[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9578-9610]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015


                             General Leave

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 4745, and that I may include 
tabular material on the same.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Iowa?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 604 and rule 
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House 
on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 4745.
  The Chair appoints the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Holding) to 
preside over the Committee of the Whole.

                              {time}  1409


                     In the Committee of the Whole

  Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the 
Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill 
(H.R. 4745) making appropriations for the Departments of 
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies for 
the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015, and for other purposes, with 
Mr. Holding in the chair.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The CHAIR. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the 
first time.
  The gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham) and the gentleman from Arizona 
(Mr. Pastor) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa.
  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I might 
consume.
  I am pleased today to present to the House for consideration H.R. 
4745, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations 
Act for fiscal year 2015.
  The committee has put forth a bill that conforms to our 302(b) 
allocation of $52 billion in budget authority and is in line with the 
budget cap of $1.014 trillion. Under such an allocation, we prioritized 
programs and spending to achieve three very important goals: to 
continue the ob lim level funding levels of MAP-21 contingent upon 
reauthorization; keep the commercial air space running smoothly; and 
preserve the housing option for all current HUD-assisted families.

[[Page 9579]]

  I think this is a good bill with the allocation that was given to us. 
We may hear today from some who say the bill spends too much money, and 
I am sure we will hear from those who believe we should be spending 
more money. However, this bill received a fair allocation under the 
Ryan-Murray budget agreement with a large, bipartisan majority, and, as 
such, we should continue that support.
  Thanks to the return of regular order, the whole House of 
Representatives has the opportunity for full consideration of this 
legislation. It is imperative that we move this bill to final passage, 
reflecting the amendments adopted by the House, and move this bill to 
conference in time for the new fiscal year.
  I would like to thank my good friend and fellow future retiree, the 
gentleman from Arizona and the T-HUD ranking member, Mr. Pastor, for 
his ideas and support in drafting the bill. It has been a real pleasure 
to work with the gentleman, and I really do appreciate his friendship. 
I would also like to thank Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey, 
plus the members of the full committee, and especially the 
subcommittee, for the hours spent in hearings, markups, and meetings, 
working together to bring this bill to the floor and eventually have it 
signed into law.
  Finally, I would like to thank the staff on both sides of the aisle. 
They have worked tirelessly to get this bill done to this point, and I 
urge the adoption of this bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

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  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, I am pleased that we are beginning consideration of 
H.R. 4745, the fiscal year 2015 Transportation, Housing and Urban 
Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.
  I also want to thank Chairman Latham for his work on this bill. He 
has been a good friend throughout the years and has been a great 
chairman over these last few years on this subcommittee. I really have 
enjoyed his friendship. I enjoy working with him, and I thank him for 
all the courtesies he has extended to me.
  I also want to thank the staff--the staff on the majority and the 
staff on the minority side. They have worked well together over these 
last few months to bring this bill on the floor.
  On paper, this bill appears to be nearly $1.2 billion higher than the 
fiscal year 2014 enacted level. However, the sharp differences between 
OMB and CBO on the receipt estimates for the FHA loan program mean that 
this bill is actually $1.8 billion lower--lower than the FY 2014 bill.
  As a result, many programs are frozen at last year's level. Deep cuts 
were made to Amtrak, cuts were made to grants for new transit systems, 
HUD's HOME program, and HUD's program to reduce the hazards of lead and 
other household toxins have been reduced.
  On a positive note, the bill addresses many of the important safety 
functions of the Department of Transportation.

                              {time}  1415

  For example, this bill provides strong funding for the programs and 
activities of the Federal Aviation Administration. It will allow the 
FAA to continue to hire and train new controllers that were lost due to 
sequestration.
  The bill also ensures that the FAA will be able to continue to make 
important investments to modernize our aging air traffic control 
system.
  With regard to housing programs, the Community Development Block 
Grants program is adequately funded, and the chairman has worked to 
ensure that tenants in assisted housing can retain their housing.
  The administration's Statement of Administration Policy makes it 
clear that this bill needs improvement before President Obama will sign 
it into law.
  As we consider the bill over the next few days, I hope that we can 
prevent further cuts to important transportation and housing programs, 
and I also hope that we can defeat legislative provisions that will 
only weaken this bill's chances for enactment.
  Finally, Mr. Chairman, I would like to point out to my colleagues 
that the Senate allocation for this bill is nearly $2.4 billion higher 
than this bill. I hope that we are able to consider this bill quickly, 
so we can go to conference with the Senate to produce a bill that we 
can all support.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers).
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding me this time.
  I rise, obviously, in great support of this bill. This is the fourth 
of the 12 appropriations bills that I hope to bring to the floor before 
August. It continues to move the ball down the field toward our goal of 
completing all of our appropriations work on time within the framework 
of the Ryan-Murray budget deal.
  The bill contains a fiscally responsible level of discretionary 
funding--$52 billion for the important Departments of Transportation 
and Housing and Urban Development, agencies that support critical 
transportation infrastructure, safety, and housing assistance programs.
  With this bill in particular, we had to make some smart but difficult 
decisions, as Mr. Pastor and Chairman Latham have said. Although the 
302(b) allocation is $1.2 billion more than last year, when technical 
adjustments are taken into account, it is more than $1 billion below 
the current level. As Chairman Latham and Mr. Pastor have described, 
this is due to a considerable drop in Federal Housing Administration 
receipts that are used as offsets within this legislation.
  As a result, this bill, by necessity, strikes a fine balance between 
fiscal restraint and targeted investment in programs that will boost 
our economy, improve our quality of life, and provide housing options 
to those Americans most in need.
  One of our chief priorities in this bill is providing key 
infrastructure programs with the funding needed to keep our economy 
moving. The bill provides $40.26 billion from the highway trust fund 
for the Federal highway program for road investments, the same as the 
current level and contingent on the enactment of new transportation 
authorization legislation. It also includes funding to help communities 
build, maintain, and keep safe their mass transit systems.
  Smooth, efficient, and safe air travel is another priority in this 
bill. We ensured that we provided full funding for air traffic control 
personnel, including controllers and safety inspectors. We are 
investing in the future of air travel as well, helping to ease future 
congestion and reduce delays by fully funding NextGen.
  To protect every American who uses or lives near our roads, airways, 
pipelines, and waterways, we increased funding for important 
transportation safety programs.
  Within the Department of Housing and Urban Development, we ensured 
that all those who are currently served by critical housing programs 
continue to keep a roof over their heads. To do so, the bill increases 
funding for public and Indian housing by $6.2 million. We also fully 
fund the President's request for veterans' housing vouchers.
  Lastly, Community Development Block Grants have been held consistent 
with last year's funding level.
  As I said before, to balance out the important increases in the bill 
and to factor in the reductions in FHA receipts, cuts to lower-priority 
programs were necessary. For instance, the bill reduces Amtrak by $193 
million below last year and places strict policy reforms on how tax 
dollars are spent on this service.
  We also reduced TIGER grants by $500 million below last year's level 
and mandated that these funds address our most critical transportation 
needs--road, highway, and bridge construction and improvement. None of 
these funds under this bill will go toward nonessential purposes, like 
streetscaping.
  Overall, Mr. Chairman, this is a good bill. It will address our most 
immediate infrastructure needs and provides our most vulnerable 
citizens with housing.
  Before I close my remarks, Mr. Chairman, I want to say a few words 
about the coauthors of this bill--Chairman Latham and the ranking 
member, Mr. Pastor. As you know, this will be their last T-HUD bill 
before they leave us at the end of the year for greener pastures.
  These two men have been great assets to our committee, for their 
expertise, their willingness to work together, and their great 
attitudes; and we are going to miss them greatly. Their swan song, this 
bill, is a fine achievement, a capstone on two accomplished careers.
  I want to thank them both for their hard work on this bill and others 
through the years and for their contributions to the Appropriations 
Committee and the House and the Nation.
  My friend Mr. Latham and I have labored together on this committee 
for a good while--18 years, Tom says--and we have been friends all 
along. We served together on the Commerce, Justice, Science 
Subcommittee for many, many years, among others, and I have learned to 
respect Chairman Latham.
  He is a great personal friend whom I treasure greatly. Mr. Pastor, 
the same way--we have worked together on this committee for a number of 
years as well. We have tried to serve the Nation and the Congress as 
best we could, and these two gentlemen have done great work on behalf 
of the American people.
  This is a tough bill. It is a good bill, but it is a tough bill. They 
had to squeeze some oversized feet into some undersized shoes, given 
the allocation

[[Page 9589]]

that they had to work with, but they came through with flying colors.
  So I enthusiastically urge my colleagues in the House to vote for 
this bill because it is the best we can do, and it is a great bill, but 
also, I want to say in closing, as a tribute to these two fine public 
servants.
  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Chairman Rogers 
for his kind words. We have worked together for many years, and over 
those years, we have been able to do appropriations bills and also 
developed a great friendship. Thank you, Chairman Rogers.
  I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York 
(Mrs. Lowey).
  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Latham and Ranking Member 
Pastor for their outstanding service to the Congress and to the 
country. They exemplify the spirit and history of bipartisan 
cooperation of the Appropriations Committee, and they will certainly be 
missed. I wish them both the best in the next chapter of their lives.
  I appreciate their efforts to put this bill together. Their job was 
made all the more difficult by much lower than expected FHA and Ginnie 
Mae receipts.
  Unfortunately, I must oppose this bill because it provides inadequate 
funding for our country's highway and transit infrastructure.
  Specifically, cuts to the following critical infrastructure programs 
are unacceptable: Amtrak's capital funding is decreased by $200 million 
below fiscal year 2014, which will defer critical repairs; capital 
investment grants, which support new subway, light rail, and commuter 
projects are $809 million below the request, and the bill contains no 
funding for transit projects that are in the pipeline; TIGER would 
receive a paltry $100 million--while I am pleased the majority included 
it in its bill for the first time, the proposed level is insufficient; 
and on the housing side, both HOME and the Public Housing Capital Fund, 
which are vital for the rehabilitation and modernization of our 
country's affordable housing stock, face sharp decreases.
  At $700 million, HOME is funded at its lowest level since the program 
began in 1992, and the Public Housing Capital Fund is funded below the 
sequester level.
  In addition, funding wasn't included to support the installation of 
positive train control, which could prevent deadly rail accidents like 
those experienced in New York and Connecticut in recent years. However, 
I do appreciate that the chairman is committed to addressing this issue 
if additional resources become available.
  While I would have liked this bill to fully support the President's 
new safe transportation of energy products fund for prevention and 
response activities across all agencies at DOT that are grappling with 
the dangers of crude oil transport by rail, I thank the chairman for 
working with me to include approximately $11 million for the Federal 
Railroad Administration to support grade crossing safety improvements 
on rail routes that transport energy products and the hiring of safety 
staff to monitor the routing of energy products.
  There is also $7 million for Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration to improve training and outreach efforts related to 
incident response, along with report language that directs the 
Department of Transportation to update emergency spill response plans 
for rail crude oil spills, improve first responder training protocols 
for spill incidents, and finalize a rule for improving safety standards 
for crude oil tank cars, like the DOT-111, by the end of September.
  I would be remiss if I didn't note my objection to the inclusion of 
riders on California high-speed rail and on truck weight exemptions. 
These controversial riders will only hinder the bill's progress through 
the Congress.
  I would note for my colleagues that the Senate Appropriations 
Committee marked up its transportation and housing bill last week. The 
Senate bill's allocation was nearly $2.4 billion higher than this bill. 
As a result, it addresses many of the shortfalls of the bill we 
consider today.
  It is my sincere hope that we can improve this bill in a conference 
with the Senate before it is signed into law.
  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, does the gentleman from Arizona have any 
more speakers?
  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chair, while I extend my appreciation to 
Chairman Latham and Ranking Member Pastor for their hard work on the 
FY15 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill, 
unfortunately, it is another example of the inadequacy of the FY15 
budget allocation, and I regretfully rise in opposition.
  The bill before us fails to address our nation's growing 
infrastructure and transportation needs, and the critical housing needs 
of the most vulnerable among us.
  On paper, it looks like the THUD allocation is nearly $1.2 billion 
higher than last year. But as we've heard, due to a discrepancy in FHA 
receipt estimates, this bill is actually $1.8 billion lower than the FY 
2014 bill.
  This means that funding for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance grants 
falls $20 million short of what is required to prevent vulnerable 
residents from being evicted from their current housing. It also means 
federal efforts to end chronic homelessness by 2016 will be stalled, 
despite evidence homeless assistance grants have contributed to a 
significant drop in the number of homeless people with serious 
disabilities and mental illness.
  In addition, this bill does nothing to restore the 40,000 Section 8 
Housing Choice vouchers eliminated by sequester cuts. Yet the demand 
for affordable housing is acute. In Los Angeles County alone, at least 
490,340 more affordable housing units are needed to ease the housing 
burden on the county's poorest residents.
  Furthermore, this bill cuts funding for the public housing capital 
fund by $100 million to $1.775 billion, which is a level not seen since 
the 1980s. These cuts add to the already chronic capital underfunding 
of deteriorating public housing and the living conditions of the more 
than one million families who live in public housing.
  Unfortunately, the FY15 THUD bill also significantly underfunds 
critical transportation and infrastructure programs.
  The bill cuts the funding for the TIGER Grant Program by 83 percent. 
That's a $500 million cut to a crucial tool for investing in our 
nation's deteriorating transportation infrastructure. Without robust 
funding for Tiger Grants, many critical transportation projects will go 
unfunded and infrastructure needs will be unmet.
  The Federal Transit Authority's Capital Investment Grant Program is 
cut by $252 million. The program funds projects that create jobs and 
encourages future growth and sustainability for my district and for 
cities across the country. Unfortunately these cuts will severely limit 
investments in new projects and have a detrimental effect on current 
projects and jobs.
  Amtrak's capital grants program is cut by $200 million. This will 
impact both current and future projects. People rely on Amtrak to 
commute to work, shop, visit family and friends and travel to other 
cities. These cuts to critical infrastructure investments will leave my 
constituents and thousands of transit dependent Americans with limited 
and unreliable transportation.
  Transit research is cut by $28 million, or 65 percent. This is 
unacceptable and must be fixed. We have now learned that there has been 
a significant human contribution to climate change, and without more 
reliable and accessible public transportation, we will never be able to 
combat this very real and very serious problem which will negatively 
affect many generations to come.
  Mr. Chair, this bill is grossly underfunded in almost every regard. 
The programs that meet the most critical needs in our country have been 
stripped to unacceptably low levels. I urge my colleagues to support 
the people and communities who need these programs the most, and vote 
no on the FY15 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development 
Appropriations Bill.
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to 
the House FY15 Transportation-HUD Appropriations bill. Today's bill 
lands with the same sound as its abbreviation . . . THUD.
  While I appreciate the hard work of Chairman Latham, Ranking Member 
Pastor, and their dedicated Appropriations staff, our insufficient 
302(b) allocation, made worse with lower than expected FHA and Ginnie 
Mae receipts, makes this bill's funding levels unacceptable.

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Simply put, the House bill would make sustaining and improving our 
nation's infrastructure impossible, a task made more difficult by years 
and years of deferred maintenance.
  On the transportation side, the bill makes deep cuts to the capital 
programs and job creating infrastructure investments. Amtrak is cut by 
$200 million despite record ridership; the Federal Transit 
Administration's New Starts program is cut by $252 million, stifling 
the shovel-ready projects; and the TIGER program is cut by more than 80 
percent, despite the program's popularity and success at advancing 
critical surface transportation projects across the country, with 
thousands of meritorious proposals still unfunded. And, once again, the 
bill includes no funding for progress towards a high speed rail system.
  Funding for community development and housing safety-net programs is 
even worse. The bill would cut funding for the HOME program by 30 
percent to $700 million, the lowest level in the program's history. The 
bill would also limit the ability for our country to maintain and 
improve our nation's public housing stock by funding the Public Housing 
Capital Fund below the sequester level and would only provide a paltry 
$25 million for the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, the successor 
program of Hope VI program and our only comprehensive public housing 
revitalization program.
  Additionally, the bill would force public housing agencies to turn 
needy families away from shelter by significantly underfunding the 
administrative fees needed to run the housing voucher program, the best 
hope of thousands of America's poorest families for safe and decent 
housing.
  Another program that provides housing to vulnerable Americans in my 
district and many others is the Housing for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) 
program. Despite benefiting from an amendment in the Appropriations 
Committee, the bill before us today would cut HOPWA by more than $24 
million below last year's funding level.
  Perhaps the most disappointing and regrettable fact about this bill 
is that the cuts it imposes could have been avoided, had the Republican 
leadership understood that we cannot cut our way into fiscal balance. 
House leaders could reconsider their refusal to talk with the President 
and work with him to address the real drivers of the deficit--tax 
expenditures and mandatory spending. Instead, they have again and again 
slashed critical domestic investments.
  We must rid ourselves of unworkable budget caps and sequestration, 
lifting the drag they represent on our economy and the mockery they 
make of the appropriations process. The bill before us today is Exhibit 
A of this travesty, and I urge my colleagues to raise their voices and 
their votes against it.
  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chair, I rise to express my appreciation for all the 
good work that has gone into in the FY 2015 Transportation, Housing and 
Urban Development Appropriations Bill. I know a lot of difficult 
decisions had to be made but I wanted to express my concern over a $20 
million reduction in funding for the Maritime Security Program (MSP).
  The U.S. flag fleet is critical to our military in delivering cargo 
overseas to our military to ensure proper readiness and sustainment. 
The Department of Defense (DOD) for well over a decade has relied on 
MSP-enrolled vessels for sealift of necessary cargo into conflicts in 
Iraq and Afghanistan as well as other troubled areas in the world, all 
at a fraction of the cost of what it would cost DOD to replicate that 
sealift if it had to build its own vessels. These military-sensitive 
cargoes are handled by U.S.-flag ship operators and mariners that must 
meet DOD and homeland security standards. They have a demonstrated 
record of delivering these cargoes efficiently and safely.
  I would like to encourage the bill's managers to bring the program's 
funding level to $186 million in conference with the Senate. This 
program also has significant support from House members and I am 
including a letter signed by members in support of this funding. 
Finally this is the same amount appropriated in FY 2014, authorized by 
the Armed Services Committee in the NDAA, and requested by the 
President.

                                Congress of the United States,

                                      Washington, DC, March, 2014.
     Hon. Tom Latham,
     Chairman, Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban 
         Development, and Related Agencies, Committee on 
         Appropriations, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Ed Pastor,
     Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and 
         Urban Development, and Related Agencies, Committee on 
         Appropriations, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Latham and Ranking Member Pastor: We are 
     writing to request that $186 million in funding for FY 2015 
     for the Maritime Security Program (MSP) be included in the FY 
     2015 appropriations bill for the Departments of 
     Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related 
     Agencies. This is the congressionally authorized amount 
     necessary to ensure that the U.S. Maritime Administration, in 
     conjunction with the Department of Defense, has the necessary 
     funds available to fully implement the MSP. It is the same 
     amount appropriated by Congress for the program in FY 2014.
       The MSP was originally enacted to ensure that the United 
     States has the U.S.-flag commercial sealift capability and 
     trained U.S. citizen merchant mariners available to crew the 
     government and privately owned vessels needed by the 
     Department of Defense in time of war or other international 
     emergency. Most importantly, the Maritime Security Program 
     and the uninterrupted operation of its maritime security 
     fleet of 60 U.S.-flag militarily useful commercial vessels 
     ensures that America will in fact be able to support and 
     supply our troops overseas. It guarantees that American-flag 
     vessels and American crews will continue to be available to 
     transport the supplies and equipment our troops need to do 
     their job in behalf of our nation.
       Failure to approve the requested funding for the Maritime 
     Security Program not only will put American troops at risk 
     but will weaken America's overall security interests and will 
     cost the American taxpayer significantly more than the amount 
     requested for FY 2015 for the MSP. Without having the MSP and 
     its maritime security fleet to rely upon, the options 
     available to the Department of Defense and to our country to 
     meet America's commercial sealift capability requirements are 
     totally unacceptable.
       On the one hand, our country would be faced with the option 
     of giving foreign-flag shipping interests and their foreign 
     mariners--interests who may not share America's goals, 
     objectives and values--the responsibility for supporting and 
     advancing America's security interests overseas. These 
     foreign-flag shipping services will have to be paid for by 
     the United States, and it means our country will be 
     encouraging the outsourcing of American maritime jobs as we 
     spend taxpayer dollars on foreign-flag ships and their 
     foreign crews.
       On the other hand, our country would be faced with the 
     option of having the Department of Defense build, maintain, 
     and operate the requisite vessels itself, at a tremendous 
     cost to the American taxpayer. In fact, a 2006 report 
     prepared for the National Defense Transportation 
     Association--Military Sealift Committee concluded that ``the 
     likely cost to the government to replicate just the vessel 
     capacity provided by the MSP dry cargo vessels would be $13 
     billion.'' In addition, the United States Transportation 
     Command has estimated that it would cost the U.S. Government 
     an additional $52 billion to replicate the ``global 
     intermodal system'' that is made available to the Department 
     of Defense by MSP participants who are continuously 
     developing, maintaining, and upgrading their systems. In 
     contrast, the commercial maritime industry, through the MSP, 
     will provide the Department of Defense with these same 
     vessels and global intermodal system at a cost to the 
     taxpayer of $186 million in FY 2015, a fraction of what it 
     would cost our government to do the job itself.
       In other words, without funding the MSP and ensuring the 
     continued operation of its maritime security fleet, America 
     would either have to place the safety of our troops and the 
     security of our nation in the hands of foreign shipping 
     interests or be forced to spend billions of dollars more of 
     the taxpayers' dollars to achieve the commercial sealift 
     capability that will be lost if the requested funds for MSP 
     are not appropriated.
       During congressional consideration of the reauthorization 
     of the MSP in 2003, General John W. Handy, then-Commander in 
     Chief, United States Transportation Command, told Congress 
     that: ``As we look at operations on multiple fronts in 
     support of the War on Terrorism, it is clear that our limited 
     defense resources will increasingly rely on partnerships with 
     industry to maintain the needed capability and capacity to 
     meet our most demanding wartime scenarios . . . MSP is a 
     cost-effective program that assures guaranteed access to 
     required U.S.-flag commercial shipping and U.S. merchant 
     mariners when needed . . . MSP is a vital element of our 
     military's strategic sealift and global response 
     capability.''
       We again ask that you support this highly efficient and 
     low-cost public-private partnership by including $186 million 
     in your Subcommittee's FY 2015 appropriations legislation in 
     order to fully implement the MSP. In so doing, you will be 
     saving the American taxpayer billions of dollars because the 
     Department of Defense will be able to utilize privately owned 
     U.S.-flag vessels to meet its commercial sealift requirements 
     rather than buying and maintaining this capability on its 
     own.
       Thank you for your consideration of this request.
           Respectfully,

                                    Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon,

                                                         Chairman,
                                      Committee on Armed Services.

                                                   Adam Smith,

                                                   Ranking Member,
                                      Committee on Armed Services.

[[Page 9591]]

         Duncan Hunter; Corrine Brown; Scott Peters; Frank 
           LoBiondo; Elijah Cummings; Nick Rahall; Bennie 
           Thompson; John Garamendi; John Duncan; Don Young.
         Dutch Ruppersberger; Gary Miller; Rick Larsen; Randy 
           Forbes; Robert Wittman; Derek Kilmer; Jim Brindenstine; 
           Scott Rigell; Peter King; Leonard Lance.
         Suzanne Bonamici; Carol Shea-Porter; Michael Michaud; 
           Daniel Lipinski; Suzan DelBene; Michael Grimm; 
           Frederica Wilson; Cedric Richmond; Sean Maloney; Chris 
           Gibson.
         William Enyart; David Joyce; Brian Higgins; Linda 
           Sanchez; Howard Coble; Paul Cook; Janice Hahn; David 
           McKinley; Tim Bishop; Jim McDermott.
         Joe Courtney; Steve Israel; Michael Turner; Alan 
           Lowenthal; Tulsi Gabbard; Denny Heck; Marc Veasey; Lois 
           Frankel; Madeleine Bordallo; Albio Sires.
         Peter DeFazio; Karen Bass; Pete Gallego; Rick Nolan; Tim 
           Walz; Ed Perlmutter; Ron Barber; Andre Carson.

  Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of continued 
funding for the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant.
  In 1921, Congress enacted the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA) to 
help Native Hawaiians who, after the overthrow and annexation of the 
Kingdom of Hawaii, were largely disenfranchised from their traditional 
homelands. HHCA sought to provide for the rehabilitation of the Native 
Hawaiian people through a homesteading program that would reconnect 
them with former Crown Lands.
  In 1959, the State of Hawaii adopted the HHCA as a provision of its 
constitution in accordance with the Hawaii Statehood Admissions Act, 
Public Law 86-3. This reaffirmed the responsibility that this nation 
has to its indigenous people and forever embedded the mission of HHCA 
in Hawaii's modern history and society.
  The Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant provides the financial means 
to support HHCA and its mission of promoting Native Hawaiian well-being 
through homesteading. This is an important step towards reconciliation 
for the historical injustices that underline the social and economic 
inequality of our Native Hawaiians.
  Safe and affordable housing helps to empower families to be 
productive members of society. Housing fulfills physical needs by 
providing security and shelter from weather and climate. It fulfills 
psychological needs by providing a sense of personal space and privacy. 
It fulfills social needs by providing a gathering area and communal 
space for the family. These factors combine to help ensure the well-
being of our future generations, and are why continued funding for the 
Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant program is so important.
  Homesteading provided through this program helps to ease Hawaii's 
high cost of living and allows Native Hawaiians to remain connected to 
their traditional homelands. I strongly urge funding for the Native 
Hawaiian Housing Block Grant program, and would like to express my 
support for the Native American Housing Assistance and Self 
Determination Act as well.
  Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the provision 
within the Transportation Housing and Urban Development (THUD) 
appropriations legislation to fund the contract tower program, which 
includes the tower at the Dubuque Regional Airport, and for funding of 
the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program. While I voted against 
the THUD legislation, I do support these provisions. Unfortunately, the 
overall bill cuts important transportation and housing programs, and on 
balance, the bill is not a win for Iowa.
  The contract tower at the Dubuque Regional Airport is extremely 
important to commercial air service in the Dubuque region, and helps 
ensure the safety of passengers flying in and out of the Dubuque 
airport. The tower is also an important training tool for students at 
the University of Dubuque's professional pilot training program. 
Additionally, the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program provides 
important services to our veterans including housing services for 
homeless veterans. I look forward to working with my colleagues to 
ensure that these programs are fully funded, while working to improve 
the other transportation and housing components of the bill which need 
significant improvement.
  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chair, I rise today in 
opposition of the proposed cuts to the Transportation Infrastructure 
Generating Economic Recovery Program (TIGER) and the policy rider to 
TIGER included in the Fiscal Year 2015 Transportation, Housing and 
Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill.
  One of the primary objectives of TIGER is to invest in transportation 
projects that better connect communities to centers of employment, 
education, and services and that hold promise to stimulate long-term 
job growth, especially in economically distressed areas. TIGER has been 
traditionally open to all governmental entities from cities and 
counties to port and rail authorities and universities.
  The House FY15 THUD bill includes $100 million for TIGER grants. This 
is an 80% decrease from current funding levels. In the current (FY14) 
grant application round, the United States Department of Transportation 
(USDOT) has received nearly 800 applications requesting a total of $9.5 
billion, with only $600 million to invest--that's a request of more 
than 15 times what can be awarded.
  The House FY15 THUD bill also includes a worrisome policy rider, with 
language that would restrict TIGER eligibility to roads/highways, 
bridges, freight rail and ports. This would be a major change to the 
grant program, which has traditionally attracted a wide variety of 
innovative projects including public transportation and passenger rail, 
bicycle and pedestrian projects.
  These policy riders and severe cuts to TIGER are troubling. From the 
Durfee Avenue rail-highway grade separation project in Pico Rivera, to 
Artesia's proposal to build a public parking structure and expand 
sidewalks in the city's commercial district, to the City of Cerritos' 
request to facilitate the reconstruction of the Del Amo Boulevard 
Bridge, which is outdated and presents significant capacity, safety and 
accessibility problems. Substantial funding for TIGER grants is crucial 
for my District.
  I ask that my colleagues join me in opposing the 80% cuts to TIGER 
grants and language restricting TIGER eligibility in the House FY15 
THUD bill. Providing funding for these and other TIGER projects are 
about the safety, economic development, and services that communities 
deserve.
  The CHAIR. All time for general debate has expired.
  Pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment 
under the 5-minute rule.
  During consideration of the bill for amendment, the Chair may accord 
priority in recognition to a Member offering an amendment who has 
caused it to be printed in the designated place in the Congressional 
Record. Those amendments will be considered read.
  The Clerk will read.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4745

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the 
     following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the 
     Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the Departments of 
     Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and 
     related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
     2015, and for other purposes, namely:

                                TITLE I

                      DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

                        Office of the Secretary

                         salaries and expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Office of the Secretary, 
     $103,000,000, of which not to exceed $2,600,000 shall be 
     available for the immediate Office of the Secretary; not to 
     exceed $980,000 shall be available for the immediate Office 
     of the Deputy Secretary; not to exceed $19,000,000 shall be 
     available for the Office of the General Counsel; not to 
     exceed $9,500,000 shall be available for the Office of the 
     Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy; not to exceed 
     $12,500,000 shall be available for the Office of the 
     Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs; not to exceed 
     $2,500,000 shall be available for the Office of the Assistant 
     Secretary for Governmental Affairs; not to exceed $24,720,000 
     shall be available for the Office of the Assistant Secretary 
     for Administration; not to exceed $2,000,000 shall be 
     available for the Office of Public Affairs; not to exceed 
     $1,700,000 shall be available for the Office of the Executive 
     Secretariat; not to exceed $1,400,000 shall be available for 
     the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization; 
     not to exceed $10,600,000 shall be available for the Office 
     of Intelligence, Security, and Emergency Response; and not to 
     exceed $15,500,000 shall be available for the Office of the 
     Chief Information Officer: Provided, That the Secretary of 
     Transportation is authorized to transfer funds appropriated 
     for any office of the Office of the Secretary to any other 
     office of the Office of the Secretary: Provided further, That 
     no appropriation for any office shall be increased or 
     decreased by more than 5 percent by all such transfers: 
     Provided further, That notice of any change in funding 
     greater than 5 percent shall be submitted for approval to the 
     House and Senate Committees on Appropriations: Provided 
     further, That not to exceed $60,000 shall be for allocation 
     within the Department for official reception and 
     representation expenses as the Secretary may determine: 
     Provided further, That, notwithstanding any other provision 
     of law, excluding fees authorized in Public Law 107-71, there 
     may be credited to this appropriation

[[Page 9592]]

     up to $2,500,000 in funds received in user fees: Provided 
     further, That none of the funds provided in this Act shall be 
     available for the position of Assistant Secretary for Public 
     Affairs.

                              {time}  1430


                    Amendment Offered by Mr. Meehan

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Page 2, line 13, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $3,000,000)''.
       Page 41, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $3,000,000)''.

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the 
gentleman's amendment.
  The CHAIR. A point of order is reserved.
  The gentleman from Pennsylvania is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Chair, my amendment seeks to transfer $3 million from 
the Office of the Secretary of Transportation salaries and expense 
account to the Federal Railroad Administration to fund the use of a 
second car to support the inspection of crude oil routes covering more 
than 14,000 miles of track nationwide. This funding would also be 
available to expedite implementation of a remote automated track 
inspection capability to increase inspection mileage while reducing 
costs.
  For more than 30 years, the Federal Railroad Administration's 
Automated Track Inspection Program has provided accurate track geometry 
data, as well as other track-related performance data, to assess 
compliance with the Federal track safety standards. Currently, FRA is 
operating only one ATIP car for inspections. My amendment would enable 
the FRA to add an additional car to support safety inspections.
  Mr. Chairman, I realize you're in the unenviable position of 
allocating the difficult funding level given to you. I would like to be 
clear that I think you and your cohorts have done a tremendous job in 
crafting a bill which truly does more with less. My amendment seeks to 
match what is included in the Senate FY15 Transportation, Housing and 
Urban Development bill for the Automated Track Inspection Program.
  According to data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration, more than 1.15 million gallons of crude oil were 
spilled from railcars in 2013. Last year's total spills of 1.15 million 
gallons means that 99.99 percent of shipments arrived without incident. 
But recent derailments in my home State of Pennsylvania, including one 
in Westmoreland County and one in my district of Philadelphia, have 
made us all keenly aware of the dangers that train derailments can pose 
to a community. Just yesterday, a train carrying crude oil derailed on 
a bridge outside Pittsburgh. At this moment, it is dangling off the 
track and over the water.
  Derailments are fairly uncommon. The sober truth is that people's 
lives are at risk, and we must do everything in our power to ensure we 
continue to transport this crude in the safest manner possible. Track 
data collected by ATIP is used by FRA, railroad inspectors, and Federal 
railroads to assist in assured track safety.
  Oil has been moving by rail through populous areas for decades, and 
industry is responding by improving safety measures. It is time the 
Federal Government do its part and increase our investment in the 
safety inspections of our rail lines.
  Mr. Chairman, this program produces results. It is not just people on 
one side of the aisle that recognize this, but Congress as a whole 
does. Why not take a modest increase in the funding of the FRA to 
double their capability in performing safety evaluations?
  This amendment would make our rail lines safer while reducing costs. 
I urge its adoption, and I yield back the balance of my time.


                             Point of Order

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, the amendment is very well intended, but I 
make a point of order.
  Mr. Chairman, the amendment proposes to amend portions of the bill 
not yet read.
  The amendment may not be considered en bloc under clause 2(f) of rule 
XXI because the amendment proposes to increase the level of outlays in 
the bill.
  Therefore, Mr. Chairman, I ask for a ruling of the Chair.
  The CHAIR. Does any Member wish to be heard on the point of order? If 
not, the Chair will rule.
  To be considered en bloc pursuant to clause 2(f) of rule XXI, an 
amendment must not propose to increase the levels of budget authority 
or outlays in the bill. Because the amendment offered by the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania proposes a net increase in the level of outlays in 
the bill, as argued by the chairman of the Subcommittee on 
Appropriations, it may not avail itself of clause 2(f) to address 
portions of the bill not yet read.
  The point of order is sustained. The amendment is not in order.


                  Amendment Offered by Mr. Farenthold

  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Page 2, line 13, after the first dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $6,000,000)''.
       Page 15, line 2, after the first dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $6,000,000)''.

  The CHAIR. The gentleman from Texas is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to 
direct $6 million to the FAA for additional radar technology and 
equipment to the Standard Terminal Arrival Route, called STARs, in area 
navigation. This additional radar technology would be placed on U.S. 
Navy property where flight training operations are conducted. It is 
designed to mitigate the cumulative effects of electromagnetic radar 
interference from constructed or proposed wind turbines.
  What we have got is a problem that is developing throughout the 
country where wind farms are interfering with the ability of our radar 
to track planes. This is a safety consideration. It is important to 
making sure that we have adequately trained pilots in the Navy.
  As we move towards more clean energy like wind energy, it is 
important that we look at some of the unintended consequences of these. 
This radar interference with FAA radar and radar used by the Navy in 
training purposes, and in some instances other branches of the service, 
is a real safety hazard.
  This money will be used to develop the technology so these radars can 
either be networked or additional weather band parts of the radar can 
be adapted to mitigate the interference of these wind turbines. There 
is a real chance that these wind farms, as more and more of them come 
online, would severely impact radar operations throughout the country.
  It is crucial that we invest in mitigation technologies and 
strategies to make renewable energy products even more compatible with 
our Naval training and FAA operations, and the time to act is now. I 
urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment.
  I yield back the remainder of my time.
  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman from Iowa is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LATHAM. The purpose of the amendment is to provide funding for 
Navy operations that might be affected by new and existing wind 
turbines. Upgrades to air traffic control to address Navy requirements 
resulting from the construction of wind farms are the responsibility of 
the Department of Defense and potentially those who are constructing 
the new wind farms. FAA would have a role in consulting with DOD to 
upgrades of air traffic control facilities, but this is typically done 
as a reimbursable agreement between DOD and the FAA.
  Further, we cannot accept this offset. We have already reduced DOT 
salaries and expenses for the Office of the Secretary down to the level 
provided in fiscal year 2012. We have provided funds in this account to 
protect transportation consumers, ensure safety across DOT programs, 
and provide oversight of DOT programs to safeguard the taxpayer.
  I would be happy to work with the gentleman to ensure the FAA has an

[[Page 9593]]

appropriate partner to help in addressing this issue, but I must oppose 
the gentleman's amendment.
  I urge a ``no'' vote and yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chair, I move to strike the last word.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman from Arizona is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the 
amendment.
  I agree with the chairman that DOD, Department of Defense, has the 
primary responsibility, and FAA would be a partner in that venture. We 
also agree that the reduction of salaries and expenses below the FY 
2014 level--we don't know what consequences it would have, possibly 
RIFs or layoffs, and so for that reason, I ask opposition to the 
amendment.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Farenthold).
  The amendment was rejected.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will read.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                        research and technology

       For necessary expenses related to the Office of the 
     Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, $12,625,000, 
     of which $8,218,000 shall remain available until September 
     30, 2017: Provided, That there may be credited to this 
     appropriation, to be available until expended, funds received 
     from States, counties, municipalities, other public 
     authorities, and private sources for expenses incurred for 
     training: Provided further, That any reference in law, 
     regulation, judicial proceedings, or elsewhere to the 
     Research and Innovative Technology Administration shall 
     continue to be deemed to be a reference to the Office of the 
     Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology of the 
     Department of Transportation.

                  national infrastructure investments

       For capital investments in surface transportation 
     infrastructure, $100,000,000, to remain available through 
     September 30, 2017: Provided, That the Secretary of 
     Transportation shall distribute funds provided under this 
     heading as discretionary grants to be awarded to a State, 
     local government, or a collaboration among such entities on a 
     competitive basis for projects that will have a significant 
     impact on the Nation, a metropolitan area, or a region: 
     Provided further, That funds under this heading shall be 
     available only for highway and bridge activities described 
     under paragraphs (1) and (3) of section 133(b) of title 23, 
     United States Code, and section 202(a) of such title; freight 
     rail transportation projects; and port infrastructure 
     investments: Provided further, That the Secretary may use up 
     to 10 percent of the funds made available under this heading 
     for the purpose of paying the subsidy and administrative 
     costs of projects eligible for Federal credit assistance 
     under chapter 6 of title 23, United States Code, if the 
     Secretary finds that such use of the funds would advance the 
     purposes of this paragraph: Provided further, That in 
     distributing funds provided under this heading, the Secretary 
     shall take such measures so as to ensure an equitable 
     geographic distribution of funds and an appropriate balance 
     in addressing the needs of urban and rural areas: Provided 
     further, That a grant funded under this heading shall be not 
     less than $2,000,000 and not greater than $15,000,000: 
     Provided further, That not more than 20 percent of the funds 
     made available under this heading may be awarded to projects 
     in a single State: Provided further, That the Federal share 
     of the costs for which an expenditure is made under this 
     heading shall be, at the option of the recipient, up to 50 
     percent: Provided further, That the Secretary shall give 
     priority to projects that require a contribution of Federal 
     funds in order to complete an overall financing package: 
     Provided further, That not less than 20 percent of the funds 
     provided under this heading shall be for projects located in 
     rural areas: Provided further, That for projects located in 
     rural areas, the minimum grant size shall be $1,000,000 and 
     the Secretary may increase the Federal share of costs to 80 
     percent: Provided further, That projects conducted using 
     funds provided under this heading must comply with the 
     requirements of subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, 
     United States Code.

                      financial management capital

       For necessary expenses for upgrading and enhancing the 
     Department of Transportation's financial systems and re-
     engineering business processes, $5,000,000, to remain 
     available through September 30, 2016.

                       cyber security initiatives

       For necessary expenses for cyber security initiatives, 
     including necessary upgrades to wide area network and 
     information technology infrastructure, improvement of network 
     perimeter controls and identity management, testing and 
     assessment of information technology against business, 
     security, and other requirements, implementation of Federal 
     cyber security initiatives and information infrastructure 
     enhancements, implementation of enhanced security controls on 
     network devices, and enhancement of cyber security workforce 
     training tools, $5,000,000, to remain available through 
     September 30, 2016.

                         office of civil rights

       For necessary expenses of the Office of Civil Rights, 
     $9,600,000.

           transportation planning, research, and development

       For necessary expenses for conducting transportation 
     planning, research, systems development, development 
     activities, and making grants, to remain available until 
     expended, $6,000,000.

                          working capital fund

       For necessary expenses for operating costs and capital 
     outlays of the Working Capital Fund, not to exceed 
     $181,000,000 shall be paid from appropriations made available 
     to the Department of Transportation: Provided, That such 
     services shall be provided on a competitive basis to entities 
     within the Department of Transportation: Provided further, 
     That the above limitation on operating expenses shall not 
     apply to non-DOT entities: Provided further, That no funds 
     appropriated in this Act to an agency of the Department shall 
     be transferred to the Working Capital Fund without majority 
     approval of the Working Capital Fund Steering Committee and 
     approval of the Secretary: Provided further, That no 
     assessments may be levied against any program, budget 
     activity, subactivity or project funded by this Act unless 
     notice of such assessments and the basis therefor are 
     presented to the House and Senate Committees on 
     Appropriations and are approved by such Committees.

               minority business resource center program

       For the cost of guaranteed loans, $417,000, as authorized 
     by 49 U.S.C. 332: Provided, That such costs, including the 
     cost of modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section 
     502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974: Provided 
     further, That these funds are available to subsidize total 
     loan principal, any part of which is to be guaranteed, not to 
     exceed $18,367,000.
       In addition, for administrative expenses to carry out the 
     guaranteed loan program, $596,000.

                       minority business outreach

       For necessary expenses of Minority Business Resource Center 
     outreach activities, $3,099,000, to remain available until 
     September 30, 2016: Provided, That, notwithstanding 49 U.S.C. 
     332, these funds may be used for business opportunities 
     related to any mode of transportation.

                        payments to air carriers

                    (airport and airway trust fund)

       In addition to funds made available from any other source 
     to carry out the essential air service program under 49 
     U.S.C. 41731 through 41742, $149,000,000, to be derived from 
     the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to remain available until 
     expended: Provided, That in determining between or among 
     carriers competing to provide service to a community, the 
     Secretary may consider the relative subsidy requirements of 
     the carriers: Provided further, That basic essential air 
     service minimum requirements shall not include the 15-
     passenger capacity requirement under subsection 41732(b)(3) 
     of title 49, United States Code: Provided further, That none 
     of the funds in this Act or any other Act shall be used to 
     enter into a new contract with a community located less than 
     40 miles from the nearest small hub airport before the 
     Secretary has negotiated with the community over a local cost 
     share: Provided further, That none of the funds in this Act 
     or any other Act shall be used to provide essential air 
     service to communities in the 48 contiguous States that 
     require a rate of subsidy per passenger in excess of $500 
     before the Secretary has negotiated with the community over a 
     local cost share so that the per passenger subsidy does not 
     exceed $500.

  administrative provisions--office of the secretary of transportation

       Sec. 101.  None of the funds made available in this Act to 
     the Department of Transportation may be obligated for the 
     Office of the Secretary of Transportation to approve 
     assessments or reimbursable agreements pertaining to funds 
     appropriated to the modal administrations in this Act, except 
     for activities underway on the date of enactment of this Act, 
     unless such assessments or agreements have completed the 
     normal reprogramming process for Congressional notification.
       Sec. 102.  The Secretary or his designee may engage in 
     activities with States and State legislators to consider 
     proposals related to the reduction of motorcycle fatalities.


                    Amendment Offered by Mr. Walberg

  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Page 10, strike lines 12 through 14.

  The CHAIR. The gentleman from Minnesota is recognized for 5 minutes.

[[Page 9594]]


  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of an amendment 
which I am offering with Representatives Sensenbrenner and Ribble of 
Wisconsin. I believe this amendment represents a simple, commonsense 
change to an otherwise excellent bill.
  I thank Chairman Latham and his staff for their hard work in getting 
us here today.
  Mr. Chairman, current Federal law prohibits Federal agencies from 
lobbying Congress in support of or against legislation. Thanks to 
Representative Sensenbrenner's past leadership, Congress passed similar 
antilobbying language to prohibit the Department of Transportation from 
lobbying State and local officials in 1998.
  In 1997, the Government Accountability Office released a report on 
activities undertaken by the National Highway Transportation Safety 
Administration, NHTSA, to allow the State legislators to enact State 
motorcycle helmet laws or discourage the repeal of existing State laws.
  At the cost of tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars, NHTSA officials 
traveled across the country to testify before State legislative 
committees, participated in conferences, and produced videotapes and 
other printed materials all towards the goal of weakening State laws 
requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets.
  NHTSA has an appropriate role to play in developing programs that 
prevent accidents, but Congress has made it clear they should not be in 
the business of lobbying State legislatures. Unfortunately, the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 included language which 
repealed the lobby ban, and that provision is carried over into this 
bill. Allowing Federal agencies to lobby States would add to the severe 
governmental overreach, while violating the principles our Founding 
Fathers laid out in the 10th Amendment.
  The amendment I am offering today clarifies that Federal Government 
agencies should not be in the business of lobbying State legislators. 
It is an inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars, and it violates the 
rights of States and local communities to make their own decisions. 
Just as importantly, I believe these funds can be better spent on 
programs to prevent distracted driving or on educating riders and the 
driving public.
  I ask my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.

                              {time}  1445

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman from Iowa is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, we would be happy to accept the amendment, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the 
amendment.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman's amendment would 
strike a provision that has been carried in every Transportation 
appropriations bill since 2009.
  Section 102 simply grants the Secretary or his representatives the 
authority to engage in activities with States and State legislators to 
consider proposals related to the reduction of motorcycle fatalities. 
In 2012, there were nearly 5,000 motorcycle fatalities, which 
represented an increase of more than 7 percent over the previous year.
  The research and expertise of the National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration can be extremely helpful to State highway traffic safety 
agencies as they consider measures to improve motorcycle safety. We 
ought to provide any resource necessary to help States address this 
important safety issue.
  I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).
  The amendment was agreed to.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will read.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Sec. 103.  Notwithstanding section 3324 of title 31, United 
     States Code, in addition to authority provided by section 327 
     of title 49, United States Code, the Department's Working 
     Capital Fund is hereby authorized to provide payments in 
     advance to vendors that are necessary to carry out the 
     Federal transit pass transportation fringe benefit program 
     under Executive Order 13150 and section 3049 of Public Law 
     109-59: Provided, That the Department shall include adequate 
     safeguards in the contract with the vendors to ensure timely 
     and high-quality performance under the contract.
       Sec. 104.  The Secretary shall post on the Web site of the 
     Department of Transportation a schedule of all meetings of 
     the Credit Council, including the agenda for each meeting, 
     and require the Credit Council to record the decisions and 
     actions of each meeting.

                    Federal Aviation Administration

                               operations

                    (airport and airway trust fund)

       For necessary expenses of the Federal Aviation 
     Administration, not otherwise provided for, including 
     operations and research activities related to commercial 
     space transportation, administrative expenses for research 
     and development, establishment of air navigation facilities, 
     the operation (including leasing) and maintenance of 
     aircraft, subsidizing the cost of aeronautical charts and 
     maps sold to the public, lease or purchase of passenger motor 
     vehicles for replacement only, in addition to amounts made 
     available by Public Law 112-95, $9,750,000,000 of which 
     $8,595,000,000 shall be derived from the Airport and Airway 
     Trust Fund, of which not to exceed $7,396,654,000 shall be 
     available for air traffic organization activities; not to 
     exceed $1,218,458,000 shall be available for aviation safety 
     activities; not to exceed $16,000,000 shall be available for 
     commercial space transportation activities; not to exceed 
     $762,652,000 shall be available for finance and management 
     activities; not to exceed $60,089,000 shall be available for 
     NextGen and operations planning activities; and not to exceed 
     $296,147,000 shall be available for staff offices: Provided, 
     That not to exceed 2 percent of any budget activity, except 
     for aviation safety budget activity, may be transferred to 
     any budget activity under this heading: Provided further, 
     That no transfer may increase or decrease any appropriation 
     by more than 2 percent: Provided further, That any transfer 
     in excess of 2 percent shall be treated as a reprogramming of 
     funds under section 405 of this Act and shall not be 
     available for obligation or expenditure except in compliance 
     with the procedures set forth in that section: Provided 
     further, That not later than March 31 of each fiscal year 
     hereafter, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
     Administration shall transmit to Congress an annual update to 
     the report submitted to Congress in December 2004 pursuant to 
     section 221 of Public Law 108-176: Provided further, That the 
     amount herein appropriated shall be reduced by $100,000 for 
     each day after March 31 that such report has not been 
     submitted to the Congress: Provided further, That not later 
     than March 31 of each fiscal year hereafter, the 
     Administrator shall transmit to Congress a companion report 
     that describes a comprehensive strategy for staffing, hiring, 
     and training flight standards and aircraft certification 
     staff in a format similar to the one utilized for the 
     controller staffing plan, including stated attrition 
     estimates and numerical hiring goals by fiscal year: Provided 
     further, That the amount herein appropriated shall be reduced 
     by $100,000 per day for each day after March 31 that such 
     report has not been submitted to Congress: Provided further, 
     That funds may be used to enter into a grant agreement with a 
     nonprofit standard-setting organization to assist in the 
     development of aviation safety standards: Provided further, 
     That none of the funds in this Act shall be available for new 
     applicants for the second career training program: Provided 
     further, That none of the funds in this Act shall be 
     available for the Federal Aviation Administration to finalize 
     or implement any regulation that would promulgate new 
     aviation user fees not specifically authorized by law after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act: Provided further, That 
     there may be credited to this appropriation as offsetting 
     collections funds received from States, counties, 
     municipalities, foreign authorities, other public 
     authorities, and private sources for expenses incurred in the 
     provision of agency services, including receipts for the 
     maintenance and operation of air navigation facilities, and 
     for issuance, renewal or modification of certificates, 
     including airman, aircraft, and repair station certificates, 
     or for tests related thereto, or for processing major repair 
     or alteration forms: Provided further, That of the funds 
     appropriated under this heading, not less than $140,000,000 
     shall be for the contract tower program, of which $9,500,000 
     is for the contract tower cost share program: Provided 
     further, That none of the funds in this Act for aeronautical 
     charting and cartography are available for activities 
     conducted by, or coordinated through, the Working Capital 
     Fund.

                        facilities and equipment

                    (airport and airway trust fund)

       For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, for 
     acquisition, establishment, technical support services, 
     improvement by

[[Page 9595]]

     contract or purchase, and hire of national airspace systems 
     and experimental facilities and equipment, as authorized 
     under part A of subtitle VII of title 49, United States Code, 
     including initial acquisition of necessary sites by lease or 
     grant; engineering and service testing, including 
     construction of test facilities and acquisition of necessary 
     sites by lease or grant; construction and furnishing of 
     quarters and related accommodations for officers and 
     employees of the Federal Aviation Administration stationed at 
     remote localities where such accommodations are not 
     available; and the purchase, lease, or transfer of aircraft 
     from funds available under this heading, including aircraft 
     for aviation regulation and certification; to be derived from 
     the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, $2,600,000,000, of which 
     $463,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2015, 
     and $2,137,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 
     2017: Provided, That there may be credited to this 
     appropriation funds received from States, counties, 
     municipalities, other public authorities, and private 
     sources, for expenses incurred in the establishment, 
     improvement, and modernization of national airspace systems: 
     Provided further, That upon initial submission to the 
     Congress of the fiscal year 2016 President's budget, the 
     Secretary of Transportation shall transmit to the Congress a 
     comprehensive capital investment plan for the Federal 
     Aviation Administration which includes funding for each 
     budget line item for fiscal years 2016 through 2020, with 
     total funding for each year of the plan constrained to the 
     funding targets for those years as estimated and approved by 
     the Office of Management and Budget.

                 research, engineering, and development

                    (airport and airway trust fund)

       For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, for 
     research, engineering, and development, as authorized under 
     part A of subtitle VII of title 49, United States Code, 
     including construction of experimental facilities and 
     acquisition of necessary sites by lease or grant, 
     $156,750,000, to be derived from the Airport and Airway Trust 
     Fund and to remain available until September 30, 2017: 
     Provided, That there may be credited to this appropriation as 
     offsetting collections, funds received from States, counties, 
     municipalities, other public authorities, and private 
     sources, which shall be available for expenses incurred for 
     research, engineering, and development.

                       grants-in-aid for airports

                (liquidation of contract authorization)

                      (limitation on obligations)

                    (airport and airway trust fund)

                     (including transfer of funds)

       For liquidation of obligations incurred for grants-in-aid 
     for airport planning and development, and noise compatibility 
     planning and programs as authorized under subchapter I of 
     chapter 471 and subchapter I of chapter 475 of title 49, 
     United States Code, and under other law authorizing such 
     obligations; for procurement, installation, and commissioning 
     of runway incursion prevention devices and systems at 
     airports of such title; for grants authorized under section 
     41743 of title 49, United States Code; and for inspection 
     activities and administration of airport safety programs, 
     including those related to airport operating certificates 
     under section 44706 of title 49, United States Code, 
     $3,200,000,000, to be derived from the Airport and Airway 
     Trust Fund and to remain available until expended: Provided, 
     That none of the funds under this heading shall be available 
     for the planning or execution of programs the obligations for 
     which are in excess of $3,350,000,000 in fiscal year 2015, 
     notwithstanding section 47117(g) of title 49, United States 
     Code: Provided further, That none of the funds under this 
     heading shall be available for the replacement of baggage 
     conveyor systems, reconfiguration of terminal baggage areas, 
     or other airport improvements that are necessary to install 
     bulk explosive detection systems: Provided further, That 
     notwithstanding any other provision of law, of funds limited 
     under this heading, not more than $107,100,000 shall be 
     obligated for administration, not less than $15,000,000 shall 
     be available for the Airport Cooperative Research Program, 
     not less than $29,750,000 shall be available for Airport 
     Technology Research, and $3,000,000, to remain available 
     until expended, shall be available and transferred to 
     ``Office of the Secretary, Salaries and Expenses'' to carry 
     out the Small Community Air Service Development Program.

                             (cancellation)

       Of the amounts authorized under sections 48103 and 48112 of 
     Title 49, United States Code, $260,000,000 are hereby 
     permanently cancelled from amounts authorized for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2015 and prior years.

       administrative provisions--federal aviation administration

       Sec. 110.  None of the funds in this Act may be used to 
     compensate in excess of 600 technical staff-years under the 
     federally funded research and development center contract 
     between the Federal Aviation Administration and the Center 
     for Advanced Aviation Systems Development during fiscal year 
     2015.
       Sec. 111.  None of the funds in this Act shall be used to 
     pursue or adopt guidelines or regulations requiring airport 
     sponsors to provide to the Federal Aviation Administration 
     without cost building construction, maintenance, utilities 
     and expenses, or space in airport sponsor-owned buildings for 
     services relating to air traffic control, air navigation, or 
     weather reporting: Provided, That the prohibition of funds in 
     this section does not apply to negotiations between the 
     agency and airport sponsors to achieve agreement on ``below-
     market'' rates for these items or to grant assurances that 
     require airport sponsors to provide land without cost to the 
     FAA for air traffic control facilities.
       Sec. 112.  The Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
     Administration may reimburse amounts made available to 
     satisfy 49 U.S.C. 41742(a)(1) from fees credited under 49 
     U.S.C. 45303 and any amount remaining in such account at the 
     close of that fiscal year may be made available to satisfy 
     section 41742(a)(1) for the subsequent fiscal year.
       Sec. 113.  Amounts collected under section 40113(e) of 
     title 49, United States Code, shall be credited to the 
     appropriation current at the time of collection, to be merged 
     with and available for the same purposes of such 
     appropriation.
       Sec. 114.  None of the funds in this Act shall be available 
     for paying premium pay under subsection 5546(a) of title 5, 
     United States Code, to any Federal Aviation Administration 
     employee unless such employee actually performed work during 
     the time corresponding to such premium pay.
       Sec. 115.  None of the funds in this Act may be obligated 
     or expended for an employee of the Federal Aviation 
     Administration to purchase a store gift card or gift 
     certificate through use of a Government-issued credit card.
       Sec. 116.  None of the funds in this Act may be obligated 
     or expended for retention bonuses for an employee of the 
     Federal Aviation Administration without the prior written 
     approval of the Assistant Secretary for Administration of the 
     Department of Transportation.
       Sec. 117.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none 
     of the funds made available under this Act or any prior Act 
     may be used to implement or to continue to implement any 
     limitation on the ability of any owner or operator of a 
     private aircraft to obtain, upon a request to the 
     Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, a 
     blocking of that owner's or operator's aircraft registration 
     number from any display of the Federal Aviation 
     Administration's Aircraft Situational Display to Industry 
     data that is made available to the public, except data made 
     available to a Government agency, for the noncommercial 
     flights of that owner or operator.
       Sec. 118.  None of the funds in this Act shall be available 
     for salaries and expenses of more than 9 political and 
     Presidential appointees in the Federal Aviation 
     Administration.
       Sec. 119.  None of the funds made available under this Act 
     may be used to increase fees pursuant to section 44721 of 
     title 49, United States Code, until the FAA provides to the 
     House and Senate Committees on Appropriations the report 
     related to aeronautical navigation products referred to in 
     the explanatory statement described in section 4 of the 
     Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014.
       Sec. 119A.  None of the funds appropriated or limited by 
     this Act may be used to change weight restrictions or prior 
     permission rules at Teterboro airport in Teterboro, New 
     Jersey.

                     Federal Highway Administration

                 limitation on administrative expenses

                          (highway trust fund)

                     (including transfer of funds)

       Contingent upon reauthorization, not to exceed 
     $426,100,000, together with advances and reimbursements 
     received by the Federal Highway Administration, shall be paid 
     in accordance with law from appropriations made available by 
     this Act to the Federal Highway Administration for necessary 
     expenses for administration and operation. In addition, not 
     to exceed $3,248,000 shall be paid from appropriations made 
     available by this Act and transferred to the Appalachian 
     Regional Commission in accordance with section 104 of title 
     23, United States Code.

                          federal-aid highways

                      (limitation on obligations)

                          (highway trust fund)

       Contingent upon reauthorization, funds available for the 
     implementation or execution of programs of Federal-aid 
     Highways and highway safety construction programs authorized 
     under titles 23 and 49, United States Code, and the 
     provisions of Public Law 112-141 shall not exceed total 
     obligations of $40,256,000,000 for fiscal year 2015: 
     Provided, That the Secretary may collect and spend fees, as 
     authorized by title 23, United States Code, to cover the 
     costs of services of expert firms, including counsel, in the 
     field of municipal and project finance to assist in the 
     underwriting and servicing of Federal credit instruments and 
     all or a portion of the costs to the Federal Government of 
     servicing such credit instruments: Provided further, That 
     such fees are available until expended to pay for such costs: 
     Provided further, That such amounts are in addition to 
     administrative expenses that are also available for such

[[Page 9596]]

     purpose, and are not subject to any obligation limitation or 
     the limitation on administrative expenses under section 608 
     of title 23, United States Code.

                (liquidation of contract authorization)

                          (highway trust fund)

       Contingent upon reauthorization, for the payment of 
     obligations incurred in carrying out Federal-aid Highways and 
     highway safety construction programs authorized under title 
     23, United States Code, $40,995,000,000, derived from the 
     Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account), to 
     remain available until expended.

       administrative provisions--federal highway administration

       Sec. 120.  Contingent upon reauthorization:
        (a) For fiscal year 2015, the Secretary of Transportation 
     shall--
       (1) not distribute from the obligation limitation for 
     Federal-aid Highways--
       (A) amounts authorized for administrative expenses and 
     programs by section 104(a) of title 23, United States Code; 
     and
       (B) amounts authorized for the Bureau of Transportation 
     Statistics;
       (2) not distribute an amount from the obligation limitation 
     for Federal-aid Highways that is equal to the unobligated 
     balance of amounts--
       (A) made available from the Highway Trust Fund (other than 
     the Mass Transit Account) for Federal-aid Highways and 
     highway safety construction programs for previous fiscal 
     years the funds for which are allocated by the Secretary (or 
     apportioned by the Secretary under sections 202 or 204 of 
     title 23, United States Code); and
       (B) for which obligation limitation was provided in a 
     previous fiscal year;
       (3) determine the proportion that--
       (A) the obligation limitation for Federal-aid Highways, 
     less the aggregate of amounts not distributed under 
     paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection; bears to
       (B) the total of the sums authorized to be appropriated for 
     the Federal-aid Highways and highway safety construction 
     programs (other than sums authorized to be appropriated for 
     provisions of law described in paragraphs (1) through (12) of 
     subsection (b) and sums authorized to be appropriated for 
     section 119 of title 23, United States Code, equal to the 
     amount referred to in subsection (b)(13) for such fiscal 
     year), less the aggregate of the amounts not distributed 
     under paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection;
       (4) distribute the obligation limitation for Federal-aid 
     Highways, less the aggregate amounts not distributed under 
     paragraphs (1) and (2), for each of the programs (other than 
     programs to which paragraph (1) applies) that are allocated 
     by the Secretary under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 
     21st Century Act and title 23, United States Code, or 
     apportioned by the Secretary under sections 202 or 204 of 
     that title, by multiplying--
       (A) the proportion determined under paragraph (3); by
       (B) the amounts authorized to be appropriated for each such 
     program for such fiscal year; and
       (5) distribute the obligation limitation for Federal-aid 
     Highways, less the aggregate amounts not distributed under 
     paragraphs (1) and (2) and the amounts distributed under 
     paragraph (4), for Federal-aid Highways and highway safety 
     construction programs that are apportioned by the Secretary 
     under title 23, United States Code (other than the amounts 
     apportioned for the National Highway Performance Program in 
     section 119 of title 23, United States Code, that are exempt 
     from the limitation under subsection (b)(13) and the amounts 
     apportioned under sections 202 and 204 of that title) in the 
     proportion that--
       (A) amounts authorized to be appropriated for the programs 
     that are apportioned under title 23, United States Code, to 
     each State for such fiscal year; bears to
       (B) the total of the amounts authorized to be appropriated 
     for the programs that are apportioned under title 23, United 
     States Code, to all States for such fiscal year.
       (b) Exceptions From Obligation Limitation.--The obligation 
     limitation for Federal-aid Highways shall not apply to 
     obligations under or for--
       (1) section 125 of title 23, United States Code;
       (2) section 147 of the Surface Transportation Assistance 
     Act of 1978 (23 U.S.C. 144 note; 92 Stat. 2714);
       (3) section 9 of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1981 (95 
     Stat. 1701);
       (4) subsections (b) and (j) of section 131 of the Surface 
     Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 (96 Stat. 2119);
       (5) subsections (b) and (c) of section 149 of the Surface 
     Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 
     (101 Stat. 198);
       (6) sections 1103 through 1108 of the Intermodal Surface 
     Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (105 Stat. 2027);
       (7) section 157 of title 23, United States Code (as in 
     effect on June 8, 1998);
       (8) section 105 of title 23, United States Code (as in 
     effect for fiscal years 1998 through 2004, but only in an 
     amount equal to $639,000,000 for each of those fiscal years);
       (9) Federal-aid Highways programs for which obligation 
     authority was made available under the Transportation Equity 
     Act for the 21st Century (112 Stat. 107) or subsequent Acts 
     for multiple years or to remain available until expended, but 
     only to the extent that the obligation authority has not 
     lapsed or been used;
       (10) section 105 of title 23, United States Code (as in 
     effect for fiscal years 2005 through 2012, but only in an 
     amount equal to $639,000,000 for each of those fiscal years);
       (11) section 1603 of SAFETEA-LU (23 U.S.C. 118 note; 119 
     Stat. 1248), to the extent that funds obligated in accordance 
     with that section were not subject to a limitation on 
     obligations at the time at which the funds were initially 
     made available for obligation; and
       (12) section 119 of title 23, United States Code (as in 
     effect for fiscal years 2013 and 2014, but only in an amount 
     equal to $639,000,000 for each of those fiscal years); and
       (13) section 119 of title 23, United States Code (but, for 
     fiscal year 2015, only in an amount equal to $639,000,000).
       (c) Redistribution of Unused Obligation Authority.--
     Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Secretary shall, after 
     August 1 of such fiscal year--
       (1) revise a distribution of the obligation limitation made 
     available under subsection (a) if an amount distributed 
     cannot be obligated during that fiscal year; and
       (2) redistribute sufficient amounts to those States able to 
     obligate amounts in addition to those previously distributed 
     during that fiscal year, giving priority to those States 
     having large unobligated balances of funds apportioned under 
     sections 144 (as in effect on the day before the date of 
     enactment of Public Law 112-141) and 104 of title 23, United 
     States Code.
       (d) Applicability of Obligation Limitations to 
     Transportation Research Programs.--
       (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
     obligation limitation for Federal-aid Highways shall apply to 
     contract authority for transportation research programs 
     carried out under--
       (A) chapter 5 of title 23, United States Code; and
       (B) division E of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st 
     Century Act.
       (2) Exception.--Obligation authority made available under 
     paragraph (1) shall--
       (A) remain available for a period of 4 fiscal years; and
       (B) be in addition to the amount of any limitation imposed 
     on obligations for Federal-aid Highways and highway safety 
     construction programs for future fiscal years.
       (e) Redistribution of Certain Authorized Funds.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
     distribution of obligation limitation under subsection (a), 
     the Secretary shall distribute to the States any funds 
     (excluding funds authorized for the program under section 202 
     of title 23, United States Code) that--
       (A) are authorized to be appropriated for such fiscal year 
     for Federal-aid Highways programs; and
       (B) the Secretary determines will not be allocated to the 
     States (or will not be apportioned to the States under 
     section 204 of title 23, United States Code), and will not be 
     available for obligation, for such fiscal year because of the 
     imposition of any obligation limitation for such fiscal year.
       (2) Ratio.--Funds shall be distributed under paragraph (1) 
     in the same proportion as the distribution of obligation 
     authority under subsection (a)(5).
       (3) Availability.--Funds distributed to each State under 
     paragraph (1) shall be available for any purpose described in 
     section 133(b) of title 23, United States Code.
       Sec. 121.  Notwithstanding 31 U.S.C. 3302, funds received 
     by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics from the sale of 
     data products, for necessary expenses incurred pursuant to 
     chapter 63 of title 49, United States Code, may be credited 
     to the Federal-aid Highways account for the purpose of 
     reimbursing the Bureau for such expenses: Provided, That such 
     funds shall be subject to the obligation limitation for 
     Federal-aid Highways and highway safety construction 
     programs.
       Sec. 122.  Not less than 15 days prior to waiving, under 
     his or her statutory authority, any Buy America requirement 
     for Federal-aid Highways projects, the Secretary of 
     Transportation shall make an informal public notice and 
     comment opportunity on the intent to issue such waiver and 
     the reasons therefor: Provided, That the Secretary shall 
     provide an annual report to the House and Senate Committees 
     on Appropriations on any waivers granted under the Buy 
     America requirements.
       Sec. 123. (a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection 
     (b), none of the funds made available, limited, or otherwise 
     affected by this Act shall be used to approve or otherwise 
     authorize the imposition of any toll on any segment of 
     highway located on the Federal-aid system in the State of 
     Texas that--
       (1) as of the date of enactment of this Act, is not tolled;
       (2) is constructed with Federal assistance provided under 
     title 23, United States Code; and

[[Page 9597]]

       (3) is in actual operation as of the date of enactment of 
     this Act.
       (b) Exceptions.--
       (1) Number of toll lanes.--Subsection (a) shall not apply 
     to any segment of highway on the Federal-aid system described 
     in that subsection that, as of the date on which a toll is 
     imposed on the segment, will have the same number of nontoll 
     lanes as were in existence prior to that date.
       (2) High-occupancy vehicle lanes.--A high-occupancy vehicle 
     lane that is converted to a toll lane shall not be subject to 
     this section, and shall not be considered to be a nontoll 
     lane for purposes of determining whether a highway will have 
     fewer nontoll lanes than prior to the date of imposition of 
     the toll, if--
       (A) high-occupancy vehicles occupied by the number of 
     passengers specified by the entity operating the toll lane 
     may use the toll lane without paying a toll, unless otherwise 
     specified by the appropriate county, town, municipal or other 
     local government entity, or public toll road or transit 
     authority; or
       (B) each high-occupancy vehicle lane that was converted to 
     a toll lane was constructed as a temporary lane to be 
     replaced by a toll lane under a plan approved by the 
     appropriate county, town, municipal or other local government 
     entity, or public toll road or transit authority.
       Sec. 124.  None of the funds in this Act to the Department 
     of Transportation may be used to provide credit assistance 
     unless not less than 3 days before any application approval 
     to provide credit assistance under sections 603 and 604 of 
     title 23, United States Code, the Secretary of Transportation 
     provides notification in writing to the following committees: 
     the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations; the 
     Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Committee 
     on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs of the Senate; and the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 
     of Representatives: Provided, That such notification shall 
     include, but not be limited to, the name of the project 
     sponsor; a description of the project; whether credit 
     assistance will be provided as a direct loan, loan guarantee, 
     or line of credit; and the amount of credit assistance.
       Sec. 125.  Section 127 of title 23, United States Code, is 
     amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(j) Operation of Vehicles on Certain Other Wisconsin 
     Highways.--If any segment of the United States Route 41 
     corridor, as described in section 1105(c)(57) of the 
     Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, is 
     designated as a route on the Interstate System, a vehicle 
     that could operate legally on that segment before the date of 
     such designation may continue to operate on that segment, 
     without regard to any requirement under subsection (a).
       ``(k) Longer Combination Vehicles in Idaho.--No limit or 
     other prohibition under this section, except as provided in 
     this subsection, applies to a longer combination vehicle 
     operating on a segment of the Interstate System in Idaho if 
     such vehicle--
       ``(1) has a gross vehicle weight of 129,000 pounds or less;
       ``(2) complies with the single axle, tandem axle, and 
     bridge formula limits set forth in subsection (a); and
       ``(3) is authorized to operate on such segment under Idaho 
     State law.
       ``(l) Operation of Vehicles on Certain Mississippi 
     Highways.--If any segment of United States Route 78 in 
     Mississippi from mile marker 0 to mile marker 113 is 
     designated as part of the Interstate System, no limit 
     established under this section may apply to that segment with 
     respect to the operation of any vehicle that could have 
     legally operated on that segment before such designation.''.


                     Amendment Offered by Mr. Duffy

  Mr. DUFFY. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Page 34, line 15, strike the closing quotation marks and 
     final period.
       Page 34, after line 15, insert the following:
       ``(m) Logging Vehicles in Wisconsin.--No limit or other 
     prohibition under this section, except as provided in this 
     subsection, applies to a vehicle transporting raw or 
     unfinished forest product and operating on Interstate Route 
     39 in Wisconsin from mile marker 175.8 to mile marker 189 if 
     such vehicle has a gross vehicle weight of 98,000 pounds or 
     less.''.

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the 
gentleman's amendment.
  The CHAIR. A point of order is reserved.
  The gentleman from Wisconsin is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DUFFY. Mr. Chairman, in central and northern Wisconsin, logging 
is an incredibly important industry for our community and for our 
economy.
  In Mosinee, Wisconsin, we have a very large paper mill. A vast 
majority of the wood that feeds that paper mill comes from northern 
Wisconsin. What happens is, the wood is harvested in northern Wisconsin 
and it comes down Highway 51, where the weight limit for trucks is 
98,000 pounds. In Wausau, Wisconsin, Highway 51 turns into I-39. It is 
at that time that the weight limit goes from 98,000 pounds down to 
80,000 pounds. At that point, those logging trucks are still 12 miles 
away from their destination, the paper mill.
  So what happens is our logging trucks go off the interstate and go 
onto our back roads--through our communities, through our 
neighborhoods, through downtown--where we have very tight-fitted areas 
and much narrower roads, all so they can make it to the paper mill.
  What my amendment would do, it would allow for a 12-mile extension so 
those trucks can come from our forests in northern Wisconsin and stay 
on the freeway that extra 12 miles to get to the paper mill.
  This amendment is an amendment that affects the safety of my 
community--my constituents--and it would have a small impact on our 
economy so those trucks have a straight route to the paper mill.
  With that, I would ask that my colleagues support my amendment, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.


                             Point of Order

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the 
amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes 
legislation in an appropriation bill and, therefore, violates clause 2 
of rule XXI.
  The rule states in pertinent part:
  ``An amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order 
if changing existing law.''
  The amendment directly amends existing law and is not merely 
perfecting to the existing text of the bill.
  I ask for a ruling from the Chair.
  The CHAIR. Does any other Member wish to be heard on the point of 
order?
  Mr. DUFFY. I do, Mr. Chairman.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman from Wisconsin is recognized to speak on the 
point of order.
  Mr. DUFFY. Mr. Chairman, what I would just ask then is that the 
chairman and the ranking member, when this goes to conference 
committee, if they would consider the issue that I brought up today, 
and consider my constituents and the safety of my constituents in 
central and northern Wisconsin.
  With that, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment.
  The CHAIR. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will read.
  The Clerk read as follows:

              Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

              motor carrier safety operations and programs

                (liquidation of contract authorization)

                      (limitation on obligations)

                          (highway trust fund)

       Contingent upon reauthorization, for payment of obligations 
     incurred in the implementation, execution and administration 
     of motor carrier safety operations and programs pursuant to 
     section 31104(i) of title 49, United States Code, and 
     sections 4127 and 4134 of Public Law 109-59, as amended by 
     Public Law 112-141, $259,000,000, to be derived from the 
     Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account), 
     together with advances and reimbursements received by the 
     Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the sum of which 
     shall remain available until expended: Provided, That funds 
     available for implementation, execution or administration of 
     motor carrier safety operations and programs authorized under 
     title 49, United States Code, shall not exceed total 
     obligations of $259,000,000 for ``Motor Carrier Safety 
     Operations and Programs'' for fiscal year 2015, of which 
     $9,000,000, to remain available for obligation until 
     September 30, 2017, is for the research and technology 
     program, and of which $1,000,000 shall be available for 
     commercial motor vehicle operator's grants to carry out 
     section 4134 of Public Law 109-59, and of which $34,545,000, 
     to remain available for obligation until September 30, 2017, 
     is for information management.

                      motor carrier safety grants

                (liquidation of contract authorization)

                      (limitation on obligations)

                          (highway trust fund)

       Contingent upon reauthorization, for payment of obligations 
     incurred in carrying out sections 31102, 31104(a), 31106, 
     31107, 31109, 31309, 31313 of title 49, United States Code, 
     and sections 4126 and 4128 of Public Law 109-

[[Page 9598]]

     59, as amended by Public Law 112-141, $313,000,000, to be 
     derived from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass 
     Transit Account) and to remain available until expended: 
     Provided, That funds available for the implementation or 
     execution of motor carrier safety programs shall not exceed 
     total obligations of $313,000,000 in fiscal year 2015 for 
     ``Motor Carrier Safety Grants''; of which $218,000,000 shall 
     be available for the motor carrier safety assistance program, 
     $30,000,000 shall be available for the commercial driver's 
     license improvements program, $32,000,000 shall be available 
     for border enforcement grants, $5,000,000 shall be available 
     for the performance and registration information system 
     management program, $25,000,000 shall be available for the 
     commercial vehicle information systems and networks 
     deployment program, and $3,000,000 shall be available for the 
     safety data improvement program: Provided further, That, of 
     the funds made available herein for the motor carrier safety 
     assistance program, $32,000,000 shall be available for audits 
     of new entrant motor carriers.

 administrative provisions--federal motor carrier safety administration

       Sec. 130.  Funds appropriated or limited in this Act shall 
     be subject to the terms and conditions stipulated in section 
     350 of Public Law 107-87 and section 6901 of Public Law 110-
     28.
       Sec. 131.  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 
     shall send notice of 49 C.F.R. section 385.308 violations by 
     certified mail, registered mail, or another manner of 
     delivery, which records the receipt of the notice by the 
     persons responsible for the violations.

             National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

                        operations and research

       For expenses necessary to discharge the functions of the 
     Secretary, with respect to traffic and highway safety 
     authorized under chapter 301 and part C of subtitle VI of 
     title 49, United States Code, $134,000,000, of which 
     $22,500,000 shall remain available through September 30, 
     2016.

                        operations and research

                (liquidation of contract authorization)

                      (limitation on obligations)

                          (highway trust fund)

       Contingent upon reauthorization, for payment of obligations 
     incurred in carrying out the provisions of 23 U.S.C. 403, and 
     chapter 303 of title 49, United States Code, $128,500,000, to 
     be derived from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass 
     Transit Account) and to remain available until expended: 
     Provided, That none of the funds in this Act shall be 
     available for the planning or execution of programs the total 
     obligations for which, in fiscal year 2015, are in excess of 
     $128,500,000, of which $123,500,000 shall be for programs 
     authorized under 23 U.S.C. 403 and $5,000,000 shall be for 
     the National Driver Register authorized under chapter 303 of 
     title 49, United States Code: Provided further, That within 
     the $123,500,000 obligation limitation for operations and 
     research, $22,500,000 shall remain available until September 
     30, 2016, and shall be in addition to the amount of any 
     limitation imposed on obligations for future years: Provided 
     further, That $10,000,000 of the total obligation limitation 
     for operations and research in fiscal year 2015 shall be 
     applied toward unobligated balances of contract authority 
     provided in prior Acts for carrying out the provisions of 23 
     U.S.C. 403, and chapter 303 of title 49, United States Code.

                     highway traffic safety grants

                (liquidation of contract authorization)

                      (limitation on obligations)

                          (highway trust fund)

       Contingent upon reauthorization, for payment of obligations 
     incurred in carrying out provisions of 23 U.S.C. 402 and 405, 
     section 2009 of Public Law 109-59, as amended by Public Law 
     112-141, and section 31101(a)(6) of Public Law 112-141, to 
     remain available until expended, $561,500,000, to be derived 
     from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit 
     Account): Provided, That none of the funds in this Act shall 
     be available for the planning or execution of programs the 
     total obligations for which, in fiscal year 2015, are in 
     excess of $561,500,000 for programs authorized under 23 
     U.S.C. 402 and 405, section 2009 of Public Law 109-59, as 
     amended by Public Law 112-141, and section 31101(a)(6) of 
     Public Law 112-141, of which $235,000,000 shall be for 
     ``Highway Safety Programs'' under 23 U.S.C. 402; $272,000,000 
     shall be for ``National Priority Safety Programs'' under 23 
     U.S.C. 405; $29,000,000 shall be for ``High Visibility 
     Enforcement Program'' under section 2009 of Public Law 109-
     59, as amended by Public Law 112-141; $25,500,000 shall be 
     for ``Administrative Expenses'' under section 31101(a)(6) of 
     Public Law 112-141: Provided further, That none of these 
     funds shall be used for construction, rehabilitation, or 
     remodeling costs, or for office furnishings and fixtures for 
     State, local or private buildings or structures: Provided 
     further, That not to exceed $500,000 of the funds made 
     available for ``National Priority Safety Programs'' under 23 
     U.S.C. 405 for ``Impaired Driving Countermeasures'' (as 
     described in subsection (d) of that section) shall be 
     available for technical assistance to the States: Provided 
     further, That with respect to the ``Transfers'' provision 
     under 23 U.S.C. 405(a)(1)(G), any amounts transferred to 
     increase the amounts made available under section 402 shall 
     include the obligation authority for such amounts: Provided 
     further, That the Administrator shall notify the House and 
     Senate Committees on Appropriations of any exercise of the 
     authority granted under the previous proviso or under 23 
     U.S.C. 405(a)(1)(G) within 60 days.

      administrative provisions--national highway traffic safety 
                             administration

       Sec. 140.  Contingent upon reauthorization, an additional 
     $130,000 shall be made available to the National Highway 
     Traffic Safety Administration, out of the amount limited for 
     section 402 of title 23, United States Code, to pay for 
     travel and related expenses for State management reviews and 
     to pay for core competency development training and related 
     expenses for highway safety staff.
       Sec. 141.  The limitations on obligations for the programs 
     of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration set in 
     this Act shall not apply to obligations for which obligation 
     authority was made available in previous public laws but only 
     to the extent that the obligation authority has not lapsed or 
     been used.
       Sec. 142.  None of the funds in this Act shall be used to 
     implement section 404 of title 23, United States Code.

                    Federal Railroad Administration

                         safety and operations

       For necessary expenses of the Federal Railroad 
     Administration, not otherwise provided for, $185,250,000, of 
     which $12,400,000 shall remain available until expended.

                   railroad research and development

       For necessary expenses for railroad research and 
     development, $35,250,000, to remain available until expended.

       railroad rehabilitation and improvement financing program

       The Secretary of Transportation is authorized to issue 
     direct loans and loan guarantees pursuant to sections 501 
     through 504 of the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory 
     Reform Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-210), as amended, such 
     authority to exist as long as any such direct loan or loan 
     guarantee is outstanding: Provided, That, pursuant to section 
     502 of such Act, as amended, no new direct loans or loan 
     guarantee commitments shall be made using Federal funds for 
     the credit risk premium during fiscal year 2015: Provided 
     further, That no new direct loans or loan guarantee 
     commitments made under the Railroad Rehabilitation and 
     Improvement Financing Program in fiscal year 2015 shall cause 
     the total principal amount of direct loans and loan 
     guarantees committed under the Railroad Rehabilitation and 
     Improvement Financing Program to projects in a single state 
     to exceed $5,600,000,000.

    operating grants to the national railroad passenger corporation

       To enable the Secretary of Transportation to make quarterly 
     grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, in 
     amounts based on the Secretary's assessment of the 
     Corporation's seasonal cash flow requirements, for the 
     operation of intercity passenger rail, as authorized by 
     section 101 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement 
     Act of 2008 (division B of Public Law 110-432), $340,000,000, 
     to remain available until expended: Provided, That the 
     amounts available under this paragraph shall be available for 
     the Secretary to approve funding to cover operating losses 
     for the Corporation only after receiving and reviewing a 
     grant request for each specific train route: Provided 
     further, That each such grant request shall be accompanied by 
     a detailed financial analysis, revenue projection, and 
     capital expenditure projection justifying the Federal support 
     to the Secretary's satisfaction: Provided further, That not 
     later than 60 days after enactment of this Act, the 
     Corporation shall transmit, in electronic format, to the 
     Secretary and the House and Senate Committees on 
     Appropriations the annual budget, business plan, the 5-Year 
     Financial Plan for fiscal year 2015 required under section 
     204 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 
     2008 and the comprehensive fleet plan for all Amtrak rolling 
     stock: Provided further, That the budget, business plan and 
     the 5-Year Financial Plan shall include annual information on 
     the maintenance, refurbishment, replacement, and expansion 
     for all Amtrak rolling stock consistent with the 
     comprehensive fleet plan: Provided further, That the 
     Corporation shall provide monthly performance reports in an 
     electronic format which shall describe the work completed to 
     date, any changes to the business plan, and the reasons for 
     such changes as well as progress against the milestones and 
     target dates of the 2012 performance improvement plan: 
     Provided further, That the Corporation's budget, business 
     plan, 5-Year Financial Plan, semiannual reports, monthly 
     reports, comprehensive fleet plan and all supplemental 
     reports or plans comply with requirements in Public Law 112-
     55: Provided further, That none of the funds provided in this 
     Act may be used to support any route on which Amtrak offers a 
     discounted fare of more than 50 percent off the normal peak 
     fare: Provided further, That the preceding proviso does not 
     apply to routes where the operating loss as a result of the 
     discount is covered by a State and the State participates in 
     the setting of fares.

[[Page 9599]]




               Amendment Offered by Mr. Broun of Georgia

  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Page 42, line 15, after the dollar amount insert ``(reduced 
     by $340,000,000)''.
       Page 156, line 16, after the dollar amount insert 
     ``(increased by $340,000,000)''.

  The CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would reduce the 
amount appropriated for the operating grants to Amtrak by $340 million 
and increase the spending reduction account by the same amount. This 
reduction would eliminate all operating funds for Amtrak.
  My amendment to some might be quite harsh, but I suspect that my 
colleagues who support Amtrak will argue that since the underlying bill 
keeps funding at concurrent levels, we should leave the embattled 
entity alone.
  But the committee report for this bill gives us plenty of reasons why 
we shouldn't allow Amtrak to continue at the status quo.
  The first sentence in the committee report says:

       Amtrak runs a deficit each year and requires a Federal 
     subsidy to cover both operating losses and capital 
     improvements.

  A couple of paragraphs later it says:

       Although the Northeast corridor is profitable, the 
     federally mandated services such as long-distance and State-
     supported routes sustain large losses that cannot be overcome 
     by Amtrak's profitable services.

  Let's talk about the long-distance routes, Mr. Chairman.
  According to Amtrak's fiscal year 2013 ridership tables, the long-
distance routes experienced the highest ridership in 20 years at 4.8 
million passengers. That sounds pretty good. But despite this growth, 
these routes still lost $587 million last year. In other words, for 
every passenger who traveled on one of Amtrak's long-distance routes 
last year, Amtrak lost $122.29.

                              {time}  1500

  If you found a good deal on Priceline, we might be able to actually 
cut our losses by buying these passengers one-way airline tickets, and 
they would get to their destinations much more quickly.
  I wish I could say that this was the extent of Amtrak's failures. 
Unfortunately, I can't.
  Let's go back to the committee report. The report also addresses 
Amtrak's notoriously wasteful food and beverage service, which lost an 
estimated $73 million in fiscal year 2013 alone. Over the last 5 years, 
food and beverage service has been responsible for approximately $387 
million in total losses, on top of the long-distance losses.
  Look at the fine print. The committee points out that Amtrak 
routinely cooks its books to make these losses look better, usually by 
transferring amounts from first class tickets onto the food and 
beverage accounts. The current Amtrak inspector general has reported 
that these transfers have increased by more than $22 million between 
fiscal year 2006 and fiscal year 2012.
  So while the topline numbers make it look as though the food and 
beverage losses have gotten slightly less over the past year, with 
current estimated cost recovery at a paltry 65 percent, these numbers 
can't be trusted in the least.
  Had enough, Mr. Chairman?
  Let me leave you with one final thought: Amtrak is losing money hand 
over fist. They are cooking their books. There is not an end in sight.
  How much do you suppose Amtrak's food and beverage service employees 
are paid annually? According to the committee report, these 1,200 
employees are paid an average $106,000 a year.
  Amtrak is a pseudo-private entity with priorities that are way, way 
out of whack, and it will not become solvent, it will not right itself, 
until Congress steps up and says enough is enough, and now is the time 
for enough.
  I urge my colleagues to join me and send Amtrak a message that its 
mismanagement should come to an end and that it is intolerable to us 
and the U.S. taxpayers.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman from Iowa is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman's amendment would shut down 
Amtrak.
  I concede that Amtrak could be more efficient. However, it has made 
significant improvements in this area recently, and it is moving in the 
right direction.
  The bill provides $340 million in operation grants to Amtrak, which 
fully cover Amtrak's anticipated operating losses for fiscal year 2015. 
This is a realistic number that we base on Amtrak's most recent 
operating loss projections.
  The bill does not include arbitrary funding decisions. We held 
hearings, and we scrubbed every account. It isn't prudent to eliminate 
an entire transportation option.
  I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment, and I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the 
amendment, and I would tell my colleague and friend, the Congressman 
from Georgia, that harsh is more than mild, in what you want to do.
  I know that you and I want to continue to have constituents take the 
``Midnight Train to Georgia,'' and I can't support your amendment.
  I will tell you, Mr. Chairman, that I don't do Amtrak because we have 
just a few lines in Arizona, but I understand that Amtrak is very 
important to the Northeast and other parts of the country.
  In my opinion, this is the Nation's railroad line. We need to improve 
it. I am for that. This amendment would not improve it. It would 
eliminate it.
  I am in opposition to this amendment, and I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Broun).
  The amendment was rejected.


               Amendment Offered by Mr. Broun of Georgia

  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Page 42, line 15, after the dollar amount insert ``(reduced 
     by $34,000,000)''.
       Page 156, line 16, after the dollar amount insert 
     ``(increased by $34,000,000)''.

  The CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is along the same 
lines as the amendment I just offered, only it would reduce Amtrak 
operating grants by a paltry amount of only $34 million or just a 10 
percent reduction.
  In offering my last amendment, I laid out a number of reasons why 
Amtrak has failed to be a good steward of taxpayers' money.
  I understand that many of my colleagues might not want to fully 
defund this entity, so I am now asking that we join together and send a 
message to Amtrak leadership, a smaller message, but a strong one 
nonetheless.
  I am asking my colleagues to tell Amtrak that we will not continue to 
reward bad behavior and that, when we ask for reform, we expect real 
reform to begin and take place--not fuzzy numbers, not misleading 
reports, not sky-high employee salaries, but real, honest reform.
  Amtrak has struggled for way too long under the status quo. It is 
time to send them a message.
  I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman from Iowa is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, I have to oppose the amendment.
  The fact of the matter is the bill provides $340 million in operating 
grants

[[Page 9600]]

to Amtrak, which will fully cover their operating losses. If in fact 
the amendment were put in place, there could very easily be 
interruptions of service in the Northeast or throughout the system, and 
it could cause real problems as far as the operations itself, 
obviously, of Amtrak.
  For those reasons, I would oppose the amendment, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, we are also in opposition to the 
amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Broun).
  The question was taken; and the Chair announced that the noes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
  The CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on 
the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia will be postponed.
  The Clerk will read.
  The Clerk read as follows:

  capital and debt service grants to the national railroad passenger 
                              corporation

       To enable the Secretary of Transportation to make grants to 
     the National Railroad Passenger Corporation for capital 
     investments as authorized by section 101(c), 102, and 219(b) 
     of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 
     (division B of Public Law 110-432), $850,000,000, to remain 
     available until expended, of which not to exceed $150,000,000 
     shall be for debt service obligations as authorized by 
     section 102 of such Act: Provided, That of the amounts made 
     available under this heading, not less than $50,000,000 shall 
     be made available to bring Amtrak-served facilities and 
     stations into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities 
     Act: Provided further, That after an initial distribution of 
     up to $200,000,000, which shall be used by the Corporation as 
     a working capital account, all remaining funds shall be 
     provided to the Corporation only on a reimbursable basis: 
     Provided further, That of the amounts made available under 
     this heading, up to $20,000,000 may be used by the Secretary 
     to subsidize operating losses of the Corporation should the 
     funds provided under the heading ``Operating Grants to the 
     National Railroad Passenger Corporation'' be insufficient to 
     meet operational costs for fiscal year 2015: Provided 
     further, That the Secretary may retain up to one-half of 1 
     percent of the funds provided under this heading to fund the 
     costs of project management and oversight of activities 
     authorized by subsections 101(a) and 101(c) of division B of 
     Public Law 110-432: Provided further, That the Secretary 
     shall approve funding for capital expenditures, including 
     advance purchase orders of materials, for the Corporation 
     only after receiving and reviewing a grant request for each 
     specific capital project justifying the Federal support to 
     the Secretary's satisfaction: Provided further, That except 
     as otherwise provided herein, none of the funds under this 
     heading may be used to subsidize operating losses of the 
     Corporation: Provided further, That none of the funds under 
     this heading may be used for capital projects not approved by 
     the Secretary of Transportation or on the Corporation's 
     fiscal year 2015 business plan: Provided further, That in 
     addition to the project management oversight funds authorized 
     under section 101(d) of division B of Public Law 110-432, the 
     Secretary may retain up to an additional $5,000,000 of the 
     funds provided under this heading to fund expenses associated 
     with implementing section 212 of division B of Public Law 
     110-432, including the amendments made by section 212 to 
     section 24905 of title 49, United States Code.

       administrative provisions--federal railroad administration

       Sec. 150. The Secretary of Transportation may receive and 
     expend cash, or receive and utilize spare parts and similar 
     items, from non-United States Government sources to repair 
     damages to or replace United States Government owned 
     automated track inspection cars and equipment as a result of 
     third-party liability for such damages, and any amounts 
     collected under this section shall be credited directly to 
     the Safety and Operations account of the Federal Railroad 
     Administration, and shall remain available until expended for 
     the repair, operation and maintenance of automated track 
     inspection cars and equipment in connection with the 
     automated track inspection program.
       Sec. 151. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule 
     or regulation, the Secretary of Transportation is authorized 
     to allow the issuer of any preferred stock heretofore sold to 
     the Department to redeem or repurchase such stock upon the 
     payment to the Department of an amount to be determined by 
     the Secretary.
       Sec. 152. None of the funds provided to the National 
     Railroad Passenger Corporation may be used to fund any 
     overtime costs in excess of $35,000 for any individual 
     employee: Provided, That the president of Amtrak may waive 
     the cap set in the previous proviso for specific employees 
     when the president of Amtrak determines such a cap poses a 
     risk to the safety and operational efficiency of the system: 
     Provided further, That Amtrak shall notify the House and 
     Senate Committees on Appropriations each quarter of the 
     calendar year on waivers granted to employees and amounts 
     paid above the cap for each month within such quarter and 
     provide documentation of the specific activities of each 
     employee during his or her paid overtime in excess of $35,000 
     and how the work resulted in increased safety or operational 
     efficiencies: Provided further, That the president of Amtrak 
     shall certify the documentation in the previous proviso is 
     accurate and correct: Provided further, That Amtrak shall 
     provide to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations 
     by March 1, 2015, a summary of all overtime payments incurred 
     by the Corporation for 2014 and the two prior calendar years: 
     Provided further, That such summary shall include the total 
     number of employees that received waivers and the total 
     overtime payments the Corporation paid to those employees 
     receiving waivers for each month for 2014 and for the two 
     prior calendar years.

                     Federal Transit Administration

                        administrative expenses

       For necessary administrative expenses of the Federal 
     Transit Administration's programs authorized by chapter 53 of 
     title 49, United States Code, $103,000,000, of which not more 
     than $4,000,000 shall be available to carry out the 
     provisions of 49 U.S.C. 5329 and not less than $1,000,000 
     shall be available to carry out the provisions of 49 U.S.C. 
     5326: Provided, That none of the funds provided or limited in 
     this Act may be used to create a permanent office of transit 
     security under this heading: Provided further, That upon 
     submission to the Congress of the fiscal year 2016 
     President's budget, the Secretary of Transportation shall 
     transmit to Congress the annual report on New Starts, 
     including proposed allocations for fiscal year 2016.


                  Amendment Offered by Mr. Butterfield

  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Page 48, line 5, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $2,000,000)''.
       Page 49, line 21, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $2,000,000)''.
       Page 49, line 22, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $2,000,000)''.

  The CHAIR. The gentleman from North Carolina is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Chairman, the amendment that I am offering today 
with my good friends--Congressman Langevin, Congressman Price, and 
Congressman Quigley--will increase funding for FTA technical assistance 
and training back simply to the 2014 levels.
  Individuals with disabilities and older adults disproportionately 
rely on public transit to live, learn, work, and access recreation in 
their communities. There is a complex and ever-evolving need to adapt 
our transit systems and services, so they are more accessible for 
people with disabilities and older adults who rely on them.
  FTA, Mr. Chairman, has a long history of working with Easter Seals, 
the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, and others to 
provide training, technical assistance, and other problem-solving 
support to the transit industry, people with disabilities, and older 
adults; and it is imperative for this work to continue as more people 
age and more people with disabilities seek to live as independently as 
possible.
  Mr. LATHAM. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. I yield to the gentleman from Iowa.
  Mr. LATHAM. We will accept the amendment.
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Thank you, Mr. Latham.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Chair, the amendment I authored with my good 
friends Congressman Price, Congressman Quigley and Congressman 
Butterfield will increase funding for FTA Technical Assistance and 
Training, returning them to their 2014 levels.
  The technical assistance and training dollars made available by this 
amendment will help increase mobility for people with disabilities and 
older adults. By providing this assistance to our transit systems and 
services, we can

[[Page 9601]]

ensure they become more accessible for those who rely on them the most.
  Easter Seals, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and 
others have a long history of working with the FTA to provide training, 
technical assistance and support services to the transit industry, the 
elderly and people with disabilities. It is critical for this work to 
continue, especially as more people age and more of those with 
disabilities seek to live as independently as possible.
  For FTA to do this effectively, it must have adequate resources to 
support these technical assistance activities.
  Accordingly, our amendment will increase funding by $2 million for 
FTA Technical Assistance and Training, restoring it to $5 million, 
which equals last year's levels.
  Individuals with disabilities and older adults disproportionately 
rely on public transit to work, live, learn, and access recreation in 
their communities. I ask that my colleagues support this amendment, 
which will provide immeasurable benefits to all those it serves.
  The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman 
from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield).
  The amendment was agreed to.


              Amendment Offered by Mr. Griffin of Arkansas

  Mr. GRIFFIN of Arkansas. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the 
desk.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Page 48, line 5, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $500,000)''.
       Page 57, line 16, after the first dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $500,000)''.

  The CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GRIFFIN of Arkansas. Mr. Chairman, I want to begin by thanking 
Chairman Latham.
  Mr. LATHAM. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. GRIFFIN of Arkansas. I yield to the gentleman from Iowa.
  Mr. LATHAM. We accept the amendment.
  Mr. GRIFFIN of Arkansas. I want to, again, thank Chairman Latham, who 
has made this possible, working with his staff. I want to thank all the 
bipartisan support for this amendment from Mr. Kind, Mr. Walz, and Mr. 
Terry, as well as my staff.
  I want to acknowledge the success that this builds on from the 
omnibus bill passed earlier this year, which incorporated my amendment 
from the FY14 T-HUD bill to increase funding for DOT's Pipeline and 
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA, over lower 
priority programs.
  Mr. Chairman, on March 29, 2014, the ExxonMobil Pegasus pipeline in 
Mayflower, Arkansas, the Second Congressional District, suffered a 
catastrophic accidental rupture.
  It inundated nearby homes and businesses with thousands of gallons of 
spilled oil. I am committed to making things right for the people of 
Mayflower and ensuring that another spill never occurs again in 
Arkansas.
  PHMSA is the Federal Government's primary agency for regulating and 
ensuring the safe and secure movement of oil and petroleum products to 
industry and consumers through America's interstate pipelines. As an 
interstate pipeline, the inspection of the Pegasus pipeline was and is 
PHMSA's responsibility.
  Pipelines move nearly two-thirds of the oil and petroleum products 
transported annually. Interstate pipelines deliver over 11.3 billion 
barrels of petroleum each year. The cost to transport a barrel of 
petroleum products from Houston to the New York Harbor is about a 
dollar.
  American pipelines are, without question, the safest way to move oil, 
and ensuring the safe operation of pipelines that move oil from one 
State to another is unquestionably a necessary function of the Federal 
Government.
  Although the amount of oil spilled from these pipelines is a minimal 
fraction of what we safely transport every day throughout the country, 
there is more we can do to ensure they are operated safely.
  My amendment would increase the budget for PHMSA's operational 
expenses by $500,000 to further ensure the safety of our Nation's 
pipeline, and it will be taking this money from another account.
  This appropriation finances the operational support costs for PHMSA 
and will help keep these pipelines and the communities like Mayflower 
that surround them safe from other tragic but preventable accidents, 
without spending additional dollars.
  I ask that the House support this amendment.
  I thank the chairman for supporting this amendment, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman 
from Arkansas (Mr. Griffin).
  The amendment was agreed to.

                              {time}  1515

  The CHAIR. The Clerk will read.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                         transit formula grants

                (liquidation of contract authorization)

                      (limitation on obligations)

                          (highway trust fund)

       Contingent upon enactment of multi-year surface 
     transportation authorization legislation, for payment of 
     obligations incurred in the Federal Public Transportation 
     Assistance Program in this account, and for payment of 
     obligations incurred in carrying out the provisions of 49 
     U.S.C. 5305, 5307, 5310, 5311, 5318, 5322(d), 5329(e)(6), 
     5335, 5337, 5339, and 5340, as amended by Public Law 112-141; 
     and section 20005(b) of Public Law 112-141, as amended, 
     $9,500,000,000, to be derived from the Mass Transit Account 
     of the Highway Trust Fund and to remain available until 
     expended: Provided, That funds available for the 
     implementation or execution of programs authorized under 49 
     U.S.C. 5305, 5307, 5310, 5311, 5318, 5322(d), 5329(e)(6), 
     5335, 5337, 5339, and 5340, as amended by Public Law 112-141, 
     and section 20005(b) of Public Law 112-141, shall not exceed 
     total obligations of $8,595,000,000 in fiscal year 2015.

                            transit research

       For necessary expenses to carry out 49 U.S.C. 5312 and 
     5313, $15,000,000, to remain available until expended: 
     Provided, That $14,000,000 shall be for activities authorized 
     under 49 U.S.C. 5312 and $1,000,000 shall be for activities 
     authorized under 49 U.S.C. 5313.

                   technical assistance and training

       For necessary expenses to carry out 49 U.S.C. 5314 and 
     5322(a), (b) and (e), $3,000,000, to remain available until 
     expended: Provided, That $2,000,000 shall be for activities 
     authorized under 49 U.S.C. 5314 and $1,000,000 shall be for 
     activities authorized under 49 U.S.C. 5322(a), (b) and (e).

                       capital investment grants

                    (including rescission of funds)

       For necessary expenses to carry out 49 U.S.C. 5309, 
     $1,691,000,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, 
     That of the unobligated balances made available under this 
     heading in division L of Public Law 113-76, $65,000,000 is 
     hereby rescinded.

      grants to the washington metropolitan area transit authority

       For grants to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit 
     Authority as authorized under section 601 of division B of 
     Public Law 110-432, $150,000,000, to remain available until 
     expended: Provided, That the Secretary shall approve grants 
     for capital and preventive maintenance expenditures for the 
     Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority only after 
     receiving and reviewing a request for each specific project: 
     Provided further, That, prior to approving such grants, the 
     Secretary shall determine that the Washington Metropolitan 
     Area Transit Authority has placed the highest priority on 
     those investments that will improve the safety of the system: 
     Provided further, That the Secretary, in order to ensure 
     safety throughout the rail system, may waive the requirements 
     of section 601(e)(1) of title VI of Public Law 110-432 (112 
     Stat. 4968).

       administrative provisions--federal transit administration

                        (including rescissions)

       Sec. 160.  The limitations on obligations for the programs 
     of the Federal Transit Administration shall not apply to any 
     authority under 49 U.S.C. 5338, previously made available for 
     obligation, or to any other authority previously made 
     available for obligation.
       Sec. 161.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
     funds appropriated or limited by this Act under the heading 
     ``Fixed Guideway Capital Investment'' of the Federal Transit 
     Administration for projects specified in this Act or 
     identified in reports accompanying this Act not obligated by 
     September 30, 2019, and other recoveries, shall be directed 
     to projects eligible to use the funds for the purposes for 
     which they were originally provided.
       Sec. 162.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any 
     funds appropriated before October 1, 2014, under any section 
     of chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, that remain 
     available for expenditure, may be transferred to and 
     administered under the most recent appropriation heading for 
     any such section.
       Sec. 163.  For purposes of applying the project 
     justification and local financial commitment criteria of 49 
     U.S.C. 5309(d) to a New

[[Page 9602]]

     Starts project, the Secretary may consider the costs and 
     ridership of any connected project in an instance in which 
     private parties are making significant financial 
     contributions to the construction of the connected project; 
     additionally, the Secretary may consider the significant 
     financial contributions of private parties to the connected 
     project in calculating the non-Federal share of net capital 
     project costs for the New Starts project.
       Sec. 164.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none 
     of the funds made available in this Act shall be used to 
     enter into a full funding grant agreement for a project with 
     a New Starts share greater than 50 percent.
       Sec. 165.  None of the funds in this or any other Act may 
     be available to advance in any way a new light or heavy rail 
     project towards a full funding grant agreement as defined by 
     49 U.S.C. 5309 for the Metropolitan Transit Authority of 
     Harris County, Texas if the proposed capital project is 
     constructed on or planned to be constructed on Richmond 
     Avenue west of South Shepherd Drive or on Post Oak Boulevard 
     north of Richmond Avenue in Houston, Texas.


                 Amendment Offered by Mr. Poe of Texas

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Page 52, strike lines 13 through 21.

  The CHAIR. The gentleman from Texas is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, today, I rise to introduce an 
amendment to strike section 165 from the underlying bill. Section 165 
states that no funds ``in this or any other act'' may be available for 
a light or heavy rail project in Houston, Texas, if the route goes 
through Richmond or down Post Oak Boulevard.
  This language is contrary to the will of the voters of Harris County, 
Texas, and should not be included in this Federal Government 
appropriations bill. Houstonians voted in support of new transportation 
options for the Houston area in a local referendum in 2003. Now some 
disagree with the results of that referendum, but local voters have 
made their decision, and I rise to support their right to make these 
decisions in Houston, Texas, and in local elections without the 
interference of Congress.
  If the Federal Government has the right to overrule a local election 
and referendum, then what is next?
  Blocking Federal funds via obscure riders in appropriations bills in 
order to try and steer routing decisions is wrong. It is inappropriate 
overreach by the Federal Government. It violates the will of the voters 
of Harris County, and, ultimately, it hurts the City of Houston, Texas.
  For Members outside of Texas who may be unfamiliar with this debate, 
the precedent that this language will set, if allowed to remain in the 
bill, is far-reaching, and it will affect more than just Texas. The 
passage of this language as is means that local votes just don't matter 
to Congress and that local officials don't really decide transportation 
matters in each State and city because these decisions can be toyed 
with and overruled by Congress.
  This language is also bad policy. It is a throwback to the old 
Houston when our only transportation plan was to build more highways as 
far as the eye could see and block attempts to do anything else.
  Houston has one of the most expansive and efficient highway systems 
in the world, and, with the soon-to-be-completed Grand Parkway, the 
system will be even better, but we can only build so many roads. We can 
only build so many concrete monstrosities like the I-10 West corridor. 
Over 130,000 people moved to Harris County last year. That is as many 
as in Charleston, South Carolina, and another estimated 150,000 will 
move to Harris County next year. Houston will soon be the third largest 
city in the country, overtaking Chicago. With this increase in 
population, we need solutions for transportation, not attempts to 
stonewall all options from Washington.
  The debate that we are having on the floor is not about whether or 
not METRO is doing a good job, nor is it even about METRO. We know that 
METRO has had its fair share of problems over the years. It must get 
its financial house in order, and it must become efficient. It also 
must get the credibility it needs from the voters once again, but it is 
not our job to debate that local issue in Congress. The voters in a 
local referendum made that decision 11 years ago. It is an 
inappropriate misuse of authority to divert money away from Houston 
because the Federal Government disagrees with the outcome of a local 
election. As the saying goes, we need to let Texans run Texas. These 
decisions should be made at the local level.
  Supporters of this language may try to argue that this is an attempt 
at fiscal responsibility. That is nonsense. This money is already 
appropriated for Houston. If Houston doesn't use it, it is not going 
back into the coffers, and it is not going to pay down the national 
debt. The money is going to some other city that will take the money. 
The idea that we will not take available transportation money for 
Houston sets a bad precedent for Houston because the next time Houston 
wants some Federal money, which is taxpayer money, we may not be so 
fortunate to get that money, because the folks up here said: Well, we 
offered you money once before, and you didn't take it. No more money 
for transportation.
  Houston is a donor State. Of the funds we send up here, 91 percent is 
all we get back. We don't get the other 9 percent.
  This is about the availability of transportation money to Houston, 
Texas. The underlying bill prohibits that money because of certain 
factors in the Houston area that don't like the outcome of this 
election and that don't like light rail. Debate that issue in the city. 
Let city officials make that decision. Let METRO make that decision. 
Let there be a lively debate among the citizens who are affected by 
light rail, but don't let Congress come in and overrule the will of the 
people of Houston, Texas, in an election that they had 11 years ago to 
accept Federal funding when it is appropriate for us to take it.
  And that's just the way it is.
  Mr. Chairman, I submit for the Record letters from the North Montrose 
Civic Association, the Greater Houston Partnership, the Upper Kirby 
Management District, the Transportation Advocacy Group Houston Region, 
the Women in Transportation, letters from the mayor's office, the 
Washington Avenue Improvement Committee, Houston Tomorrow, and other 
letters that I have received in support of my amendment.

                                  Greater Houston Partnership,

                                     Houston, Texas, June 6, 2014.
     Subject: Federal funding is crucial for Houston
     Hon. Ted Poe,
     House of Representatives, Rayburn Building, Washington, DC
       Dear Congressman Poe: On behalf of the 2,100 members of the 
     Greater Houston Partnership (GHP), we thank you for your 
     leadership in Congress. In particular, we thank you for your 
     efforts to ensure that every dollar of federal funding that 
     is available to the greater Houston region continues to flow 
     to our region.
       As an economic development organization we have been 
     successful in attracting new businesses and development to 
     our region since our establishment in 1989. In 2013, we 
     estimate that our region brought in more than 300 projects, 
     totaling more than $20 billion in capital investment, more 
     than 20,000 new employees, and more than 30 million square 
     feet in development. Since 2009, the businesses that GHP 
     attracted to our region equates to $22.9 billion in economic 
     development. A significant reason for our success has been 
     our ability to leverage federal dollars in order to guarantee 
     that our infrastructure is highly functional and our business 
     climate is attractive. When relocating, businesses are 
     attracted to cities that are progressing and planning for the 
     future.
       At GHP, we continuously analyze issues of regional 
     significance. Importantly, we also survey the Houston 
     business community as well as business leaders across the 
     nation and around the world to gauge perceptions about how 
     Houston compares to other major metropolitan areas. One 
     challenge for our region is the need to improve the 
     attractiveness and quality of life aspects of Houston. 
     Without improvements we will not be able to attract global 
     talent and address local socioeconomic gaps that can hinder 
     our region. Houston simply cannot afford to have limitations 
     on federal funding or turn away money that can be utilized to 
     make our region a better place to live, work and build a 
     business. We are setting a bad precedent.
       As the largest business organization in the greater Houston 
     region we encourage you to continue to stand up for your 
     constituents. We share your commitment and dedication to the 
     betterment of our region, and we

[[Page 9603]]

     thank you for your leadership on this issue. We stand ready 
     to assist.
           Regards,
                                                       Bob Harvey,
     President & CEO.
                                  ____



                                Transportation Advocacy Group,

                                     Houston Region, June 6, 2014.
     Hon. Ted Poe,
     House of Representatives, Rayburn Building
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Poe: TAG-Houston Region advocates for 
     adequate and sustainable transportation infrastructure 
     funding for all modes of transportation. We urge you to 
     oppose any proposed legislation that would restrict the 
     ability to deploy transit in the Houston region. We are 
     making great strides in Houston towards meaningful transit 
     access for all Houstonians. We cannot afford to lose this 
     momentum.
       Thank you for your leadership and service.
           Most sincerely,
                                                       Jack Drake,
                                                         Chairman,
                                               TAG-Houston Region.
                                                    Andrea French,
                                               Executive Director,
     TAG-Houston Region.
                                  ____

                                                     June 9, 2014.
     Hon. Ted Poe,
     House of Representatives, Rayburn Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Poe: WTS Houston is a premier transportation 
     organization of men and women dedicated to the advancement of 
     women in the transportation industry. Encompassing the Texas 
     Gulf Coast region, our membership is comprised of industry 
     giants that take on Road and Bridge, Rail, Aviation, Transit 
     and Port related transportation projects. Representing public 
     agencies and private firms, WTS Houston boasts over 70 
     members and our corporate members include industry leaders 
     from across the nation.
       Regarding transportation legislation currently under 
     discussion in Congress, our organization is opposed to any 
     legislative restrictions on federal funding for 
     transportation in Houston, Texas. The Houston region is one 
     of the fastest growing urban areas in the country. However, 
     the region will not be able to maintain its economic vitality 
     without the ability to create and preserve the infrastructure 
     that supports the movement of people and goods through Texas 
     and the country.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Meredith Alberto,
     WTS Houston Immediate Past President.
                                  ____



                                 Montrose Management District,

                                                     June 8, 2014.
     Re Legislative Restrictions on Federal Funding for 
         Transportation projects in Houston, Texas.

     Hon. Ted Poe,
     Second Congressional District,
     Houston, Texas.
       Dear Congressman Poe: I write you on behalf of the Board of 
     Directors for the Montrose Management District to express our 
     concern over actions proposed by Congressman Culberson 
     related to restriction of the use of future federal funding 
     for mobility and rail projects in Houston.
       The Board of Directors for the District have expressed 
     support for the development of rail along the Richmond avenue 
     corridor as it falls in line with the District's overall goal 
     of seeing economic development occur within the District. We 
     believe that any continued limitation on the use of federal 
     funding to expand the Metro Rail system along Richmond, with 
     its vital and necessary east/west connection from the central 
     part of the City to the Galleria area should be eliminated. 
     We need Washington's help with this significant mobility 
     project, not only for the benefits it will clearly derive to 
     those that live and work in the Montrose area, but also to 
     help the City of Houston attain a higher level of air quality 
     through the elimination of traffic congestion and pollution 
     that occurs through emissions from gas and diesel burning 
     engines.
       Please know that we support any efforts you might take to 
     lift or defeat the further imposition of limitations on the 
     use of federal funding for transportation projects in 
     Houston, Texas. Thank you for your continued hard work and 
     support.
           Sincerely,

                                                Bill Calderon,

     Executive Director, Montrose Management District.
                                  ____



                                 University Place Association,

                                     Houston, Texas, June 6, 2014.
     Congressman Ted Poe,
     Congressman Michael McCaul,
     Congressman Al Green,
     Congressman Pete Olson,
     Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee,
     Congressman Gene Green,
     Congressman Randy Weber,
     Congressman Kevin Brady.
       Dear Congressmen and Congresswoman: On behalf of the Board 
     of Directors of University Place Association & Super 
     Neighborhood, I am writing to oppose the proposed legislation 
     that would restrict Metro's ability to deploy transit in the 
     Houston region.
       On June 9th, we urge you to please remove any Federal 
     limits to the future of transit in the Houston region. 
     Imposing unnecessary, arbitrary limits on the future choices 
     of the people of Houston--such as those in section 165 of HR 
     4575--would be a huge mistake.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Kathie Easterly,
                                               Executive Director.

  Mr. POE of Texas. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the gentleman's 
amendment.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman from Texas is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Chairman, in years to come, when history books 
look back and ask the question why America went bankrupt, they are 
going to look at my colleague Ted Poe's amendment as exhibit A. It is 
very unfortunate that my friend and fellow Texan (Mr. Poe), who has 
until today portrayed himself as a fiscal conservative, would offer an 
amendment to force the people of my district to spend money we don't 
have on a project we don't want and that is unaffordable, unnecessary, 
and unapproved by the voters. These are my constituents, and it has no 
effect on Mr. Poe's district or on anyone else's district.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. CULBERSON. No, I will not yield.
  The amendment is very narrowly drawn, Mr. Chairman, so that it only 
affects my district. I wrote this amendment because it says that no 
money can be spent on rail in my district. In the boundaries of 
District Seven, which is west of Shepherd on Richmond, and on Post Oak, 
north of Richmond and south Post Oak, those lines are entirely in my 
district.
  The people of my district--I have polled them--oppose this line, and 
80 percent of the folks who own property or who live or work on those 
two streets don't want it. The voters did not approve the line on 
Richmond. It was not on the ballot. The people on Post Oak do not want 
it. It will destroy The Galleria.
  Mr. Poe is advocating for the construction of rail on Richmond and 
Post Oak, which will destroy those two streets. The Richmond line is 
not approved by the voters, and the Post Oak line will destroy that 
area. Houston METRO has no money to build it. They can't afford it. 
There is no money in this bill or in any other bill to pay for these 
lines. In fact, for the lines that have been approved by the voters, 
METRO is building a rail line on the east side of town, which I 
support, because the voters approved it. The local transit authority is 
spending $3,000 an inch to build a rail line on the east side of 
Houston.
  This is a waste of money. We simply cannot afford it. That is why the 
Citizens Against Government Waste opposes Mr. Poe's amendment. That is 
why Americans for Tax Reform opposes Mr. Poe's amendment. That is why 
the National Taxpayers Union opposes Mr. Poe's amendment. The Club for 
Growth opposes Mr. Poe's amendment because it is amendments like this--
those attempting to force us to spend money we don't have on projects 
we don't want--that are completely unnecessary, of which the voters did 
not approve and that are going to bankrupt this Nation. Imagine if you 
did not want to build a pool in your backyard but that your next-door 
neighbor had the deed restrictions changed to force you to build a pool 
in your backyard. That is exactly what this amendment is.
  This amendment affects only my district. I am doing my job as their 
Representative to protect my constituents' quality of life and to 
protect their pocketbooks against a rail line that we cannot afford and 
that nobody wants and that voters did not approve. That is why I am 
proud to have the help and support of Chairman Latham and of the 
ranking member, Mr. Pastor. Americans for Tax Reform, the National 
Taxpayers Union, Club for Growth, and Citizens Against Government Waste 
are all in opposition to this amendment as are the people whom I 
represent.
  I am very disappointed and disheartened that my friend Mr. Poe would 
stand up and offer this amendment and call the Katy Freeway a concrete 
monstrosity. The Katy Freeway is my pride

[[Page 9604]]

and joy. The first thing I did when I got elected to Congress was to 
get the Katy Freeway built without a single earmark and without any new 
Federal money. We got it built in 5 years and 3 months, and it went 
from eight lanes to 22 lanes. The economic growth on the west side has 
ballooned because of the Katy Freeway, and that freeway is moving more 
cars in less time and at more savings to taxpayers than is any other 
transportation project in the history of Houston.
  I am proud of the Katy Freeway. I am immensely proud to represent my 
district. This amendment and the language in the bill affect only my 
district and are in complete conformity with the voters' decision in 
2003. I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing Mr. Poe's amendment 
and vote ``no.''
  I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for joining me in 
the opposition of this amendment.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Poe).
  The question was taken; and the Chair announced that the noes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
  The CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on 
the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas will be postponed.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will read.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Sec. 166.  Unobligated and recovered fiscal year 2010 
     through 2012 funds that were made available to carry out 49 
     U.S.C. 5339 shall be available to carry out 49 U.S.C. 5309, 
     as amended by Public Law 112-141, subject to the terms and 
     conditions required under such section.

             Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

       The Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation is hereby 
     authorized to make such expenditures, within the limits of 
     funds and borrowing authority available to the Corporation, 
     and in accord with law, and to make such contracts and 
     commitments without regard to fiscal year limitations as 
     provided by section 104 of the Government Corporation Control 
     Act, as amended, as may be necessary in carrying out the 
     programs set forth in the Corporation's budget for the 
     current fiscal year.

                       operations and maintenance

                    (harbor maintenance trust fund)

       For necessary expenses to conduct the operations, 
     maintenance, and capital asset renewal activities of those 
     portions of the St. Lawrence Seaway owned, operated, and 
     maintained by the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development 
     Corporation, $32,500,000, to be derived from the Harbor 
     Maintenance Trust Fund, pursuant to Public Law 99-662.

                        Maritime Administration

                       maritime security program

       For necessary expenses to maintain and preserve a U.S.-flag 
     merchant fleet to serve the national security needs of the 
     United States, $166,000,000, to remain available until 
     expended.

                        operations and training

       For necessary expenses of operations and training 
     activities authorized by law, $132,000,000, of which 
     $11,300,000 shall remain available until expended for 
     maintenance and repair of training ships at State Maritime 
     Academies, and of which $2,400,000 shall remain available 
     through September 30, 2016, for the Student Incentive Program 
     at State Maritime Academies, and of which $1,500,000 shall 
     remain available until expended for facilities maintenance 
     and repair, equipment, and capital improvements at the United 
     State Merchant Marine Academy: Provided, That amounts 
     apportioned for the United States Merchant Marine Academy 
     shall be available only upon allotments made personally by 
     the Secretary of Transportation or the Assistant Secretary 
     for Budget and Programs: Provided further, That the 
     Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent and the Director of the 
     Office of Resource Management of the United State Merchant 
     Marine Academy may not be allotment holders for the United 
     States Merchant Marine Academy, and the Administrator of the 
     Maritime Administration shall hold all allotments made by the 
     Secretary of Transportation or the Assistant Secretary for 
     Budget and Programs under the previous proviso: Provided 
     further, That 50 percent of the funding made available for 
     the United States Merchant Marine Academy under this heading 
     shall be available only after the Secretary, in consultation 
     with the Superintendent and the Maritime Administrator, 
     completes a plan detailing by program or activity how such 
     funding will be expended at the Academy, and this plan is 
     submitted to the House and Senate Committees on 
     Appropriations.

                             ship disposal

       For necessary expenses related to the disposal of obsolete 
     vessels in the National Defense Reserve Fleet of the Maritime 
     Administration, $4,000,000, to remain available until 
     expended.

          maritime guaranteed loan (title xi) program account

              (including transfer and rescission of funds)

       For necessary administrative expenses of the maritime 
     guaranteed loan program, $3,100,000 shall be paid to the 
     appropriations for ``Maritime Administration-Operations and 
     Training'': Provided, That of the funds made available under 
     this heading in division L of Public Law 113-76, $29,000,000 
     is rescinded.

           administrative provisions--maritime administration

       Sec. 170.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, 
     the Maritime Administration is authorized to furnish 
     utilities and services and make necessary repairs in 
     connection with any lease, contract, or occupancy involving 
     Government property under control of the Maritime 
     Administration, and payments received therefor shall be 
     credited to the appropriation charged with the cost thereof: 
     Provided, That rental payments under any such lease, 
     contract, or occupancy for items other than such utilities, 
     services, or repairs shall be covered into the Treasury as 
     miscellaneous receipts.
       Sec. 171.  None of the funds available or appropriated in 
     this Act shall be used by the United States Department of 
     Transportation or the United States Maritime Administration 
     to negotiate or otherwise execute, enter into, facilitate or 
     perform fee-for-service contracts for vessel disposal, 
     scrapping or recycling, unless there is no qualified domestic 
     ship recycler that will pay any sum of money to purchase and 
     scrap or recycle a vessel owned, operated or managed by the 
     Maritime Administration or that is part of the National 
     Defense Reserve Fleet. Such sales offers must be consistent 
     with the solicitation and provide that the work will be 
     performed in a timely manner at a facility qualified within 
     the meaning of section 3502 of Public Law 106-398. Nothing 
     contained herein shall affect the Maritime Administration's 
     authority to award contracts at least cost to the Federal 
     Government and consistent with the requirements of 16 U.S.C. 
     5405(c), section 3502, or otherwise authorized under the 
     Federal Acquisition Regulation.

         Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

                          operational expenses

                     (including transfer of funds)

       For necessary operational expenses of the Pipeline and 
     Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, $21,654,000: 
     Provided, That $1,500,000 shall be transferred to ``Pipeline 
     Safety'' in order to fund ``Pipeline Safety Information 
     Grants to Communities'' as authorized under section 60130 of 
     title 49, United States Code.

                       hazardous materials safety

       For expenses necessary to discharge the hazardous materials 
     safety functions of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials 
     Safety Administration, $52,000,000, of which $7,000,000 shall 
     remain available until September 30, 2017: Provided, That up 
     to $800,000 in fees collected under 49 U.S.C. 5108(g) shall 
     be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury as 
     offsetting receipts: Provided further, That there may be 
     credited to this appropriation, to be available until 
     expended, funds received from States, counties, 
     municipalities, other public authorities, and private sources 
     for expenses incurred for training, for reports publication 
     and dissemination, and for travel expenses incurred in 
     performance of hazardous materials exemptions and approvals 
     functions.

                            pipeline safety

                         (pipeline safety fund)

                    (oil spill liability trust fund)

                  (pipeline safety design review fund)

       For expenses necessary to conduct the functions of the 
     pipeline safety program, for grants-in-aid to carry out a 
     pipeline safety program, as authorized by 49 U.S.C. 60107, 
     and to discharge the pipeline program responsibilities of the 
     Oil Pollution Act of 1990, $131,500,000, of which $19,500,000 
     shall be derived from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and 
     shall remain available until September 30, 2017; and of which 
     $110,000,000 shall be derived from the Pipeline Safety Fund, 
     of which $54,436,000 shall remain available until September 
     30, 2017; and of which $2,000,000, to remain available until 
     expended, shall be derived from the Pipeline Safety Design 
     Review Fund, as authorized in 49 U.S.C. 60117(n): Provided, 
     That not less than $1,058,000 of the funds provided under 
     this heading shall be for the One-Call state grant program.

                     emergency preparedness grants

                     (emergency preparedness fund)

       For necessary expenses to carry out 49 U.S.C. 5128(b), 
     $188,000, to be derived from the Emergency Preparedness Fund, 
     to remain available until September 30, 2016: Provided, That 
     not more than $28,318,000 shall be made available for 
     obligation in fiscal year 2015 from amounts made available by 
     49 U.S.C. 5116(i) and 5128(b)-(c): Provided further, That

[[Page 9605]]

     none of the funds made available by 49 U.S.C. 5116(i), 
     5128(b), or 5128(c) shall be made available for obligation by 
     individuals other than the Secretary of Transportation, or 
     his or her designee.

                      Office of Inspector General

                         salaries and expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Office of the Inspector 
     General to carry out the provisions of the Inspector General 
     Act of 1978, as amended, $86,223,000: Provided, That the 
     Inspector General shall have all necessary authority, in 
     carrying out the duties specified in the Inspector General 
     Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 3), to investigate allegations 
     of fraud, including false statements to the government (18 
     U.S.C. 1001), by any person or entity that is subject to 
     regulation by the Department: Provided further, That the 
     funds made available under this heading may be used to 
     investigate, pursuant to section 41712 of title 49, United 
     States Code: (1) unfair or deceptive practices and unfair 
     methods of competition by domestic and foreign air carriers 
     and ticket agents; and (2) the compliance of domestic and 
     foreign air carriers with respect to item (1) of this 
     proviso: Provided further, That: (1) the Inspector General 
     shall have the authority to audit and investigate the 
     Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA); (2) in 
     carrying out these audits and investigations the Inspector 
     General shall have all the authorities described under 
     section 6 of the Inspector General Act (5 U.S.C. App.); (3) 
     MWAA Board Members, employees, contractors, and 
     subcontractors shall cooperate and comply with requests from 
     the Inspector General, including providing testimony and 
     other information; (4) The Inspector General shall be 
     permitted to observe closed executive sessions of the MWAA 
     Board of Directors; (5) MWAA shall pay the expenses of the 
     Inspector General, including staff salaries and benefits and 
     associated operating costs, which shall be credited to this 
     appropriation and remain available until expended; and (6) if 
     MWAA fails to make funds available to the Inspector General 
     within 30 days after a request for such funds is received, 
     then the Inspector General shall notify the Secretary of 
     Transportation, who shall not approve a grant for MWAA under 
     section 47107(b) of title 49, United States Code, until such 
     funding is made available for the Inspector General: Provided 
     further, That hereafter funds transferred to the Office of 
     the Inspector General through forfeiture proceedings or from 
     the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund or the 
     Department of the Treasury Forfeiture Fund, as a 
     participating agency, as an equitable share from the 
     forfeiture of property in investigations in which the Office 
     of Inspector General participates, or through the granting of 
     a Petition for Remission or Mitigation, shall be deposited to 
     the credit of this account for law enforcement activities 
     authorized under the Inspector General Act of 1978, as 
     amended, to remain available until expended.

                      Surface Transportation Board

                         salaries and expenses

       For necessary expenses of the Surface Transportation Board, 
     including services authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, $31,250,000: 
     Provided, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
     not to exceed $1,250,000 from fees established by the 
     Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board shall be 
     credited to this appropriation as offsetting collections and 
     used for necessary and authorized expenses under this 
     heading: Provided further, That the sum herein appropriated 
     from the general fund shall be reduced on a dollar-for-dollar 
     basis as such offsetting collections are received during 
     fiscal year 2015, to result in a final appropriation from the 
     general fund estimated at no more than $30,000,000.

            General Provisions--Department of Transportation

       Sec. 180.  During the current fiscal year, applicable 
     appropriations to the Department of Transportation shall be 
     available for maintenance and operation of aircraft; hire of 
     passenger motor vehicles and aircraft; purchase of liability 
     insurance for motor vehicles operating in foreign countries 
     on official department business; and uniforms or allowances 
     therefor, as authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 5901-5902).
       Sec. 181.  Appropriations contained in this Act for the 
     Department of Transportation shall be available for services 
     as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, but at rates for individuals 
     not to exceed the per diem rate equivalent to the rate for an 
     Executive Level IV.
       Sec. 182.  None of the funds in this Act shall be available 
     for salaries and expenses of more than 110 political and 
     Presidential appointees in the Department of Transportation: 
     Provided, That none of the personnel covered by this 
     provision may be assigned on temporary detail outside the 
     Department of Transportation.
       Sec. 183. (a) No recipient of funds made available in this 
     Act shall disseminate personal information (as defined in 18 
     U.S.C. 2725(3)) obtained by a State department of motor 
     vehicles in connection with a motor vehicle record as defined 
     in 18 U.S.C. 2725(1), except as provided in 18 U.S.C. 2721 
     for a use permitted under 18 U.S.C. 2721.
       (b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Secretary shall not 
     withhold funds provided in this Act for any grantee if a 
     State is in noncompliance with this provision.
       Sec. 184.  Funds received by the Federal Highway 
     Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and Federal 
     Railroad Administration from States, counties, 
     municipalities, other public authorities, and private sources 
     for expenses incurred for training may be credited 
     respectively to the Federal Highway Administration's 
     ``Federal-Aid Highways'' account, the Federal Transit 
     Administration's ``Technical Assistance and Training'' 
     account, and to the Federal Railroad Administration's 
     ``Safety and Operations'' account, except for State rail 
     safety inspectors participating in training pursuant to 49 
     U.S.C. 20105.
       Sec. 185.  None of the funds in this Act to the Department 
     of Transportation may be used to make a loan, loan guarantee, 
     line of credit, or grant unless the Secretary of 
     Transportation notifies the House and Senate Committees on 
     Appropriations not less than 3 full business days before any 
     project competitively selected to receive a discretionary 
     grant award, any discretionary grant award, letter of intent, 
     loan commitment, loan guarantee commitment, line of credit 
     commitment, or full funding grant agreement is announced by 
     the department or its modal administrations from:
       (1) any discretionary grant or federal credit program of 
     the Federal Highway Administration including the emergency 
     relief program;
       (2) the airport improvement program of the Federal Aviation 
     Administration;
       (3) any program of the Federal Railroad Administration;
       (4) any program of the Federal Transit Administration other 
     than the formula grants and fixed guideway modernization 
     programs;
       (5) any program of the Maritime Administration; or
       (6) any funding provided under the headings ``National 
     Infrastructure Investments'' in this Act: Provided, That the 
     Secretary gives concurrent notification to the House and 
     Senate Committees on Appropriations for any ``quick release'' 
     of funds from the emergency relief program: Provided further, 
     That no notification shall involve funds that are not 
     available for obligation.
       Sec. 186.  Rebates, refunds, incentive payments, minor fees 
     and other funds received by the Department of Transportation 
     from travel management centers, charge card programs, the 
     subleasing of building space, and miscellaneous sources are 
     to be credited to appropriations of the Department of 
     Transportation and allocated to elements of the Department of 
     Transportation using fair and equitable criteria and such 
     funds shall be available until expended.
       Sec. 187.  Amounts made available in this or any other Act 
     that the Secretary determines represent improper payments by 
     the Department of Transportation to a third-party contractor 
     under a financial assistance award, which are recovered 
     pursuant to law, shall be available--
       (1) to reimburse the actual expenses incurred by the 
     Department of Transportation in recovering improper payments; 
     and
       (2) to pay contractors for services provided in recovering 
     improper payments or contractor support in the implementation 
     of the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002: Provided, 
     That amounts in excess of that required for paragraphs (1) 
     and (2)--
       (A) shall be credited to and merged with the appropriation 
     from which the improper payments were made, and shall be 
     available for the purposes and period for which such 
     appropriations are available: Provided further, That where 
     specific project or accounting information associated with 
     the improper payment or payments is not readily available, 
     the Secretary may credit an appropriate account, which shall 
     be available for the purposes and period associated with the 
     account so credited; or
       (B) if no such appropriation remains available, shall be 
     deposited in the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts: Provided 
     further, That prior to the transfer of any such recovery to 
     an appropriations account, the Secretary shall notify the 
     House and Senate Committees on Appropriations of the amount 
     and reasons for such transfer: Provided further, That for 
     purposes of this section, the term ``improper payments'' has 
     the same meaning as that provided in section 2(d)(2) of 
     Public Law 107-300.
       Sec. 188.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if 
     any funds provided in or limited by this Act are subject to a 
     reprogramming action that requires notice to be provided to 
     the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, 
     transmission of said reprogramming notice shall be provided 
     solely to the Committees on Appropriations, and said 
     reprogramming action shall be approved or denied solely by 
     the Committees on Appropriations: Provided, That the 
     Secretary may provide notice to other congressional 
     committees of the action of the Committees on Appropriations 
     on such reprogramming but not sooner than 30 days following 
     the date on which the reprogramming action has been approved 
     or denied by the House and Senate Committees on 
     Appropriations.
       Sec. 189.  None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
     available under this Act may be used by the Surface 
     Transportation Board of the Department of Transportation to 
     charge or collect any filing fee for rate or practice 
     complaints filed with the Board in

[[Page 9606]]

     an amount in excess of the amount authorized for district 
     court civil suit filing fees under section 1914 of title 28, 
     United States Code.
       Sec. 190.  Funds appropriated in this Act to the modal 
     administrations may be obligated for the Office of the 
     Secretary for the costs related to assessments or 
     reimbursable agreements only when such amounts are for the 
     costs of goods and services that are purchased to provide a 
     direct benefit to the applicable modal administration or 
     administrations.
       Sec. 191.  The Secretary of Transportation is authorized to 
     carry out a program that establishes uniform standards for 
     developing and supporting agency transit pass and transit 
     benefits authorized under section 7905 of title 5, United 
     States Code, including distribution of transit benefits by 
     various paper and electronic media.
       Sec. 192.  None of the funds made available by this Act 
     shall be used by the Surface Transportation Board to take any 
     actions with respect to the construction of a high speed rail 
     project in California unless the Board has jurisdiction over 
     the entire project and the permit is or was issued by the 
     Board with respect to the project in its entirety.
       Sec. 193.  None of the funds limited or otherwise made 
     available by this Act to carry out chapter 6 of title 23, 
     United States Code, may be used to subsidize a credit 
     instrument authorized under such chapter that would cause the 
     credit subsidy obligated in fiscal year 2015 to fund projects 
     located in a single State to exceed 33 percent of the total 
     credit subsidy made available by this Act on October 1, 2014 
     to carry out such chapter.
       Sec. 194.  None of the funds limited or otherwise made 
     available by this Act may be used to deny an application to 
     renew a Hazardous Materials Safety Program permit for a motor 
     carrier based on that carrier's Hazardous Materials Out-of-
     Service rate, unless the carrier has the opportunity to 
     submit a written description of corrective actions taken, and 
     other documentation the carrier wishes the Secretary to 
     consider, including submitting a corrective action plan, and 
     the Secretary determines the actions or plan is insufficient 
     to address the safety concerns that resulted in that 
     Hazardous Materials Out-of-Service rate.
       Sec. 195.  Any unexpended amounts available for obligation 
     under the heading ``Federal Railroad Administration--Safety 
     and Operations'' under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 
     2005 (Public Law 108-447) shall be made available for rail 
     safety oversight activities for the transport of energy 
     products: Provided, That $10,000,000 of unexpended amounts 
     available for obligation under the heading ``Federal Railroad 
     Administration--Capital Assistance to States--Intercity 
     Passenger Rail Service'' for fiscal years 2008 and 2009 shall 
     be made available for grade crossing safety improvements on 
     rail routes that transport energy products.
       This title may be cited as the ``Department of 
     Transportation Appropriations Act, 2015''.

                                TITLE II

              DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

                     Management and Administration

                           executive offices

       For necessary salaries and expenses for Executive Offices, 
     which shall be comprised of the offices of the Secretary, 
     Deputy Secretary, Adjudicatory Services, Congressional and 
     Intergovernmental Relations, Public Affairs, Small and 
     Disadvantaged Business Utilization, and the Center for Faith-
     Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, $14,000,000: Provided, 
     That not to exceed $25,000 of the amount made available under 
     this heading shall be available to the Secretary for official 
     reception and representation expenses as the Secretary may 
     determine.

                     administrative support offices

       For necessary salaries and expenses for Administrative 
     Support Offices of the Department of Housing and Urban 
     Development, $500,000,000, of which not to exceed $45,000,000 
     shall be available for the Office of the Chief Financial 
     Officer; not to exceed $93,000,000 shall be available for the 
     Office of the General Counsel; not to exceed $194,000,000 
     shall be available for the Office of Administration; not to 
     exceed $52,000,000 shall be available for the Office of the 
     Chief Human Capital Officer; not to exceed $49,000,000 shall 
     be available for the Office of Field Policy and Management; 
     not to exceed $16,000,000 shall be available for the Office 
     of the Chief Procurement Officer; not to exceed $2,500,000 
     shall be available for the Office of Departmental Equal 
     Employment Opportunity; not to exceed $3,500,000 shall be 
     available for the Office of Strategic Planning and 
     Management; and not to exceed $45,000,000 shall be available 
     for the Office of the Chief Information Officer: Provided, 
     That funds provided under this heading may be used for 
     necessary administrative and non-administrative expenses of 
     the Department of Housing and Urban Development, not 
     otherwise provided for, including purchase of uniforms, or 
     allowances therefore, as authorized by U.S.C. 5901-5902; hire 
     of passenger motor vehicles; and services as authorized by 5 
     U.S.C. 3109: Provided further, That notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, funds appropriated under this heading may 
     be used for advertising and promotional activities that 
     support the housing mission area: Provided further, That the 
     Secretary shall provide the Committees on Appropriations 
     quarterly written notification regarding the status of 
     pending congressional reports: Provided further, That the 
     Secretary shall provide all signed reports required by 
     Congress electronically.

                  Program Office Salaries and Expenses

                       public and indian housing

       For necessary salaries and expenses of the Office of Public 
     and Indian Housing, $200,000,000.

                   community planning and development

       For necessary salaries and expenses of the Office of 
     Community Planning and Development, $100,000,000.

                                housing

       For necessary salaries and expenses of the Office of 
     Housing, $370,000,000, of which at least $9,000,000 shall be 
     for the Office of Risk and Regulatory Affairs.

                    policy development and research

       For necessary salaries and expenses of the Office of Policy 
     Development and Research, $20,000,000.

                   fair housing and equal opportunity

       For necessary salaries and expenses of the Office of Fair 
     Housing and Equal Opportunity, $68,000,000.

            office of lead hazard control and healthy homes

       For necessary salaries and expenses of the Office of Lead 
     Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, $7,000,000.

                       Public and Indian Housing

                     tenant-based rental assistance

       For activities and assistance for the provision of tenant-
     based rental assistance authorized under the United States 
     Housing Act of 1937, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.) 
     (``the Act'' herein), not otherwise provided for, 
     $15,356,529,000, to remain available until September 30, 
     2017, shall be available on October 1, 2014 (in addition to 
     the $4,000,000,000 previously appropriated under this heading 
     that became available on October 1, 2014), and 
     $4,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2018, 
     shall be available on October 1, 2015: Provided, That the 
     amounts made available under this heading are provided as 
     follows:
       (1) $17,693,079,000 shall be available for renewals of 
     expiring section 8 tenant-based annual contributions 
     contracts (including renewals of enhanced vouchers under any 
     provision of law authorizing such assistance under section 
     8(t) of the Act) and including renewal of other special 
     purpose incremental vouchers: Provided, That notwithstanding 
     any other provision of law, from amounts provided under this 
     paragraph and any carryover, the Secretary for the calendar 
     year 2015 funding cycle shall provide renewal funding for 
     each public housing agency based on validated voucher 
     management system (VMS) leasing and cost data for the prior 
     calendar year and by applying an inflation factor as 
     established by the Secretary, by notice published in the 
     Federal Register, and by making any necessary adjustments for 
     the costs associated with the first-time renewal of vouchers 
     under this paragraph including tenant protection, HOPE VI, 
     and Choice Neighborhoods vouchers: Provided further, That in 
     determining calendar year 2015 funding allocations under this 
     heading for public housing agencies, including agencies 
     participating in the Moving To Work (MTW) demonstration, the 
     Secretary may take into account the anticipated impact of 
     changes in targeting and utility allowances, on public 
     housing agencies' contract renewal needs: Provided further, 
     That none of the funds provided under this paragraph may be 
     used to fund a total number of unit months under lease which 
     exceeds a public housing agency's authorized level of units 
     under contract, except for public housing agencies 
     participating in the Moving to Work (MTW) demonstration, 
     which are instead governed by the terms and conditions of 
     their MTW agreements: Provided further, That the Secretary 
     shall, to the extent necessary to stay within the amount 
     specified under this paragraph (except as otherwise modified 
     under this paragraph), pro rate each public housing agency's 
     allocation otherwise established pursuant to this paragraph: 
     Provided further, That except as provided in the following 
     provisos, the entire amount specified under this paragraph 
     (except as otherwise modified under this paragraph) shall be 
     obligated to the public housing agencies based on the 
     allocation and pro rata method described above, and the 
     Secretary shall notify public housing agencies of their 
     annual budget by the latter of 60 days after enactment of 
     this Act or March 1, 2015: Provided further, That the 
     Secretary may extend the notification period with the prior 
     written approval of the House and Senate Committees on 
     Appropriations: Provided further, That public housing 
     agencies participating in the MTW demonstration shall be 
     funded pursuant to their MTW agreements and shall be subject 
     to the same pro rata adjustments under the previous provisos: 
     Provided further, That the Secretary may offset public 
     housing agencies' calendar year 2015 allocations based on the 
     excess amounts of public housing agencies' net restricted 
     assets accounts, including HUD held programmatic reserves (in 
     accordance with VMS data in calendar year

[[Page 9607]]

     2014 that is verifiable and complete), as determined by the 
     Secretary: Provided further, That public housing agencies 
     participating in the MTW demonstration shall also be subject 
     to the offset, as determined by the Secretary, excluding 
     amounts subject to the single fund budget authority 
     provisions of their MTW agreements, from the agencies' 
     calendar year 2015 MTW funding allocation: Provided further, 
     That the Secretary shall use any offset referred to in the 
     previous two provisos throughout the calendar year to prevent 
     the termination of rental assistance for families as the 
     result of insufficient funding, as determined by the 
     Secretary, and to avoid or reduce the proration of renewal 
     funding allocations: Provided further, That up to $75,000,000 
     shall be available only: (1) for adjustments in the 
     allocations for public housing agencies, after application 
     for an adjustment by a public housing agency that experienced 
     a significant increase, as determined by the Secretary, in 
     renewal costs of vouchers resulting from unforeseen 
     circumstances or from portability under section 8(r) of the 
     Act; (2) for vouchers that were not in use during the 12-
     month period in order to be available to meet a commitment 
     pursuant to section 8(o)(13) of the Act; (3) for adjustments 
     for costs associated with HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive 
     Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers; (4) for public housing agencies 
     that despite taking reasonable cost savings measures, as 
     determined by the Secretary, would otherwise be required to 
     terminate rental assistance for families as a result of 
     insufficient funding: Provided further, That the Secretary 
     shall allocate amounts under the previous proviso based on 
     need, as determined by the Secretary; and (5) for adjustments 
     in the allocations for public housing agencies that 
     experienced a significant increase, as determined by the 
     Secretary, in renewal costs as a result of participation in 
     the Small Area Fair Market Rent demonstration;
       (2) $130,000,000 shall be for section 8 rental assistance 
     for relocation and replacement of housing units that are 
     demolished or disposed of pursuant to section 18 of the Act, 
     conversion of section 23 projects to assistance under section 
     8, the family unification program under section 8(x) of the 
     Act, relocation of witnesses in connection with efforts to 
     combat crime in public and assisted housing pursuant to a 
     request from a law enforcement or prosecution agency, 
     enhanced vouchers under any provision of law authorizing such 
     assistance under section 8(t) of the Act, HOPE VI and Choice 
     Neighborhood vouchers, mandatory and voluntary conversions, 
     and tenant protection assistance including replacement and 
     relocation assistance or for project-based assistance to 
     prevent the displacement of unassisted elderly tenants 
     currently residing in section 202 properties financed between 
     1959 and 1974 that are refinanced pursuant to Public Law 106-
     569, as amended, or under the authority as provided under 
     this Act: Provided, That when a public housing development is 
     submitted for demolition or disposition under section 18 of 
     the Act, the Secretary may provide section 8 rental 
     assistance when the units pose an imminent health and safety 
     risk to residents: Provided further, That the Secretary may 
     only provide replacement vouchers for units that were 
     occupied within the previous 24 months that cease to be 
     available as assisted housing, subject only to the 
     availability of funds: Provided further, That of the amounts 
     made available under this paragraph, $5,000,000 may be 
     available to provide tenant protection assistance, not 
     otherwise provided under this paragraph, to residents 
     residing in low vacancy areas and who may have to pay rents 
     greater than 30 percent of household income, as the result of 
     (1) the maturity of a HUD-insured, HUD-held or section 202 
     loan that requires the permission of the Secretary prior to 
     loan prepayment; (2) the expiration of a rental assistance 
     contract for which the tenants are not eligible for enhanced 
     voucher or tenant protection assistance under existing law; 
     or (3) the expiration of affordability restrictions 
     accompanying a mortgage or preservation program administered 
     by the Secretary: Provided further, That such tenant 
     protection assistance made available under the previous 
     proviso may be provided under the authority of section 8(t) 
     or section 8(o)(13) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 
     (42 U.S.C. 1437f(t)): Provided further, That the Secretary 
     shall issue guidance to implement the previous provisos, 
     including, but not limited to, requirements for defining 
     eligible at-risk households within 120 days of the enactment 
     of this Act: Provided further, That any tenant protection 
     voucher made available from amounts under this paragraph 
     shall not be reissued by any public housing agency, except 
     the replacement vouchers as defined by the Secretary by 
     notice, when the initial family that received any such 
     voucher no longer receives such voucher, and the authority 
     for any public housing agency to issue any such voucher shall 
     cease to exist: Provided further, That the Secretary, for the 
     purpose under this paragraph, may use unobligated balances, 
     including recaptures and carryovers, remaining from amounts 
     appropriated in prior fiscal years under this heading for 
     voucher assistance for nonelderly disabled families and for 
     disaster assistance made available under Public Law 110-329;
       (3) $1,350,000,000 shall be for administrative and other 
     expenses of public housing agencies in administering the 
     section 8 tenant-based rental assistance program, of which up 
     to $10,000,000 shall be available to the Secretary to 
     allocate to public housing agencies that need additional 
     funds to administer their section 8 programs, including fees 
     associated with section 8 tenant protection rental 
     assistance, the administration of disaster related vouchers, 
     Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers, and other 
     special purpose incremental vouchers: Provided, That no less 
     than $1,335,000,000 of the amount provided in this paragraph 
     shall be allocated to public housing agencies for the 
     calendar year 2015 funding cycle based on section 8(q) of the 
     Act (and related Appropriation Act provisions) as in effect 
     immediately before the enactment of the Quality Housing and 
     Work Responsibility Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-276): 
     Provided further, That if the amounts made available under 
     this paragraph are insufficient to pay the amounts determined 
     under the previous proviso, the Secretary may decrease the 
     amounts allocated to agencies by a uniform percentage 
     applicable to all agencies receiving funding under this 
     paragraph or may, to the extent necessary to provide full 
     payment of amounts determined under the previous proviso, 
     utilize unobligated balances, including recaptures and 
     carryovers, remaining from funds appropriated to the 
     Department of Housing and Urban Development under this 
     heading from prior fiscal years, notwithstanding the purposes 
     for which such amounts were appropriated: Provided further, 
     That all public housing agencies participating in the MTW 
     demonstration shall be funded pursuant to their MTW 
     agreements, and shall be subject to the same uniform 
     percentage decrease as under the previous proviso: Provided 
     further, That amounts provided under this paragraph shall be 
     only for activities related to the provision of tenant-based 
     rental assistance authorized under section 8, including 
     related development activities;
       (4) $108,450,000 for the renewal of tenant-based assistance 
     contracts under section 811 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National 
     Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 8013), including necessary 
     administrative expenses: Provided, That administrative and 
     other expenses of public housing agencies in administering 
     the special purpose vouchers in this paragraph shall be 
     funded under the same terms and be subject to the same pro 
     rata reduction as the percent decrease for administrative and 
     other expenses to public housing agencies under paragraph (3) 
     of this heading;
       (5) $75,000,000 for incremental rental voucher assistance 
     for use through a supported housing program administered in 
     conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs as 
     authorized under section 8(o)(19) of the United States 
     Housing Act of 1937: Provided, That the Secretary of Housing 
     and Urban Development shall make such funding available, 
     notwithstanding section 204 (competition provision) of this 
     title, to public housing agencies that partner with eligible 
     VA Medical Centers or other entities as designated by the 
     Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, based on 
     geographical need for such assistance as identified by the 
     Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, public 
     housing agency administrative performance, and other factors 
     as specified by the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
     Development in consultation with the Secretary of the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs: Provided further, That the 
     Secretary of Housing and Urban Development may waive, or 
     specify alternative requirements for (in consultation with 
     the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs), any 
     provision of any statute or regulation that the Secretary of 
     Housing and Urban Development administers in connection with 
     the use of funds made available under this paragraph (except 
     for requirements related to fair housing, nondiscrimination, 
     labor standards, and the environment), upon a finding by the 
     Secretary that any such waivers or alternative requirements 
     are necessary for the effective delivery and administration 
     of such voucher assistance: Provided further, That assistance 
     made available under this paragraph shall continue to remain 
     available for homeless veterans upon turn-over; and
       (6) The Secretary shall separately track all special 
     purpose vouchers funded under this heading.

                              {time}  1530


                    Amendment Offered by Mr. Chabot

  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Page 73, line 7, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $1,535,652,900)''.
       Page 73, line 11, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $400,000,000)''.
       Page 73, line 15, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $1,769,307,900)''.
       Page 76, line 16, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $7,500,000)''.
       Page 77, line 16, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $13,000,000)''.
       Page 78, line 22, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $500,000)''.
       Page 80, line 10, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $135,000,000)''.

[[Page 9608]]

       Page 80, line 13, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $1,000,000)''.
       Page 80, line 21, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $133,500,000)''.
       Page 82, line 1, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced 
     by $10,845,000)''.
       Page 82, line 13, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $7,500,000)''.
       Page 101, line 15, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $934,600,000)''.
       Page 101, line 19, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $40,000,000)''.
       Page 102, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(reduced by $21,000,000)''.
       Page 156, line 16, after the dollar amount, insert 
     ``(increased by $2,910,252,900)''.

  Mr. CHABOT (during the reading). Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous 
consent that the amendment be considered as read.
  The CHAIR. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman from Ohio is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would reduce section 8 
spending across the board by 10 percent, $3 billion, and place the 
savings in the spending reduction account.
  The section 8 voucher program, which was intended to provide 
temporary assistance for struggling Americans, has become, 
unfortunately, a way of life for far too many in this country. Many of 
our communities, like my community, Cincinnati, are struggling to deal 
with the program's unintended consequences in many instances in many 
neighborhoods.
  As a result, the program is in need of serious reform. For example, 
to help reduce dependency on the program, we should establish time 
limits for beneficiaries, except for the elderly or disabled. The 
payments should not go on basically forever, as they do under current 
law.
  To make certain that section 8 landlords are accountable to local 
communities, landlords should be required to comply with local laws and 
ordinances, and not be allowed to hide behind the HUD regulations when 
faced with complaints about their properties.
  To make the program safer for both its recipients and the neighbors 
of those recipients, we need to ensure that convicted felons and sex 
offenders are barred from participation in the section 8 program.
  If you are able to work, then you should have to work in order to be 
eligible for section 8 benefits. Until reforms like these have been 
implemented, spending more tax dollars on the Section 8 voucher program 
is akin to throwing good money after bad.
  Faced with a national debt that exceeds $17 trillion and, in fact, is 
around $17.5 trillion now, continuing this funding is something we 
simply cannot afford.
  Mr. Chairman, as we look for areas to reduce Federal spending, a 
broken program like section 8 that rewards government dependency with 
our tax dollars is a good place to start.
  Those other things that I mentioned are things that we have offered 
in the past and intend to offer in legislation in the future. But 
relative to this particular amendment, this would just cut the funding 
by $3 billion, which is approximately 10 percent of the section 8 
program.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman from Iowa is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, I think we all know in section 8 there are 
reforms that are needed. This amendment does nothing to those reforms, 
and it should be to the authorizing Financial Services Committee to 
initiate the reform so that, in fact, we can change it, make it work 
better, and do the right thing for the people in the system. But this 
is just not the way to approach it.
  We have worked in this bill to cut all unnecessary spending in HUD's 
programs. We provided funds to continue assistance to the 2.2 million 
families while cutting administrative fees by $150 million to $1.35 
billion.
  It also would cut the housing assistance for homeless veterans 
program, which we need to give those veterans the kind of services that 
they desperately need.
  I agree with the gentleman from Ohio that reforms need to be done to 
the program. This is not the place to do those reforms, nor is he even 
proposing any reforms to the program, rather than just slashing 
important programs for people. And I don't want to be the one to have 
to pick and choose who is going to lose their house, their place to 
live under this amendment.
  So for those reasons, Mr. Chairman, I would oppose the amendment.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I also rise in opposition to 
this amendment.
  As you know, Mr. Chairman, recently they have announced that we are 
slowly still recovering from the Great Recession, and we still have a 
large number of people who are underemployed or unemployed.
  The reality is that the reform that my friend from Ohio would like to 
bring in section 8 housing will not occur by these cuts, as pointed out 
by the chairman.
  We believe that what this amendment would do is it would evict over 
150,000 people from their homes. It would have an effect on the 
homeless veterans and reduce their assistance.
  The reality is today that over half of the residents who live in 
section 8 are families with children, and so the consequences of this 
amendment are too dire, and we can't support it, so I rise in 
opposition to the amendment.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Chabot).
  The question was taken; and the Chair announced that the noes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
  The CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on 
the amendment offered by the gentleman from Ohio will be postponed.


                    Amendment Offered by Mr. Nadler

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Page 73, line 7, after the dollar amount insert 
     ``(increased by $988,471,000)''.
       Page 73, line 15, after the dollar amount insert 
     ``(increased by $633,471,000)''.
       Page 80, line 10, after the dollar amount insert 
     ``(increased by $355,000,000)''.
       Page 80, line 21, after the dollar amount insert 
     ``(increased by $335,000,000)''.

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, we have not even seen the amendment. For 
that reason, I reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment.
  The CHAIR. A point of order is reserved.
  The gentleman from New York is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Chairman, two of our central responsibilities as 
Members of Congress are to support a strong national infrastructure and 
to ensure that every American has a place to call home. The funding 
levels provided in this legislation will make it impossible to fulfill 
either of those responsibilities.
  There can be no question that we must put people back to work and 
bring our crumbling, outdated infrastructure into the 21st century. At 
the funding levels provided in this bill, few of those goals can be 
accomplished.

                              {time}  1545

  The bill cuts the FTA's Capital Investment Grant Program, more 
commonly known as New Starts, by $252 million. It includes a $500 
million cut to the TIGER grant program, funding it $1.15 billion below 
the President's request, and it cuts $200 million from Amtrak's capital 
funding, while providing no funding for high-speed rail.
  Beyond simply cutting critical funding, the bill places restrictions 
on the use of TIGER grants and high-speed rail, and it exempts three 
States--Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Idaho--from truck size and weight 
limits on Federal highways.
  Congress should not preempt the comprehensive study currently being 
conducted by USDOT, required as part

[[Page 9609]]

of MAP-21, the last legislation we enacted on the subject, by enacting 
piecemeal riders on appropriations bills.
  The devastating impacts these cuts will have on our economy will only 
be exacerbated by the cuts to vital housing programs for hardworking 
families.
  The HOME Investment Partnership Program is funded at its lowest level 
since its creation in 1992, and the Public Housing Capital Fund falls 
below its sequestered funding level, adding at least $1 billion to the 
backlog of capital needs, but perhaps most startling is the failure of 
this legislation to provide enough funding for every low-income senior 
and hardworking family to access affordable and secure housing through 
HUD's tenant-based rental assistance program, or section 8.
  My amendment finally provides enough funding for HUD to renew every 
section 8 voucher, including the 70,000 vouchers lost under 
sequestration, and to support robust staffing at public housing 
agencies around the country.
  Rental assistance helps 2.1 million very low-income households rent 
modest homes in the private market at an affordable cost. Households 
who use Section 8 have incomes well below the Federal poverty line, and 
nearly every household using a section 8 voucher includes children, 
seniors, or people with disabilities.
  Research consistently demonstrates that this program reduces poverty, 
housing instability, and homelessness, and helps families live in safe, 
healthy communities.
  Despite the success, only about one in four eligible low-income 
families receives Federal rental assistance. Long waiting lists remain 
in nearly every community, even as the number of poor families who pay 
more than half their monthly income for housing costs has risen 28 
percent since 2007. These long wait lists are exacerbated by a lack of 
administrative funding for public housing agencies.
  In the past, Congress consistently provided the necessary funds to 
ensure that no one receiving a Section 8 voucher loses access to 
affordable, decent, and stable housing year to year, but sequestration 
has had a devastating impact on section 8.
  With inadequate funding for voucher renewals and extreme cuts to 
administrative fees, State and local housing agencies assisted an 
estimated 70,000 fewer families at the end of 2013 compared to a year 
earlier.
  The increased funding that Congress provided through the FY14 budget 
agreement restored less than half of those vouchers, leaving 40,000 
very low-income families with no access to affordable housing. This 
bill does nothing to help those families.
  My amendment will ensure that public housing agencies can renew every 
current voucher and restore those lost under sequestration. The 
amendment funds Section 8 voucher renewals at the President's request 
of $18 billion and provides an additional $320 million to provide 
vouchers to the 40,000 families who lost access due to Congress' 
inability to address sequestration.
  Of course, this additional funding would go a long way to ensuring 
that every family who qualifies for rental assistance finds a home. 
However, at the funding levels for administrative fees in this 
legislation, it would be impossible for public housing agencies to hire 
and maintain enough staff to process and renew vouchers.
  We cannot continue to undermine our hardworking public housing 
agencies by failing to provide them enough money to function; yet, once 
again, this bill woefully underfunds administrative fees for public 
housing by providing only $1.35 billion, a $150 million reduction from 
last year's enacted level.
  My amendment would finally address the undercutting at public housing 
agencies by providing an additional $335 million to match the 
President's request of $1.7 billion for administrative fees.
  Mr. Chairman, our first priority must be to ensure that every working 
family, every senior, and every child has access to a safe, healthy, 
and affordable home. This amendment will guarantee that no one has to 
choose between paying their rent and putting food on the table.
  I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.


                             Point of Order

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order that the amendment 
proposes a net increase in budget authority in the bill.
  The amendment is not in order under section 3(d)(3) of House 
Resolution 5, 113th Congress, which states:
  ``It shall not be in order to consider an amendment to a general 
appropriation bill proposing a net increase in budget authority in the 
bill (unless considered en bloc with another amendment or amendments 
proposing an equal or greater decrease in such budget authority 
pursuant to clause 2(f) of rule XXI).''
  The amendment proposes a net increase in budget authority in the bill 
in violation of such section.
  I ask for a ruling from the Chair.
  The CHAIR. Does any other Member wish to be heard on the point of 
order?
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Chairman, we can all agree, I think, that this 
amendment is necessary.
  We are talking about denying tens of thousands of families and 
seniors access to an efficient, cost-effective program that keeps 
families together and lowers the government's costs over the long term.
  Without this amendment, we will see a spike in homelessness, a spike 
in medical costs, and a spike in hungry kids.
  I understand the point of order. I understand that the rules demand 
an offset for any funding increase in the bill. I also appreciate the 
chairman's efforts to support Section 8 and public housing.
  But when funding levels are this restrictive across the board, as 
they are in this bill, it is impossible to offset such drastic 
underfunding without hurting other people in need. The rules and the 
drastic underfunding of this bill make it impossible to meet basic 
human needs.
  I hope that, as we go forward, we can find a way to provide these 
funds so that kids, working families, and seniors are not out on the 
street, as I guarantee you this bill at this funding level will do.
  The CHAIR. The Chair is prepared to rule on the point of order.
  The gentleman from Iowa makes a point of order that the amendment 
offered by the gentleman from New York violates section 3(d)(3) of 
House Resolution 5.
  Section 3(d)(3) establishes a point of order against an amendment 
proposing a net increase in budget authority in the pending bill.
  As persuasively asserted by the gentleman from Iowa, the amendment 
proposes a net increase in budget authority in the bill. Therefore, the 
point of order is sustained. The amendment is not in order.
  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent that we 
return to page 70, line 16, to consider my amendment that was passed a 
moment ago.
  The CHAIR. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from 
Florida?
  Mr. LATHAM. Objection.
  The CHAIR. Objection is heard.
  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Chair, I move to strike the last word.
  The CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Chair, if I had an opportunity to offer my 
amendment today, an amendment that passed with the support of both 
parties in last year's T-HUD appropriations bill, I would raise the 
fact that the Department of Housing and Urban Development, in many 
communities across the country, has taken a step back from their 
mission.
  They have a very important mission when it comes to homelessness 
among veterans, ensuring affordable housing partnerships, and combating 
the foreclosure crisis.
  Still, last year, we were disserved by the leadership at the 
Department when they closed a number of field offices all across the 
country, including the field office in the Tampa Bay area, that I 
represent, and in the Orlando area.
  Now, Florida has a population of almost 20 million people. We have 
1.5

[[Page 9610]]

million veterans, and it is estimated that about 8,000 of them are 
homeless. We have 47,000 people in Florida that are battling 
homelessness, and our foreclosure rate is still too high. Nearly 9 
percent of all Florida homes with mortgages are in some state of 
foreclosure.
  So it was very disturbing last year when HUD pulled back on the 
ground, closed community offices in Tampa and Orlando. In fact, they 
shut down 16 field offices. The problem was that they didn't consult 
Congress, as they were supposed to. They came, they talked with us, but 
they didn't really allow us any adequate input.
  I encourage the leaders, like the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Pastor), who has been on this issue, to continue this dialogue with the 
Department and the U.S. Senate in conference.
  My amendment would have cut the executive office budget of HUD here 
in Washington, D.C., by $3.5 million and, instead, devoted those funds 
back to our local communities to fight homelessness among veterans, 
foreclosures, and the other challenges we face.
  The shift of these dollars out of D.C. to our local communities would 
have sent a very strong message. You know, those fields offices, 
especially the one I had in the Tampa Bay area, was a critical access 
point for my neighbors and for many of the community's nonprofits.
  We are being hurt by their decision, and all my amendment would have 
done--and I hope this dialogue will continue--is ensure that the 
Department remains focused on backing up what they said that they would 
do to ensure that our local communities would not be hurt by taking 
away people on the ground that interact on an everyday basis with the 
people we represent.
  So at this time, I want to thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Pastor) for his involvement in this issue and urge everyone involved in 
the negotiations to emphasize the importance of having HUD focused on 
their mission on the ground in our neighborhoods, in our cities and 
towns and not on the bureaucracy here in Washington, D.C.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent that we go back 
to page 70 for the purpose of offering an amendment.
  The CHAIR. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
North Carolina?
  Mr. LATHAM. There is an objection.
  The CHAIR. Objection is heard.
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
  The CHAIR. The gentleman from North Carolina is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Chairman, if I would have been able to offer my 
amendment today, it would have clarified an existing Federal highway 
priority corridor between Raleigh, North Carolina, and Norfolk, 
Virginia.
  It would have also codified the corridor as a future interstate 
highway. This designation, Mr. Chairman, could eventually improve 
transportation and commerce and economic development in North Carolina 
and Virginia.
  Eastern North Carolina, Mr. Chairman, remains one of the poorest 
areas in the country, despite the economic resurgence many other areas 
of the country have seen. My amendment, if it had been made in order, 
would enable future construction between Raleigh and Norfolk to build 
on an existing corridor where half of the route already meets Federal 
freeway standards.
  Improving on existing infrastructure can save taxpayer money and help 
expedite the project's completion.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge colleagues in future debates to consider this 
request.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.
  The motion was agreed to.
  Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. 
Broun of Georgia) having assumed the chair, Mr. Holding, Chair of the 
Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that 
that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4745) 
making appropriations for the Departments of Transportation, and 
Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 2015, and for other purposes, had come to no 
resolution thereon.

                          ____________________