[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6033]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          THE NEW HIGHWAY BILL

  (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, since the days of the Roman Empire, nations 
have understood the connection between roads and prosperity and 
national security. And today Congress will deliberate on a new highway 
bill, which I will support only if it can be fiscally responsible and 
fair to so-called donor States like Indiana.
  But I rise at the outset of this debate to congratulate the gentleman 
from Alaska (Mr. Young) and the membership of the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure for resisting the temptation to raise 
gasoline taxes. With the news this morning that OPEC will be cutting 
production and raising the cost of crude, that gasoline is at $3 a 
gallon on the West Coast, I am personally grateful to the chairman of 
the transportation committee and all of its membership for saying with 
regard to this highway bill, no new taxes.

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