[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 2914-2915]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




TRANSPORTATION, TREASURY, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  2004


               Technical Correction to Public Law 108-199

  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I and my colleagues would like to engage 
my friend, the majority leader, in a colloquy regarding a necessary 
change that must be made to the Transportation, Treasury, and 
Independent Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2004. This 
change pertains to the administration of the Federal Aid Highway 
Program and corrects a technical drafting error in the original bill. 
This technical correction must be enacted soon so as not to create 
unnecessary confusion as to how the program is to be administered.
  It was my expectation and that of several of my colleagues that this 
technical correction would be included as part of the temporary 
extension bill that was to be adopted today to extend the Federal Aid 
Highway Program for an additional 2 months. However, since it is the 
desire of the majority leader to have the Senate pass the House-passed 
bill that was adopted last evening, we are not in a position to have 
the technical correction included in the bill at this time. It is 
essential that this correction be enacted into law at the earliest 
possible date. It must be enacted into law during the next few weeks so 
that the intent of the appropriations act can be carried out as 
intended.
  Mr. BYRD. I share the concern of my chairman, Senator Stevens, on 
this matter and join with him in insisting that the Senate attend to 
this matter on a legislative vehicle that will be enacted into law very 
soon. This matter is of the utmost urgency, if we are not to create 
confusion at the Federal Highway Administration as to how this program 
is to be implemented.

[[Page 2915]]


  Mr. SHELBY. As the chairman of the Transportation, Treasury and 
General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, I, too, wish to echo 
the adamant view of Chairman Stevens that this provision must be 
enacted into law in the next few weeks.
  Mrs. MURRAY. As the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee 
on Transportation, Treasury and General Government, I also must insist 
that this technical correction be adopted immediately. The provision in 
question simply ensures that the program will be administered in the 
same manner as it has been in previous years. It must be enacted into 
law at the earliest possible date.
  Mr. FRIST. I thank my colleagues for bringing this matter to my 
attention. As the bipartisan leaders of the full Appropriations 
Committee and its Transportation Subcommittee, they have all been 
unified and consistent in their view as to the legislative intent of 
the 2004 appropriations act. They have been equally unified in their 
insistence that this matter be fixed as quickly as possible.
  Given the fact that the other body has now adjourned, we are required 
to pass a bill without this technical correction in order to keep the 
highway program operating beyond its expiration date of this Sunday, 
February 29. I give my personal assurance to my colleagues that, in the 
coming few weeks, I will work with my Senate colleagues as well as with 
the House leadership to ensure that the necessary technical correction 
is incorporated in a legislative vehicle that the President will sign 
in the very near future. I share their hope that this can be 
accomplished prior to the expiration of the short term highway 
extension bill that we will be adopting today.
  Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I have the pleasure of serving both as 
chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee of the 
Environment and Public Works Committee and a member of the 
Transportation/Treasury Appropriations Committee. I want to join with 
my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee in emphasizing the 
urgency of adopting this technical correction as soon as possible. I 
also want to join with the majority leader and commit myself to seeing 
to it that this correction is enacted into law in the next few weeks.
  Mr. REID. I serve as the ranking member of Transportation and 
Infrastructure Subcommittee and I, like Chairman Bond, also serve on 
the Transportation/Treasury Appropriations Subcommittee. In both of 
those capacities, I want to commit myself to getting this important 
technical correction enacted into law at the earliest possible date.

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