses (V)(aa) and (V)(bb) and 
     subclause (IX)(aa) of that clause) and clause (iv) of 
     subsection (c)(38)(A) are designated as Interstate Route I-
     27. The route referred to in subsection (c)(38)(A)(i)(V)(aa) 
     is designated as Interstate Route I-27E. The route referred 
     to in subsection (c)(38)(A)(i)(V)(bb) is designated as 
     Interstate Route I-27W. The route referred to in subsection 
     (c)(38)(A)(i)(IX)(aa) is designated as Interstate Route I-
     127N.'' before ``The route referred to in subsection 
     (c)(45)''.
       (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 1105(c)(38)(A)(i) of 
     the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 
     (Public Law 102-240) is amended--
       (1) in subclause (V)--
       (A) by striking ``Lamesa, the Corridor'' and inserting the 
     following: ``Lamesa--

       ``(aa) the Corridor''; and

       (B) in item (aa) (as so redesignated), by striking ``87 
     and, the Corridor'' and inserting the following: ``87; and

       ``(bb) the Corridor''; and

       (2) in subclause (IX)--
       (A) by striking ``(IX) United States Route 287'' and 
     inserting the following:
       ``(IX)(aa) United States Route 287''; and
       (B) in item (aa) (as so redesignated), by striking 
     ``Oklahoma, and also United States Route 87'' and inserting 
     the following: ``Oklahoma; and
       ``(bb) United States Route 87''.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous materials in the Record on S. 992, as 
amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of S. 992, the I-27 
Numbering Act of 2023, a bipartisan bill that has passed the Senate.
  The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure favorably 
reported companion legislation that amended a bill introduced by 
Congressman Jodey Arrington in November.
  This legislation officially designates segments of the Ports-to-
Plains Corridor of Texas, previously marked as a future Federal 
interstate route, as Interstate Route 27.
  The Ports-to-Plains Corridor connects with other highways to span 
from the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas through our country's heartland to 
Alberta, Canada, and serves as a crucial infrastructure asset for 
American agricultural and energy accessibility. This designation will 
benefit farmers, ranchers, and producers across Texas and the country, 
boosting our trade economy.
  Madam Speaker, I urge support for this legislation, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, this bill would designate portions of the Ports-to-
Plains Corridor in Texas as the future Interstate 27. This route plays 
an important role in commerce, helping facilitate the movement of 
agricultural products from hubs to markets.
  This bill incorporates technical assistance from the Federal Highway 
Administration to prevent duplicative route numbering from being used 
on different roadway spurs. This change will make the designation 
clearer for travelers.
  Similar bipartisan legislation passed the Senate by unanimous consent 
earlier this year.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger).
  Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 992 to officially 
designate the Texas and New Mexico portions of the future Interstate-
designated segments of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor as Interstate Route 
27.
  The Ports-to-Plains Corridor is a significant north-south 
transportation corridor that will unlock transportation capabilities 
for the energy industry in the Permian Basin and enhance Texas' key 
economic engines of international trade, energy, and the largest 
agricultural production in the country.
  This is a big deal for this part of the United States, specifically 
for Texas. Madam Speaker, when you think about energy security being 
national security, Interstate 27 is going to play a massive role in 
allowing the delivery of that energy not just to our country but also 
throughout the rest of the world.

                              {time}  1515

  In addition, food security is national security, and Interstate 27 
will play a massive role in allowing the delivery of food to our own 
country.
  This new designation literally paves the way for safer roads in West 
Texas, and clearly marks Midland and Odessa as the energy hub of our 
Nation.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Jodey Arrington and Senator Ted

[[Page H6086]]

Cruz for their hard work and partnership on this important issue. I 
encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this 
legislation to make sure that we can continue to deliver energy and 
food throughout the United States.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Cuellar).
  Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend, Representative 
Norton, for her leadership on getting this bill to the floor, and I 
thank her for yielding to me.
  I also thank my good friends, Mr. Pfluger and Mr. Arrington, for 
carrying this legislation along with Senator Cruz, Senator Lujan, and 
Senator Cornyn on the Senate side for their work on this important 
legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill to designate a portion 
of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor as Interstate 27. I-27 starts in my 
hometown of Laredo, Texas, which ranks number one in trade of all the 
Nation's 450-plus airports, seaports, and border crossings. It starts 
off in Laredo, then goes up into west Texas and off to New Mexico.
  In the fiscal year 2022 appropriations bill, I was able to secure 
language designating this as a future interstate making it eligible for 
Federal funding.
  This bill today formally names it the I-27 in Texas and in New 
Mexico. Upgrading this route to an interstate will result in a $17.2 
billion increase in the Texas GDP and 178,000 of new jobs.
  I certainly urge my colleagues in the House to pass this bipartisan 
bill to support trade and growth in Texas and New Mexico. I see my good 
friend Mr. Arrington, and I thank him for his leadership in west Texas. 
I am glad that we are able to connect Laredo with west Texas and onto 
New Mexico.
  Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington).
  Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey 
for yielding, and I am thrilled to, once again, join forces with my 
close friend, ally, and champion for rural America, Henry Cuellar, to 
do some good not only for Texas or for the food, fuel, and fiber 
capital of the world, which is west Texas, but to provide energy 
dominance and agriculture security and independence for this great 
Nation of ours. That is no small thing for the hardworking, God-
fearing, freedom-loving people in rural America.
  Madam Speaker, I am not just talking about west Texas, where Henry 
and I are from; I am saying all up and down the backbone of the United 
States of America and heartland communities all the way from the 
largest inland port in Laredo, as the gentleman mentioned, to the 
Canadian border.
  The ag and energy corridor is critical for our food security and 
energy independence, and it will more seamlessly and cost effectively 
and safely move that critical product to export terminals and markets 
around the world, giving our farmers, ranchers, and energy producers a 
much-needed advantage.
  Mr. Cuellar and I worked together on many of the elements that I see 
as essential to the future prosperity of rural America. I always say, 
rural America is not just the energy basin and breadbasket, it is the 
backbone of America's traditional values.
  Madam Speaker, again, I thank Mr. Cuellar for being such a loud and 
proud champion for these forgotten men and women. The formula is 
straightforward; namely, we need freer markets, less taxes and 
regulations. We need fairer trade deals for our producers and 
manufacturers.
  Mr. Cuellar and I worked hand in hand on USMCA; a much better deal 
for these United States of America and especially the workers here, the 
best workers in the world here in the United States. It is a reliable 
farm bill safety net which we are working on. We have to get the next 
farm bill done so that we can provide stability in the ag economy and 
then, finally, critical infrastructure.
  Mr. Cuellar and I have worked on new payment models for rural 
hospitals that provided greater access for these hardworking folks. Now 
we have got this artery from Laredo through my hometown of Plainview.
  I grew up, Madam Speaker, not even a mile from I-27. To think that 
this project has come to fruition, at least on the Texas and New Mexico 
side, if we can connect those dots all the way to Canada, I think we 
are going to bless generations of not only folks in Laredo and the 
greater west Texas area, but we are going to bless Americans all over 
this country.
  We have the lowest spend in terms of discretionary spending for 
families on food and a big part of that is our producers, but another 
piece is critical infrastructure.
  Madam Speaker, I say hats off to Henry Cuellar, my Democrat co-lead. 
I thank Senators Cruz and Cornyn, the leads in the Senate. I also thank 
August Pfluger, Ronny Jackson, Teresa Fernandez, Troy Nehls, Lance 
Gooden, and then, of course, the folks from Ports-to-Plains led by John 
Osborne and James Beauchamp from Midland-Odessa who leads MOTRAN. We 
have a lot of partners here to make this a success, but what a great 
day for rural America.
  Madam Speaker, in closing I just say, God bless my partner and 
friend, Henry Cuellar, and God bless those freedom-loving people 
working hard to feed and clothe the American people in rural America.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KEAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, again, I am proud to support this bipartisan 
legislation championed by my colleague Mr. Arrington of Texas here in 
the House, along with Mr. Cruz and Mr. Cornyn in the Senate.
  Ports-to-Plains Corridor connects with other routes to span more than 
2,300 miles across eight states. It connects significant agriculture 
and energy centers to the rest of our Nation, which relies on these 
industries.
  This bill ensures congressional follow-through on this designation by 
formally naming segments of the corridor in Texas Interstate Route 27 
and will contribute to the continuity of American advantages in 
agriculture, international trade, connectivity, and economic 
development.
  Madam Speaker, I urge support of this bill, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Kean) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, S. 992, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________