[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10105]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  THE INTRODUCTION OF THE ``GENERATING RENEWAL, OPPORTUNITY, AND WORK 
WITH ACCELERATED MOBILITY, EFFICIENCY, AND REBUILDING OF INFRASTRUCTURE 
                AND COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT AMERICA ACT''

                                  _____
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 12, 2014

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to join Congressman Petri 
in introducing, on June 11, 2014, the Administration's $302 billion, 
four-year surface transportation authorization proposal--the 
``Generating Renewal, Opportunity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, 
Efficiency, and Rebuilding of Infrastructure and Communities throughout 
America Act'' (GROW AMERICA Act). With the goal of trying to get 
greater focus on surface transportation reauthorization before the 
Highway Trust Fund becomes insolvent, I was in touch with 
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx about introducing the 
Administration's bill. He agreed, and, subsequently Chairman Tom Petri, 
as a courtesy, agreed to introduce the bill at the request of the 
Administration.
  Particularly considering that the funding provided in the current 
authorization, MAP-21, based on the Highway Trust Fund plus an 
additional $18 billion from general revenue, has proven unable to get 
states through the two-year duration of the bill, I believe Congress 
must act soon on a fully funded six-year reauthorization. Such a bill 
would provide the funding and the certainty necessary to give the 
nation a chance to reduce the backlog of needed transportation 
infrastructure work waiting to be done. This Administration's four-year 
bill is a timely contribution as Congress works towards passage of a 
long-term surface transportation authorization, and should provide 
guidance and ideas as we develop legislation to set the future course 
of these vital programs.
  Mr. Speaker, federal investments in transportation and infrastructure 
contribute much more to our economy than they cost the federal 
government, as they improve the nation's mobility and economic 
competitiveness and create good-paying jobs. Unfortunately, we have not 
been providing the investment levels necessary to keep pace with the 
growing demands on the nation's surface transportation network. The 
GROW AMERICA Act recognizes that we have fallen behind, and calls for 
increasing investments in modernizing the nation's roads, bridges, 
railways, and transit systems. We cannot address our infrastructure 
deficit by just continuing to provide baseline levels of funding.
  Specifically, the GROW AMERICA Act provides:
  $199.2 billion over fiscal year 2015--fiscal year 2018 for highways, 
compared to $40.9 billion authorized in fiscal year 2014;
  an increase of 70 percent over current investment levels in transit, 
by providing more than $72 billion over four years and dramatically 
increasing investment in all modes of transit, including buses;
  more than $19 billion in freight and passenger rail investments, 
including $9.5 billion over four years for Amtrak; and $9.5 billion to 
states for investment in high-speed and intercity passenger rail and to 
eliminate congestion on shared-use track; and
  $5 billion over four years for the TIGER discretionary program.
  In addition to these critical investments in the nation's intermodal 
surface transportation network, the GROW AMERICA Act also includes a 
number of important policy provisions that ensure that surface 
transportation investments create good-paying American jobs.
  Mr. Speaker, the GROW AMERICA Act proposes to strengthen Buy America 
by closing a major loophole in the application of Buy America 
requirements for public transportation rolling stock by requiring that 
transit rolling stock must consist of 100 percent domestic content by 
2019. It also applies Buy America to all Federal Railroad 
Administration grant programs and the Railroad Infrastructure Financing 
program. These provisions will spur job creation in the United States 
and foster domestic manufacturing, and should be included in the next 
surface transportation authorization legislation.
  The GROW AMERICA Act also protects truck and bus drivers by changing 
worker wage and hour laws to ensure that these drivers are compensated 
at no less than the federal minimum wage for hours spent on duty but 
not driving.
  The proposal also provides $245 million over four years for workforce 
development to support and enhance the size, diversity, and skills of 
our nation's construction and surface transportation workforce.
  There are aspects of the bill that may give some of my colleagues 
pause. For example, eliminating the prohibition on tolling of existing 
free interstate highways for reconstruction of an existing facility and 
further streamlining environmental reviews will be subject to 
significant debate as Congress begins developing its legislation. But, 
this bill is an important first step in our efforts to craft a bill to 
move our nation into the 21st century.
  I again thank Congressman Petri for his courtesy in introducing this 
proposal. I look forward to working closely with him and Republicans 
and Democrats on the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit as we begin 
to develop new surface transportation authorization legislation.

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