[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 21238-21246]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                        2001--CONFERENCE REPORT

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I submit a report of the committee of 
conference on the bill H.R. 4475 making appropriations for the 
Department of Transportation and related agencies for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 2001, and for other purposes, and ask for its 
immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk reads as follows:

       The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the 
     two Houses on the amendment of the Senate to the bill, H.R. 
     4475, having met, have agreed that the House recede from its 
     disagreement to the amendment of the Senate and agree to the 
     same with an amendment and the Senate agree to the same, 
     signed by all of the conferees on the part of both Houses.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the Senate will proceed to 
the consideration of the conference report.
  (The report was printed in the House proceedings of the Record of 
October 5, 2000.)
  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, what is the pending business? Is there a 
quorum call?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The conference report on Transportation is the 
pending business.
  Mr. SHELBY. I urge adoption of the conference report and ask for the 
yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There is a sufficient second.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  Mr. REID. Objection.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that 
following the completion of the vote, Senator Harkin be recognized for 
up to 15 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.

[[Page 21239]]


  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I am pleased that the Senate will have the 
opportunity to consider the conference agreement for the fiscal year 
2001 Transportation appropriations bill.
  I believe that this bill strikes a funding balance between the modes 
of transportation, funds critical safety initiatives, reflects the 
priorities of the overwhelming majorities of both the House and the 
Senate, and provides adequate flexibility and direction for the 
Department as it transitions into the next administration.
  Mr. President, allow me to take just a few minutes to summarize and 
highlight a few of the provisions of the conference report that is now 
before the Senate.
  Of the three issues that the administration indicated were critical 
to it in the safety arena, I'm pleased to report that we're three for 
three. And, so is the administration. These issues have been negotiated 
in a fashion and with a spirit of accommodating the interests of the 
House, the Senate, and the administration. Through some creativity and 
with an awareness of the specific concerns of all the parties, we have 
been able to meet everyone more than halfway.
  The compromise language on the hours of service regulations in this 
conference report allows the Department to move forward with the 
analysis of the docket, issue a supplemental NPRM, and do everything 
short of issuing the final rule. I think that is a reasonable 
compromise and one that should provide the incentive for the 
administration to fully listen and solicit views on all sides of this 
issue.
  As many of you know, I have a concern that NHTSA has ignored calls 
from consumer groups and critics of the proposes static stability 
factor rating system in its rush to publish a rollover rating as part 
of the NCAP program. Notwithstanding that concern, I have been 
convinced by the distinguished House Chairman, Mr. Wolf, that he 
believes that NHTSA, in light of our attention to the issue, will now 
act responsibly in this area.
  Accordingly, the conference agreement maintains the Senate 
requirement to conduct a 9-month study at the National Academy of 
Sciences. The Academy is directed to investigate the usefulness of the 
information that NHTSA proposes to provide, the scientific 
underpinnings of the NHTSA approach, and consideration of whether 
dynamic testing is preferable to the static stability factor 
calculation--while simultaneously allowing NHTSA to move forward with 
its proposal.
  This issue deserves all our attention as it evolved because rollovers 
are among the most deadly of accident types and providing bad 
information to consumers could well mean more highway fatalities. 
People have a right to expect that the information that the Federal 
Government provides is accurate, unbiased, and based on sound testing 
methodologies. I am pleased that in the conference agreement NHTSA will 
have to meet that standard, if not in the short term, at least in the 
long term.
  The funding levels keep faith with the recently enacted AIR-21 
capital and airport authorizations, and come very close to the 
President's budget request for FAA operations.
  The Highway and Transit accounts are funded at the TEA-21 authorized 
levels; the Coast Guard, adjusted for some of the capital projects 
funded in the supplemental, is above the President's requested level 
for fiscal year 2001; NHTSA is above the President's request once it is 
adjusted downward for the RABA shift that was a non-starter with both 
the House and the Senate.
  Amtrak is funded at the President's request and the remaining 
accounts: Pipeline Safety, the Inspector General, the National 
Transportation Safety Board are all at or above the President's 
request.
  There is no tenable argument that can be made that there isn't enough 
money in this bill. The conference agreement includes approximately 14 
percent more budget resources than the fiscal year 2000 enacted levels.
  In addition, we have tried to reflect and accommodate the priorities 
of our subcommittee members, full committee members, and the membership 
of both the House and Senate. We have listened to what our members have 
requested us to do and accordingly, the negotiated compromise reflects 
the priority that members have put on highway and transit spending.
  There are other issues that have been the subject of some attention--
the most notable of which is the .08 blood alcohol content. The Senate 
bill included a provision which would hold back a portion of highway 
funds from states which fail to adopt a .08 blood alcohol content 
standard.
  The conference agreement modifies that provision by providing a more 
graduated, phased-in approach of the highway holdback and more time for 
states to adopt the .08 standard. I also want to point out that no 
state incurs the loss of highway funds if they adopt the .08 blood 
alcohol content standard by 2007. Whatever funds withheld from them 
starting in 2004 would be returned without penalty under the hold-
harmless clause as long as a .08 standard is adopted by 2007. I think 
this is a reasonable and fair transition to a standard that we know 
will save lives.
  Mr. President, there are a few people I would particularly like to 
thank before we vote. My ranking members, Senator Lautenberg, has been 
a valued partner in this process during his final year as the ranking 
member of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee. While 
we have had our disagreements and differences, I have been privileged 
to work with him and believe this nation's transportation policy have 
benefitted by the substantial contributions he has made during his 
tenure in the Senate and on the subcommittee.
  Senators Stevens and Byrd have provided guidance throughout the year, 
and made a successful bill possible by ensuring an adequate allocation 
for transportation programs.
  My House counterpart, Congressman Frank Wolf and his staff: John 
Blazey, Rich Efford, Stephanie Gupta, and Linda Muir, have been 
particularly accommodating and collegial.
  Finally, Mr. President, I want to thank Steve Cortese and Jay Kimmitt 
of the full committee staff for their invaluable assistance and advice 
throughout the process.
  Mr. President, I urge adoption of the conference report.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey is recognized.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise in strong support of the 
Conference Agreement on the Transportation Appropriations Act for 
Fiscal Year 2001. I have served on the Appropriations Committee for all 
but 2 years of my 18-year career in the Senate.
  For 14 of those years, I have served either as chairman or ranking 
member of the Transportation Subcommittee. I can say without 
reservation--and I compliment the chairman of the subcommittee, Senator 
Shelby, and the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator 
Stevens, for the work they did--that this is the best transportation 
bill in those 14 years.
  The bill makes historic investments in our transportation 
infrastructure and, simultaneously, takes dramatic steps forward in our 
efforts to improve safety.
  Under this Conference Agreement, funding for highways will total 
almost $33.4 billion, a 16 percent increase over the Fiscal Year 2000 
level. Funding for our nation's mass transit systems will grow by 8.4 
percent.
  Investment in our nation's airports will grow by an astronomical 69 
percent, and funding for the FAA's facilities and equipment account, 
which makes critical investments in the modernization of our nation's 
air traffic control infrastructure will grow by 22 percent. The bill 
also includes substantial growth in the critical accounts that ensure 
safety in all modes of transportation.
  Funding for the Coast Guard's operating budget will grow by 15 
percent and funding for the FAA's operating budget will grow by almost 
10 percent. The new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will 
receive a funding boost of almost 70 percent--an investment that is 
long overdue in addressing the problem of truck safety.

[[Page 21240]]

  Most importantly, Mr. President, this Conference Agreement includes a 
provision establishing a new national intoxication standard at .08 
blood alcohol content. This provision has passed the Senate twice 
before. First, during Senate consideration of the last highway bill 
and, most recently, as part of this Transportation Appropriations bill.
  Indeed, this bill passed the Senate by a vote of 99-0, the first time 
in my memory that we had not even one dissenting vote on the 
Transportation bill.
  The .08 provision contained in this conference report represents a 
historic step forward in the federal government's effort to combat 
drunk driving.
  Not since we passed the Minimum Drinking Age Act, a law I championed 
back in 1984, have we made such significant progress in saving lives on 
our highways.
  The .08 provision in this conference agreement largely follows the 
outline of the Minimum Drinking Age Act.
  It imposes sanctions on states' highway construction funds at an 
increasing level until they adopt the national .08 standard. States 
that have their funds sanctioned will have the opportunity to have that 
highway funding restored so long as they adopt the national standard 
within the first six years after enactment of this bill.
  But states should not wait for the sanctions to even begin--I urge 
states to act as soon as possible and save lives now.
  The reason for a national .08 standard is simple--the medical and 
scientific communities confirm that you are too drunk to drive at .08 
blood alcohol content.
  Critical driving skills, such as steering and braking decrease by as 
much as 60 percent at .08 BAC.
  NHTSA estimates that this provision will save more than 500 lives per 
year. And the Senate should be very proud of its efforts today to spare 
500 families from that horrifying phone call in the dark of night 
telling them that one of their loved ones has died at the hands of a 
drunk driver.
  There are a great many people to thank for our success in this 
bipartisan effort. Most importantly, I would like to thank the 
Subcommittee Chairman, Senator Shelby, who has stuck by me on this 
provision since the very beginning. As I've mentioned, this was truly a 
bipartisan effort. And it was not easy. We faced stiff opposition from 
powerful interests.
  My Chairman showed great courage and stood up for the safety of 
America's families.
  I also want to thank Chairman Wolf, the Chairman of the House 
Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee. Through his six years as 
Chairman of the Transportation Subcommittee, Representative Wolf has 
been a true champion for safety.
  He is the leading congressional expert in the area of truck safety 
and he spent months convincing his colleagues of the merits of a 
national intoxication standard.
  I also want to thank President Clinton and Vice President Gore who 
both personally lobbied the Conferees on this issue, along with members 
of their staff, including John Podesta and Jack Lew of OMB.
  I would also like to thank Millie Webb, a victim of a .08 driver and 
the President of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
  She lost a daughter and a nephew--both about 4 years of age--to a 
drunk driver. She then gave birth to a child prematurely who became 
blind early in her life. This has been Millie's interest for some years 
because the driver who committed this horrible crime had a blood 
alcohol content of .08. She is here today to witness this law becoming 
effective because she didn't want any other families to suffer the pain 
and grief she went through.
  I also want to thank Brandy Anderson, MADD's Congressional 
representative and the rest of the MADD leadership. In addition, I want 
to thank Jackie Gillan and Stephanie Mennen of Advocates for Highway 
Safety.
  The help of these public interest groups was critical to getting this 
law passed. They deserve a great deal of credit.
  In recent months, my office has resembled a ``war room'' on the .08 
issue, doing everything we can in concert with MADD and Chairman Wolf 
to see to it that the .08 provision could become law this year.
  I want to thank the members of Mr. Wolf's staff, especially John 
Blazey and Stephanie Gupta, as well as members of my own staff, Peter 
Rogoff, Sander Lurie, Dan Katz, Denise Matthews, Gabrielle Batkin, and 
Laurie Saroff who have worked tirelessly on behalf of this provision.
  I also want to thank one individual who is no longer on my staff. 
During consideration of TEA-21, Elizabeth O'Donohue was a tireless 
advocate for the .08 provision. We were able to get the .08 provision 
adopted in the Senate on the TEA-21 bill, but we ran into an ambush in 
the House of Representatives, thanks to the negative work of the liquor 
lobby.
  While Liz is no longer with my staff, I want to recognize the 
extraordinary groundwork that she laid in past years. There is no 
question that her efforts contributed greatly to our success here 
today.
  In addition, I want to thank Tom Howarth, a former member of my staff 
who helped us get the 21 year old minimum drinking age passed, and has 
worked for years to make the .08 standard the law of the land.
  I also want to thank Senator Shelby's excellent staff, including 
Wally Burnett, Joyce Rose, Paul Doerrer, Tom Young and Kathy Casey.
  Finally, as I make my parting comments as a leader on the 
Transportation Subcommittee, I want to make one last request of my 
colleagues. When the Senate considers a new highway bill in 2002 or 
later, I will no longer be a member of the Environment and Public Works 
Committee or the Senate and I certainly am not going to be in a 
position to work as hard as I did in the past on this issue. There is 
no question, when the Senate considers a new highway bill, there could 
be an attempt to repeal the national .08 standard. I am sure my 
colleagues are sensible people and I implore them not to bend to the 
pressure of those that would bring more bloodshed to our highways. I 
urge my colleagues not to flinch from their commitment to safety. 
Please do not condemn 500 American families a year to the tragedy of 
losing a loved one to drunk driving.
  I urge my colleagues to maintain a national drunk driving policy 
based on safety, sanity and science. You must not bend to those who 
would seek to undo the progress we have made.
  I yield the floor for this my last transportation bill as a Member of 
the Senate. I have enjoyed my service on this subcommittee. I think it 
has been important to the country, but particularly to my State, to see 
the improvements we have been able to make on highway safety and mass 
transit.
  Finally, I think we are on our way to getting high-speed rail service 
and inner-city rail service in place. That is the only way to relieve 
the congestion in the skies and on the highways. There is no more room 
in the skies for additional airlines, no matter what we put on the 
ground.
  I hope we will give high-speed rail the resources it needs to say to 
those people who are unable to make their business appointments or 
their contacts because of delayed flights, here is one way to make a 
difference in the way we travel in this country.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I want the Senator from New Jersey to 
understand, before he leaves the floor, how appreciative I personally 
am, and the whole Senate is, for the work the Senator has done--not 
only in the Transportation appropriations--for many years. The Senator 
has set the pattern for transportation in the most rapidly growing 
State, Nevada. The Senator has been instrumental in the things we have 
been able to do with Senator Shelby, to come up with programs for the 
State of Nevada that have been remarkably efficient and good.
  In addition to that, before the Senator leaves, this may be the last 
opportunity we have to speak publicly on the Senator's behalf as to the 
things

[[Page 21241]]

the Senator has done in relation to tobacco. I remember my children had 
respiratory problems and they hated to fly in an airplane. There was 
smoking and nonsmoking. That was a fallacy; it was all smoking. It is 
because of the Senator and his perseverance that we have people flying 
smoke free on airplanes all over the country. It is a crime to smoke a 
cigarette, as it should be, on an airplane.
  This is just one of many things, including gun control, that the 
Senator has done on the Environment and Public Works Committee. We have 
served together my entire 14 years in the Senate. The Senator has been 
a leader in the area dealing with the environment. I speak not only for 
me but the entire Senate in gratitude for the great work the Senator 
has done.


                            fhwa its account

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Alabama for his 
work on the fiscal year 2001 Department of Transportation 
appropriations bill. The conference report we are considering today is 
a balanced report. The bill meets fully the congressional commitment to 
highway, transit and aviation spending in TEA-21 and AIR-21.
  The bill makes transportation in our nation safer and more efficient. 
Our healthy economy is dependent on this bill. I would like to request 
one small item of clarification. The report includes a remark in the 
FHwA's Intelligent Transportation Systems account directing $750,000 to 
allow the State of Montana to complete the STARS program. This a great 
new program that I expect will receive national attention in the near 
future once long haul truck operators are made aware of the 
efficiencies it will provide them.
  However, I have been made aware by my staff that the intention of 
these funds were to allow the State of Montana to use these funds to 
complete deployment of the STARS programs and also establish a GIS/GPS 
framework on the State's public roadways which will benefit the safety 
of the traveling public in Montana.
  Mr. SHELBY. I thank the Senator for his support of this report. I 
agree with my colleague from Montana that the intention of these funds 
within the framework established by the ITS account are available to 
the State of Montana for use in both completing the STARS program, as 
well as, working on the GIS/GPS project.
  Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, it is with great regret 
that I rise today to oppose the conference report to the Transportation 
appropriations bill.
  I want to begin by praising my colleagues on the Committee on 
Appropriations who have worked so hard on this bill and conference 
report. I know they have faced many difficult issues, competing demands 
for limited resources, and the pressure of time as this Congress winds 
down. And there are many good provisions in this bill, including 
several that will benefit my home State of New Hampshire.
  These include: $2 million of the extension of the Commuter Rail line 
from Boston to Lowell, Massachusetts into Nashua, New Hampshire; A 
provision that designates the I-93 project as a national model for 
implementation of environmental streamlining; $1.5 million for 
improvements to U.S. Route 2 in New Hampshire; $500,000 for the Concord 
20/20 Vision project; $250,000 for the Bedford, New Hampshire Route 101 
Corridor Study and Improvements; $200,000 for a Feasibility Study of a 
High Speed Rail Corridor from Boston, MA to Burlington, VT, through New 
Hampshire; $10 million nationally for the Historic Covered Bridge 
Program, under which N.H. communities can apply for funds to repair 
covered bridges; $12 million for construction of the Broad Street 
Parkway in Nashua, NH; Over $137 million to the New Hampshire 
Department of Transportation under the states' federal highway 
allocation authorized by the 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 
21st Century (TEA-21).
  But this bill contains several objectionable departures from TEA-21, 
which are under the clear jurisdiction of the Environment and Public 
Works Committee, the authorizing committee which I chair.
  First, I am concerned about the so-called .08 blood alcohol content 
(BAC) provision to mandate a nationwide standard for state drunk 
driving laws by threatening sanctions on highway funding. In TEA-21 we 
specifically rejected this approach in favor of incentives to encourage 
stronger drunk driving laws. Congress worked hard to reach this 
compromise during TEA-21 so that states could address highway safety 
and drunk driving in a variety of ways, without the federal government 
forcing them to focus on whether their laws contain .08 as the magic 
number. This heavy handed approach that was pushed through on an 
appropriations bill threatens to take away highway funds from 32 
states. I will carry my strong opposition to funding sanctions into the 
next transportation reauthorization bill, and I hope we have seen the 
last of this kind of federal intervention.
  On this issue of funding, in TEA-21 we guaranteed collections into 
the Highway Trust Fund would be redistributed to the states and to DOT 
discretionary programs. When these collections are above TEA-21 
estimates, the additional funds, called RABA funds, are distributed 
according to TEA-21.
  This bill makes several major and minor adjustments to the RABA 
funds--including failing to provide for some programs, and diverting 
these funds to special projects.
  On top of this, the bill also takes an extra $1.4 billion in funds 
from the Highway Trust fund to go to special projects.
  This money is not authorized to be spent in TEA-21. This money comes 
out of Highway Trust Fund balances. This is like the balance in your 
checkbook that is there to pay outstanding bills and checks that are 
waiting to clear.
  In TEA-21 we crafted careful compromises over how Highway Trust Fund 
dollars are spent and distributed. This bill ignores our work and 
includes page after page of earmarks for unauthorized projects.
  We have not been consulted on the viability of these projects, we 
have no assurance that these projects are important, whether they have 
met environmental clearances, or whether the funds provided are based 
on engineering estimates for these projects.
  The Highway Trust Fund money is to be distributed to states where 
they have local control over which projects are funded and when. This 
bill attempts to circumvent this process with funding earmarks.
  I object to this intrusion into the Highway Trust Fund. It is unwise 
to pick and choose highway projects to insert in the appropriations 
bill.
  As I stated at the beginning, there are many good provisions in this 
Transportation conference report. I applaud the work that my colleagues 
have done and appreciate the support they have given to important New 
Hampshire projects. Therefore, it is with great reluctance that I 
oppose the conference report.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I regret that I must oppose the 
Conference Report on H.R. 4475, the Transportation Appropriations Act, 
because it contains a number of provisions that I support. Others have 
noted the amount of special interest spending that was included in this 
bill. While I understand and share the desire of others to respond to 
particular local concerns, the level of such spending in this bill has 
become so great that it undercuts the efforts we made in the last 
Congress to bring more equity to the way transportation dollars are 
distributed.
  Mr. President, beyond that I am greatly disappointed that this 
measure also includes a provision that is effectively a mandate on 
States with respect to blood alcohol levels. This issue is classically 
a matter of State discretion, and the Federal government has no 
business engaging in what amounts to little more than extortion to 
impose a policy on States in an area that is so clearly a State matter.
  Mr. President, I have come to the floor before to talk about the 
disturbing trend toward the federalization of matters that should be 
left to state and local governments to decide. We have seen this in a 
number of policy

[[Page 21242]]

areas, including our criminal justice system, but perhaps no area has 
been the subject of more inappropriate Federal intervention than 
transportation. From speed limits to seat belts, from helmets to blood 
alcohol levels, Congress effectively has usurped State authority to set 
public policy in this area.
  Mr. President, I was privileged to serve in the Wisconsin State 
Senate for ten years, and I can tell you that state legislators like to 
have something to do. State legislators and governors are fully capable 
of understanding the arguments made in favor of adopting the .08 
standard, and the Congress should not interfere with a policy matter 
that is so clearly a State prerogative.
  Again, Mr. President, I regret I cannot support this measure. 
Adequate funding for the full spectrum of our transportation 
infrastructure is one of my highest budget priorities. But the 
inclusion of the blood alcohol standard puts that very needed funding 
at risk for states like Wisconsin that have a different policy. As with 
the special interest provisions that are included in this measure, it 
undermines the great strides that were made as part of TEA 21 to get 
Wisconsin a fairer portion of the revenue Wisconsin taxpayers 
contribute to the transportation fund.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, the United States' transportation 
infrastructure is vital to its success as a nation. The ability to 
regulate and move goods and people safely and efficiently by land, air 
and sea has defined industrialized countries, nationally and 
internationally, for centuries. With our economy prospering, there have 
been significant increases in travel and movement of goods across our 
country. As a result, it is essential that critical transportation 
safety and policy programs get proper funding. This Transportation 
Appropriations conference report takes some appropriate steps in that 
direction.
  However, while I agree with the need for increased funding, I do not 
agree with the need for increased pork. Unfortunately, once again, the 
appropriations committee has adopted the mantra that increased funding 
for necessary programs equals increased pork-barrel spending for 
parochial projects.
  Mr. President, while I was speaking on the floor Monday, I read aloud 
from an article in that day's Wall Street Journal about the 
Congressional scramble to wrap up budget negotiations while at the same 
time, a frantic chase was underway by members seeking to ensure they 
could take home plenty of earmarked port barrel projects for their 
districts and states. Well, that article was like reading a crystal 
ball. And this enormously bloated transportation bill takes the cake. 
It illustrates one of the most gluttonous, pork-driven, self-serving 
spending agendas we've seen yet.
  Therefore, once again I must rise to object to the immense amount of 
special projects that have been earmarked in a conference report. 
Through the appropriations conference, legislators have tacked on 
millions of dollars in special interest ``projects''. These projects 
are pure pork tacked on for the benefit of a particular area or 
community. While some of these projects may not be objectionable on 
their merits, the process by which they are added is unconscionable.
  During closed-door conferences, decisions were made to tack on 
millions of dollars in special projects. Other members were not allowed 
to participate in, or vote on, the outcome. While democracy is the 
foundation of our government, the democratic process is shut out of 
these closed-door proceedings. Members were not even allowed to view 
the contents of this report until early this morning, even though it 
has been reported the conference was completed Tuesday morning. No 
member should be asked to consider a 146 page bill and 236 page report 
they were given no time to review. I do not think the managers of this 
legislation, nor, more importantly, the leadership of this chamber, 
should be at all proud of how this process has been handled. Indeed, 
this is not the kind of leadership we can expect the American voters to 
embrace.
  This earmarking process takes away the discretion of the very Federal 
agencies created and empowered to disburse federal funding. At the 
current levels of earmarking, we should just save the American 
taxpayers billions of dollars and abolish all Federal agencies and let 
the appropriators dole out money directly without any oversight.
  This transportation appropriations conference report adds more than 
$3 billion over the Administration's FY 2001 funding request.
  According to published reports, and I must rely on them, since 
neither I nor my staff have been allowed to view the report until 
moments ago, more than $2 billion of these funds are earmarked for 
highway and bridge projects.
  I note $600 million is earmarked for the project to replace the 
Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac River between Virginia and 
Maryland. The project already was given an earmark of $900 million 
through the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century, TEA-21--that 
is, $900 million in addition to the billions of dollars each state 
receives in their annual highway funding allocation. To add insult to 
injury, the additional money is being taken from the budget surplus.
  Mr. President, mark my word, that project is the next ``Big Dig'' in 
the making. The estimated costs of the project have already soared from 
$1.9 billion to $2.5 billion--and you can bet those costs will keep 
going up and up and up.
  Besides earmarking more than $2 billion in extra funds for highway 
and bridge projects, of which the Wilson Bridge receives 25 percent of, 
the conference managers earmarked nearly every other dollar available 
in the bill.
  These earmarks reportedly include $102 million for the U.S. 82 bridge 
over the Mississippi River at Greenville, Mississippi, $100 million for 
I-49 in Arkansas and almost $20 million for I-69 in Tennessee. Mr. 
President, there are a lot of roads and bridges that need 
rehabilitation; I don't understand why Congress is substituting its 
judgment for the judgment of Federal agencies.
  In addition, there have been a reported $700 million in transit 
earmarks for the Chicago Metro and Transit Authority in the home state 
of the Speaker of the House, for a rapid transit bus project at Dulles 
International Airport in the home state of the Chairman of the House 
Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee and for the Minneapolis 
Hiawatha project in the home district of the ranking member of the 
House Appropriations Subcommittee.
  According to his own press releases, and again, I had to rely on them 
since I had no real opportunity to view the bill, the Chairman of the 
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation has managed to 
earmark almost $300 million in transportation funds for his home state. 
Again that is $300 million in personal projects for his state!
  Included in this amount is $100 million for the construction of 
``Corridor X'', a 97 mile highway through northwest Alabama; $34 
million for construction of the Birmingham Northern Beltline; $10 
million to construct a Transportation Technology Center at Auburn 
University; $3 million to the State of Alabama to develop a training 
program for jobs in the automobile manufacturing field.
  The conference report also provides $9 million to replace the 
Whitesburg Bridge in Alabama; $5 million for the Mobile Alabama 
Maritime Center; $2.5 million to initiate on-campus shuttle bus service 
at the University of South Alabama; $2 million for the University of 
Alabama-Birmingham to acquire fuel cell buses; and $2 million to the 
University of North Alabama to improve transit and pedestrian access.
  Mr. President, this is taxpayer money used to fund the personal pork 
projects of the appropriators. And I have never seen the levels of pork 
that we are reaching.
  This year, for the first time ever, the appropriators have earmarked 
$300 million for specific discretionary projects in the FAA airport 
improvement program. This past year, we fought long and hard with the 
appropriators and budgeteers to ensure that there was increased funding 
for airport infrastructure. This was necessary to attempt to keep up 
with the significant increase in air travel over the past 10 years and 
the expected increase over the next 10. I congratulate Congress for 
meeting

[[Page 21243]]

the agreed upon levels of authorizations.
  However, now that we have increased funding, the appropriators feel 
as if they have the necessary knowledge and expertise to determine 
where $300 million of these monies should go. Mr. President, I realize 
that as members of Congress, we travel a great deal. However, I don't 
believe that experience supplies members with the necessary wisdom to 
replace FAA's judgment on which projects deserve merit and which 
projects do not.
  The FAA is tasked with the safety of our aviation system. But 
Congress won't let it do the job. Now we are saying to--indeed, the 
bill directs--the FAA to spend this increased funding where Congress 
wants it to, not where it is needed. Mr. President, this is obscene and 
untenable.
  Mr. President, I could go on and on about pork-barrel spending and 
its effect on the taxpayer, but I will conclude with this thought. We 
have acted responsibly to increase funding, we are not acting 
responsibly by denoting where this money should go. I ask unanimous 
consent that examples of this port barrel spending from the 
transportation appropriations conference report be entered in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

     Objectionable Provisions in H.R. 4475, FY 2001 Transportation 
               Appropriations Conference Committee Report

       --Bill earmarks $5,000,000 for Alabama State Docks;
       --Bill earmarks $7,500,000 for Auburn University 
     Transportation Center;
       --Bill earmarks $18,467,857 for Woodrow Wilson Memorial 
     Bridge;
       --Bill earmarks $1,735,039 Alaska Highway;
       --Bill earmarks $8,000,000 for US177 in Stillwater, 
     Oklahoma;
       --Bill earmarks $4,300,000 for US177 in Cimarron River, 
     Oklahoma;
       --Bill earmarks $1,500,000 for US 70 near Broken Bone, 
     Oklahoma;
       --Bill earmarks $100,000 for US 70 in Marshall and Byran 
     Counties, OK;
       --Bill earmarks $24,600,000 for I-55 in Mississippi;
       --Bill earmarks $4,000,000 for Albany to North Creek 
     intermodel transportation corridor.
       --Bill earmarks $1,000,000 for Battiest-Pickens Road, 
     Oklahoma;
       --Bill earmarks $8,000,000 for the Patton Island bridge in 
     Lauderdale County, AL;
       --Bill earmarks $46,000,000 for traffic mitigation on SR 
     710 in California;
       Report earmarks: $1.4 million for the 2001 Special Winter 
     Olympics; $1 million to ensure consumer information and 
     choice in the airline industry; $2 million for planning for 
     the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games; $3 million for 
     automotive workforce training; $300,000 for DOT to study 
     telework efforts in the New York metropolitan area; and $3 
     million of minority business outreach.


                     federal highway administration

       Report earmarks: $4 million for commercial remote sensing 
     products and spatial information technologies; $10 million 
     for the national historic covered bridge preservation 
     program; $5 million for construction and improvement of the 
     Alabama State Docks; $10 million for the Auburn University 
     for the Center for Transportation Technology; $7.5 million 
     for Child Passenger Protection Education Grants; $25 million 
     for the transportation and community and system preservation 
     program; $1.6 million for international trade data systems; 
     and $1 million to conduct a study of corporate average fuel 
     economy standards.
       Report directs the Secretary of the Army to remove lead-
     based paint from the St. Georges Bridge in Delaware, to 
     repaint the bridge and to conduct an assessment for 
     rehabilitation of the bridge using funds from the Energy and 
     Water Development Appropriations Acts.
       Report redistributes TEA-21 RABA funding after deducting 
     $156,486,491 for ``high priority projects'' including $25 
     million for Indian reservation roads program, $18.4 million 
     for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, $10 million for the CDL 
     program, and $1.7 million for the Alaska Highway.
       Report stipulates how funds apportioned for Oklahoma, 
     Mississippi, New York, Nebraska, Alabama, and California are 
     to be allocated within those states.
       Report directs DOT Secretary to designate the New Hampshire 
     I-93 corridor as an environmental streamlining pilot project.
       Report encourages FHWA to expend up to $500,000 to explore 
     traffic striping technology improvements which enhance 
     reflectivity in heavy rain; $2 million to determine the 
     effectiveness of Freezefree anti-icing systems; for 
     cooperative research at the Western Washington University 
     Vehicle Research Institute for safety and related 
     initiatives; up to $500,000 for rural bridge safety research 
     in cooperation with the Vermont Agency of Transportation and 
     up to $1.8 million to the Transportation Research Institute 
     at the George Washington University for multi-modal crash 
     analysis.
       Report earmarks $15 million for pavements research, 
     including $750,000 for cement concrete pavement research at 
     Iowa State University; $2 million for alkali silica 
     reactivity research, up to $2 million for research into the 
     GSB-88 emulsified sealer/binder treatment; up to $2 million 
     for a cooperative polymer additive demonstration involving 
     South Carolina State University and Clemson University, and 
     up to $1 million for geosynthetic material pavement research 
     at the Western Transportation Institute.
       Report provides $15 million for structures research, 
     encouraging FHWA to provide up to $2 million for research at 
     the Center for Advanced Bridge Engineering at Wayne State 
     University; up to $2 million for earthquake hazards 
     mitigation research at the University of Missouri-Rolla; up 
     to $2 million for related engineering research at West 
     Virginia University; up to $2 million for research for wood 
     structures at the University of Maine; up to $2 million for 
     rustproofing and paint technology transfer project using the 
     I-110 bridge from I10 to U.S.--90, and up to $1.5 million for 
     research at Washington State University.
       Report provides $6.2 million for environmental research, 
     and encourages FHWA to provide up to $1 million for the 
     Sustainable Transportation Systems Lab and the National 
     Center for Transportation Technology for mitigation research 
     for heavily-trafficked national parks; up to $1.5 million for 
     a dust and persistent particulate abatement demonstration 
     study in Kotzebue, Alaska, and up to $1 million for the 
     National Environmental Respiratory Center.
       For Highway operations and assent management, the report 
     encourages FHWA to provide up to $800,000 for innovative 
     infrastructure financing best practices at the University of 
     Southern California; up to $1 million for the road life 
     research program in New Mexico; up to $2 million for the New 
     York and Auburn University for continued work on a 
     transportation management plan.


               ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities

       The report earmarks the entire amount available for ferry 
     boats and ferry terminals for projects in 15 states.


                                 maglev

       The report directs that $21.5 million be used for the 
     deployment of high-speed maglev projects as follows:

       $5 million for the Pittsburgh International Airport link;
       $1 million for the Maryland Department of Transportation 
     for the Baltimore Washington International Airport link;
       $1 million for the California-Nevada Super Speed Train 
     Commission;
       $1 million for the Georgia/Atlanta Regional Commission,
       $1 million for the Southern California Association of 
     Governments for a link between Los Angeles International 
     Airport to March Air Force Base;
       $1 million for the Florida Department of Transportation; 
     and
       $1 million for the Greater New Orleans Expressway 
     Commission.

       The report further earmarks the following Low-speed maglev 
     program:
       $2,000,000 for the Segmented Rail Phased Induction Electric 
     Magnetic Motor (SERAPHIM) project;
       $2 million for the Colorado Intermountain Fixed Guideway 
     Authority Airport link project; and
       $2 million for the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania airborne shuttle 
     system.
       Report includes $50 million for the transportation and 
     community and system preservation program and earmarks the 
     funds as follows:

Project                                                      Conference
Anniston Evacuation corridor, Calhoun County, Alabama........$3,000,000
Avalon Boulevard/405 Freeway interchange, Carson, California....875,000
Boca Raton traffic calming, Florida.............................500,000
City of North Ridgeville, Lorain County, Ohio grade crossing 
  improvements..................................................600,000
Coalfields expressway, Virginia...............................4,000,000
Coalfields expressway, West Virginia.........................10,000,000
Downtown Fitchburg Route 12, extension, Massachusetts.........2,000,000
Hatcher Pass (phase I), Alaska................................2,000,000
I-25 corridor from Alameda to Logan, Colorado.................4,000,000
I-29 Port of Entry, Union County, South Dakota................2,000,000
I-35 corridor expansion, Waco, Texas..........................1,325,000
I-5 South Medford interchange and Delta Park, Oregon..........1,000,000
I-65 upgrade, Clark County, Indiana...........................1,350,000
I-66, Somerset to London, Kentucky............................5,000,000

[[Page 21244]]

I-69 corridor, Louisiana......................................2,300,000
I-69 corridor, Texas..........................................3,000,000
I-74 bridge, Moline, Illinois.................................5,600,000
Madison County, KY 21 and I-75, Kentucky......................1,000,000
New Boston Road improvements, Mercer County, Illinois.........3,000,000
Radio Road overpass, City of Sulphur Springs, Texas...........1,350,000
Route 104, Virginia...........................................1,000,000
South Shore industrial safety overpass, Indiana...............4,750,000
Stevenson expressway, Illinois................................3,800,000
US 19, Florida...............................................10,000,000
US 25 improvements, Kentucky..................................2,000,000
US 321 and US 74, Gasden and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.500,000
US 395 North Spokane corridor, Washington.....................1,000,000
US 43, Alabama................................................4,000,000
US 51 widening, Decatur, Illinois.............................1,350,000
US 95 (Milepost 522 to Canadian border), Idaho................1,900,000
US Route 2, New Hampshire.....................................1,500,000
US-61 (Avenue of the Saints), Missouri........................4,000,000
WI 29 (Chippewa Falls bypass, Wisconsin)......................3,000,000

The report earmarks FHWA's public lands discretionary program as 
    follows:

20/20 vision project in Concord, New Hampshire..................500,000
Arkansas River, Wichita, Kansas, pedestrian transportation fac1,000,000
Bangor, Maine, intermodal hub facility planning, railroad crossing 
  signalization, bike and pedestrian trails.....................600,000
Bedford, New Hampshire, corridor planning.......................250,000
Billings, Montana, open/green space improvement project.........775,000
Bowling Green, Kentucky, Riverfront Development transportation 
  enhancements................................................1,000,000
Buckeye Greenbelt parkway beautification, Toledo, Ohio..........250,000
Burlington, Vermont, North Street and Church Street improvemen1,100,000
Chantry Flats Road, Sierra Madre, California....................600,000
Charleston, West Virginia, Kanawha Boulevard Walkway project..2,000,000
City of Angola and Steuben City, Indiana, bike path.............325,000
City of Bedminster, New Jersey, bike path.......................500,000
City of Coronado, California, mobility improvements.............600,000
City of Ferndale, Michigan, traffic signals......................50,000
Claiborne County, Mississippi, access road from US 61 to new port 
  facility......................................................400,000
Clay/Leslie County, Kentucky..................................2,000,000
Clovis, New Mexico, street revitalization.......................750,000
Community and environmental transportation acceptability process, 
  California..................................................1,000,000
Delong Mountain, Alaska, airport access and related planning....300,000
Downtown Omaha, Nebraska, access and redevelopment project......300,000
East Redoubt Avenue improvements, Soldotna, Alaska..............725,000
El Segundo, California, intermodal facility improvements......1,000,000
Elwood bicycle/pedestrian bridge, County of Santa Barbara, Calif250,000
Fairbanks, Alaska, downtown transit and cultural integration pla450,000
Fairfax cross county trail/Potomac national heritage Scenic Trail, 
  Virginia......................................................500,000
Flint, Michigan, transportation planning and origin & destination 
  shipping study................................................150,000
Fort Worth, Texas, trolley study................................750,000
Heritage Corridor Project study, Illinois.......................200,000
High capacity transportation system study, Albuquerque, New Mexi500,000
Houston, Texas, Main Street Connectivity Project................750,000
Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, New Jersey...................2,000,000
Huffman Prairie Flying Field Pedestrian and Multimodal Gateway 
  Entrance, Dayton, Ohio........................................700,000
Humboldt Greenway project, Hennepin County, Minnesota.........1,000,000
Jackson traffic congestion mitigation planning, Mississippi.....600,000
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, pedestrian and streetscape improvements400,000
Kansas City, Missouri, Illus Davis Mall enhancements............350,000
Las Cruces, New Mexico railroad and transportation museum.......200,000
Lincoln Parish transportation plan, Louisiana.................1,500,000
Lodge freeway pedestrian overpass, Detroit, Michigan............900,000
Manchester, Vermont, pedestrian initiative......................375,000
Marked Tree, Arkansas, to I-55 along U.S. Highway 63 improvements and 
  controlled access lanes.......................................600,000
Minnesota Trunk Highway 610/10 interchange construction of I-91,650,000
Mitchell Marina development, Greenport, New York................250,000
Mobile, Alabama, GM&O intermodal center/Amtrak station..........650,000
Montana DOT/Western Montana College statewide geological sign pr200,000
Montana statewide rail grade separation study and environmental 400,000
New Bedford, Massachusetts, North Terminal......................200,000
New Orleans, Louisiana, intermodal transportation research......950,000
NW 7th Avenue corridor improvement project, Miami, Florida......100,000
Ohio and Erie Canal corridor trail development, Ohio..........1,000,000

       Conference agreement includes a total of $218,000,000 for 
     Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) of which $118,000,000 
     is available for ITS deployment activities and $1000,000,000 
     for R&D earmarked as follows:
       Alameda-Contra Costa, CA--$500,000;
       Aquidneck Island, RI--$500,000;
       Arapahoe County, CO--$1,000,000;
       Austin, TX--$250,000;
       Automated crash notification system, UAB--$1,000,000;
       Baton Rouge, LA--$1,000,000;
       Bay County, FL--$1,500,000;
       Beaumont, TX--$150,000;
       Bellington, WA--$350,000;
       Bloomingdale Township, IL--$400,000;
       Calhoun County, MI--$750,000;
       Carbondale, PA--$2,000,000;
       Cargo Mate, NJ--$750,000;
       Charlotte, NC--$625,000;
       College Station, TX--$1,800,000;
       Commonwealth of Virginia--$5,500,000;
       Corpus Christi, TX--vehicle dispatching--$1,000,000;
       Delaware River Port Authority--$1,250,000;
       DuPage County, IL--$500,000;
       Fargo, ND--$1,000,000;
       Fort Collins, CO--$1,250,000;
       Hattiesburg, MS--$500,000;
       Huntington Beach, CA--$1,250,000;
       Huntsville, AL--$3,000,000;
       I-70 West project, CO--$750,000;
       Inglewood, CA--$600,000;
       Jackson, MS--$1,000,000;
       Jefferson County, CO--$4,250,000;
       Johnsonburg, PA--$1,500,000;
       Kansas City, MO--$1,250,000;
       Lake County, IL--$450,000;
       Lewis & Clark trail, MT--$625,000;
       Montgomery County, PA--$2,000,000;
       Moscow, ID--$875,000;
       Muscle Shoals, AL--$1,000,000;
       Nashville, TN--$500,000;
       New Jersey regional integration/TRANSCOM--$3,000,000;
       North Las Vegas, NV--$1,800,000;
       North Central Pennsylvania--$1,500,000;
       Norwalk and Santa Fe Springs, CA--$500,000;
       Oakland and Wayne Counties, MI--$500,000;
       Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission--$1,500,000;
       Philadelphia, PA--$500,000;
       Puget Sound Regional Fare Coordination--$2,500,000;
       Rensselaer County, NY--$500,000;
       Rochester, NY--$1,500,000;
       Sacramento to Reno, I-80 corridor--$100,000;
       Sacramento, CA--$500,000;
       Salt Lake City--Olympic Games--$1,000,000;
       San Antonio, TX--$100,000;
       Santa Teresa, NM--$500,000;
       Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania--$400,000;
       Seabrook, Texas--$1,200,000;
       Shreveport, LA--$2,000,000;
       South Carolina statewide--$1,000,000;
       South Dakota commercial vehicle ITS--$1,250,000;

[[Page 21245]]

       Southeast Michigan--$500,000;
       Southhaven, MS--$150,000;
       Spokane County, WA--$1,000,000;
       Springfield--Branson, MO--$750,000;
       St. Louis, MO--$500,000;
       State of Arizona--$1,000,000;
       State of Connecticut--$3,000,000;
       State of Delaware--$1,000,000;
       State of Illinois--$1,000,000;
       State of Indiana (SAFE-T)--$1,000,000;
       State of Iowa (traffic enforcement and transit)--
     $2,750,000;
       State of Kentucky--$1,500,000;
       State of Maryland--$3,000,000;
       State of Minnesota--$6,500,000;
       State of Missouri--Rural--$750,000;
       State of Montana--$750,000;
       State of Nebraska--$2,600,000;
       State of New Mexico--$750,000;
       State of North Carolina--$1,500,000;
       State of North Dakota--$500,000;
       State of Ohio--$2,000,000;
       State of Oklahoma--$1,000,000
       State of Oregon--$750,000;
       State of South Carolina statewide--$4,000,000;
       State of Tennessee--$1,850,000;
       State of Utah--$1,500,000;
       State of Vermont--$500,000;
       State of Wisconsin--$1,000,000;
       Texas Border Phase I Houston, TX--$500,000;
       Tuscaloosa, AL--$2,000,000;
       Tucson, AZ--$2,500,000
       Vermont rural ITS--$1,500,000;
       Washington, DC area--$1,250,000;
       Washoe County, NV--$200,000;
       Wayne County, MI--$5,000,000; and
       Williamson County/Round Rock, TX--$250,000.


                     federal transit administration

       --Bill earmarks $60,000,000 for planning, delivery, and 
     temporary use of transit vehicles and construction of 
     temporary transportation facilities for the Olympics in Salt 
     Lake City, Utah to the Utah Department of Transportation and 
     removes the requirement for any state or local matching 
     funds.
       --Bill earmarks $4,983,828 for the Pittsburgh airport 
     busway project;
       --Bill earmarks $1,488,750 Burlington to Gloucester, NJ 
     line;
       The bill further earmarks:
       $10,400,000 for Alaska and Hawaii ferry projects;
       $500,000 for the Albuquerque/Greater Albuquerque mass 
     transit project;
       $25,000,000 for the Atlanta, Georgia, North line extension 
     project;
       $1,000,000 for the Austin, Texas, capital metro light rail 
     project; together with $50,000,000 transferred from ``Federal 
     Transit Administration, Formula grants'';
       $3,000,000 for the Baltimore central LRT double track 
     project;
       $5,000,000 for the Birmingham, Alabama, transit corridor;
       $25,000,000 for the Boston South Boston Piers transitway 
     project;
       $1,000,000 for the Boston Urban Ring project;
       $2,000,000 for the Burlington-Bennington (ABE), Vermont, 
     commuter rail project;
       $1,000,000 for the Calais, Maine, branch line regional 
     transit program;
       $2,000,000 for the Canton-Akron-Cleveland commuter rail 
     project;
       $3,000,000 for the Central Florida commuter rail project;
       $15,000,000 for the Chicago Ravenswood and Douglas branch 
     reconstruction projects;
       $1,500,000 for the Clark County, Nevada, RTC fixed guideway 
     project;
       $4,000,000 for the improvement project;
       $5,000,000 for the Charlotte, North Carolina, north 
     corridor and south corridor;
       $1,000,000 for the Colorado Roaring Fork Valley project;
       $70,000,000 for the Dallas north central light rail 
     extension project;
       $5,000,000 for the Denver Southeast corridor project;
       $20,200,000 for the Denver Southwest corridor project;
       $500,000 for the Detroit, Michigan, metropolitan airport 
     light rail project;
       $50,000,000 for the Dulles corridor project;
       $15,000,000 for the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Tri-County 
     commuter rail project;
       $1,000,000 for the Galveston, Texas, rail trolley extension 
     project;
       $15,000,000 for the Girdwood to Wasillia, Alaska, commuter 
     rail project; and
       $1,000,000 for the Hollister/Gilroy branchline.


                    federal railroad administration

       --Bill earmarks $17,000,000 for the construction of a third 
     track on the Northeast Corridor between Davisville and 
     Central Falls, RI;
       --Bill earmarks $25,100,000 for High Speed Rail program;
       --Bill earmarks $20,000,000 for Alaska Railroad; and
       --Bill earmarks $15,000,000 for West Virginia rail 
     development.
       The report provides $350,000 to establish an ``intermodal 
     emergency response training center for the southeast region 
     of the country, to be located in Meridian, Mississippi.
       The report provides $100,000 for a grant to Alabama State 
     docks, a state owned facility, for a study of the cost and 
     economic benefits of restoring rail service on Blakeley 
     Island in Mobile Bay.
       The report provides a total of $700,000 for North 
     Carolina's ``sealed corridor initiative.''
       Under the heading of ``corridor planning'', $200,000 is 
     provided for a Boston to Burlington high-speed corridor 
     feasibility study; $200,000 for the Southeast corridor 
     extension from Charlotte, NC to Macon, GA; and $300,000 for 
     the Gulf Coast high speed rail corridor from Mobile, AL to 
     New Orleans, LA.
       The conference report provides $20,000,000 for the Alaska 
     Railroad.
       The report provides $15,000,000 for Rail Development in 
     West Virginia.
       The report provides funding for Rail-highway crossing 
     hazard elimination. Of these funds, $750,000 for the High 
     Speed Rail corridor from Washington to Richmond; $1.5 million 
     for the High Speed rail corridor from Mobile to New Orleans; 
     $1.5 million for Salem, OR; $125,000 for both Atlanta to 
     Macon, GA and the Eastern San Fernando Valley, CA; $500,000 
     for both the Harrisburg to Philadelphia corridor and the 
     Milwaukee to Madison, WI corridor; and $250,000 is provided 
     for the Minneapolis/St. Paul to Chicago high speed rail 
     corridor.
       The conference agreement, in Sec. 321, allows funds made 
     available ``for Alaska or Hawaii ferry boats or terminal 
     facilities to be used to construct new vessels and 
     facilities; or to improve existing vessels and facilities.


                            u.s. coast guard

     Operating expenses
       Conference Report earmarks $1,000,000 for Tulane University 
     and the University of Alabama in Birmingham to investigate 
     the unique occupational and health hazards affecting Coast 
     Guard personnel due to their work in the marine environment. 
     (Not Requested, p. 13) (Senate provision originally provided 
     $1.75 million).
       Conference Report directs the Coast Guard to evaluate the 
     ``boatracs'' text communication system. (p. 14) (Authorizing 
     provision not included in either bill).
       Conference Report directs the Coast Guard to conduct an 
     assessment of progress to replace single hull tankers with 
     double hull ships (p. 14) (Authorizing provision not included 
     in either bill).
     Acquisition, construction, and improvements
       Bill language earmarks $5,800,000 to be transferred from 
     the Coast Guard to the City of Homer, AK, for the 
     construction of a municipal pier and other harbor 
     improvements. (Not requested).
       Conference Report earmarks $1,000,000 for Helipad 
     modernization in Craig, AK (not requested).
     Alteration of bridges
       The FY 2001 Budget Request proposed that funding for this 
     account be provided out of the FHWA's discretionary bridge 
     program instead of the Coast Guard's budget. This account was 
     authorized by the last Coast Guard Authorization bill (FY 
     98). Conference report provides $15.5 million to repair 6 
     bridges under the Truman-Hobbs Act. The report earmarks 
     $3,000,000 for the Sidney Lanier highway bridge in Brunswick, 
     GA; $3,000,000 for the EJ&E railroad bridge in Morris, IL; 
     $2,000,000 for the John F. Limehouse bridge in Charleston, 
     SC; $3,000,000 for the Fourteen Mile Bridge in Mobile, AL; 
     $3,925,000 for the Florida Avenue bridge in New Orleans, LA; 
     and $575,000 for the Fox River Bridge in Oshkosh, WI. (Not 
     requested).
     General provisions
       Sec. 382 prohibits funds to be used to adjust the boundary 
     of the Point Retreat Light Station currently under lease to 
     the Alaska lighthouse Association. (This provision conveys to 
     the lighthouse association approximately an additional 1500 
     acres of land currently held by the U.S. Forest Service).


             national highway traffic safety administration

     Operations and research
       Prohibits funds from being used to plan, finalize, or 
     implement any rulemaking for any requirement pertaining to a 
     grading standard that is different from the three standards 
     (treadwear, traction, and temperature resistance) already in 
     effect. (Included since FY 1996); and
       Requires an NAS study on the static stability factor test 
     versus a test with rollover metrics based on dynamic driving 
     conditions that may induce rollovers (but allows NHTSA to 
     continue to move forward with the rollover rating proposal 
     during the NAS study).
       Conference report earmarks $750,000 for the Brain Trauma 
     Foundation to continue phase three of the guidelines for pre-
     hospital management of traumatic brain injury.
       Conference report earmarks $750,000 for an aggressive 
     driving program in Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. as specified 
     in the House report.
       Conference report earmarks $250,000 to the University of 
     Vermont's College of Medicine and Fletcher Allen Health Care 
     for advance mobile video telecommunications links in rural 
     areas.
       Conference report earmarks $500,000 to continue a project 
     at the University of South Alabama on rural vehicular trauma 
     victims, as proposed by the Senate.
       Conference report earmarks $250,000, within contract funds, 
     to Mercer University Research Center for a school bus safety 
     initiative, as proposed by the Senate.

[[Page 21246]]

       Conference report earmarks $1,000,000 to the Injury Control 
     Research Center at the University of Alabama for research on 
     cervical spine and paralyzing neck injuries from motor 
     vehicle accidents.
       Conference report prohibits the use of funds to prepare, 
     prescribe, or promulgate different CAFE standards.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the conference 
report. On this question, the yeas and nays have been ordered, and the 
clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. NICKLES. I announce that the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Bond), 
the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Campbell), the Senator from Wyoming (Mr. 
Enzi), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Kyl), and the Senator from Alaska 
(Mr. Murkowski), are necessarily absent.
  Mr. REID. I announce that the Senator from California (Mr. Boxer), 
the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Dorgan), the Senator from Illinois 
(Mr. Durbin), the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein), the Senator 
from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy), the Senator from Connecticut (Mr. 
Lieberman), and the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray) are 
necessarily absent.
  I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from 
North Dakota (Mr. Dorgan), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), the 
Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy), and the Senator from 
Washington (Mrs. Murray) would each vote ``aye.''
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
who desire to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 78, nays 10, as follow:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 267 Leg.]

                                YEAS--78

     Abraham
     Akaka
     Ashcroft
     Bayh
     Bennett
     Biden
     Bingaman
     Breaux
     Brownback
     Bryan
     Bunning
     Burns
     Byrd
     Chafee, L.
     Cleland
     Cochran
     Collins
     Conrad
     Craig
     Crapo
     Daschle
     DeWine
     Dodd
     Domenici
     Edwards
     Fitzgerald
     Frist
     Gorton
     Grams
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hagel
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Helms
     Hollings
     Hutchinson
     Hutchison
     Inhofe
     Inouye
     Jeffords
     Johnson
     Kerrey
     Kerry
     Kohl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lincoln
     Lott
     Lugar
     Mack
     McConnell
     Mikulski
     Miller
     Moynihan
     Reed
     Reid
     Robb
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Roth
     Santorum
     Sarbanes
     Schumer
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Smith (OR)
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stevens
     Thompson
     Thurmond
     Torricelli
     Warner
     Wellstone
     Wyden

                                NAYS--10

     Allard
     Baucus
     Feingold
     Graham
     Gramm
     McCain
     Nickles
     Smith (NH)
     Thomas
     Voinovich

                             NOT VOTING--12

     Bond
     Boxer
     Campbell
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Feinstein
     Kennedy
     Kyl
     Lieberman
     Murkowski
     Murray
  The conference report was agreed to.
  Mr. SHELBY. I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. BROWNBACK. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senator from 
Iowa is recognized for 15 minutes.
  Several Senators addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa has the floor.

                          ____________________