[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7292]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, the infrastructure investment can be an 
economic game changer. In western New York, the Federal highway bill 
funded the reconstruction of Fuhrman Boulevard, which reconnected our 
community with its waterfront, resulting in new private sector 
investment.
  From Filmore Avenue and Ohio Street in Buffalo to Main Street in 
Williamsville, the Robert Moses Parkway in Niagara Falls, and Kenmore 
Avenue in Tonawanda, tens of millions of Federal dollars are 
contributing to transformative projects in our community. The 
construction of these projects has economic benefits as well. 660,000 
jobs depend on Federal road and transit investment. Yet today, the 
House will extend, for just 2 months, the Federal transportation 
program that is weak and inadequate. We can do much better.
  America needs a long-term bill that provides funding. We need to 
create jobs and bring our infrastructure to a state of good repair.
  Last week, I introduced the Nation Building Here at Home Act to do 
just that. Congress should be humbled that it has allowed our 
infrastructure to fall into such disrepair, and we should use these 2 
months to pass a long-term bill that America needs.

                          ____________________