[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 7305-7314]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION FUNDING ACT OF 2015


                             General Leave

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous materials on H.R. 2353.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 271, I call up 
the bill (H.R. 2353) to provide an extension of Federal-aid highway, 
highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other programs 
funded out of the Highway Trust Fund, and for other purposes, and ask 
for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 271, the bill 
is considered read.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2353

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS; TABLE OF 
                   CONTENTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Highway 
     and Transportation Funding Act of 2015''.
       (b) Reconciliation of Funds.--The Secretary of 
     Transportation shall reduce the amount apportioned or 
     allocated for a program, project, or activity under this Act 
     in fiscal year 2015 by amounts apportioned or allocated 
     pursuant to the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 
     2014, including the amendments made by that Act, for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 
     2015.
       (c) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act 
     is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; reconciliation of funds; table of contents.

           TITLE I--SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM EXTENSION

                    Subtitle A--Federal-Aid Highways

Sec. 1001. Extension of Federal-aid highway programs.
Sec. 1002. Administrative expenses.

            Subtitle B--Extension of Highway Safety Programs

Sec. 1101. Extension of national highway traffic safety administration 
              highway safety programs.
Sec. 1102. Extension of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 
              programs.
Sec. 1103. Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act.

               Subtitle C--Public Transportation Programs

Sec. 1201. Formula grants for rural areas.
Sec. 1202. Apportionment of appropriations for formula grants.
Sec. 1203. Authorizations for public transportation.
Sec. 1204. Bus and bus facilities formula grants.

                    Subtitle D--Hazardous Materials

Sec. 1301. Authorization of appropriations.

                      TITLE II--REVENUE PROVISIONS

Sec. 2001. Extension of Highway Trust Fund expenditure authority.

           TITLE I--SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM EXTENSION

                    Subtitle A--Federal-Aid Highways

     SEC. 1001. EXTENSION OF FEDERAL-AID HIGHWAY PROGRAMS.

       (a) In General.--Section 1001(a) of the Highway and 
     Transportation Funding Act of 2014 (128 Stat. 1840) is 
     amended by striking ``May 31, 2015'' and inserting ``July 31, 
     2015''.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--
       (1) Highway trust fund.--Section 1001(b)(1) of the Highway 
     and Transportation Funding Act of 2014 (128 Stat. 1840) is 
     amended by striking ``for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2014, and ending on May 31, 2015, a sum equal to \243/365\ of 
     the total amount'' and inserting ``for the period beginning 
     on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015, a sum equal 
     to \304/365\ of the total amount''.
       (2) General fund.--Section 1123(h)(1) of MAP-21 (23 U.S.C. 
     202 note) is amended by striking ``and $19,972,603 out of the 
     general fund of the Treasury to carry out the program for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 
     2015'' and inserting ``and $24,986,301 out of the general 
     fund of the Treasury to carry out the program for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015''.
       (c) Use of Funds.--
       (1) In general.--Section 1001(c)(1) of the Highway and 
     Transportation Funding Act of 2014 (128 Stat. 1840) is 
     amended--
       (A) by striking ``May 31, 2015,'' and inserting ``July 31, 
     2015,''; and
       (B) by striking ``\243/365\'' and inserting ``\304/365\''.
       (2) Obligation ceiling.--Section 1102 of MAP-21 (23 U.S.C. 
     104 note) is amended--
       (A) in subsection (a) by striking paragraph (3) and 
     inserting the following:
       ``(3) $33,528,284,932 for the period beginning on October 
     1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015.'';
       (B) in subsection (b)(12) by striking ``, and for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 
     2015, only in an amount equal to $639,000,000, less any 
     reductions that would have otherwise been required for that 
     year by section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
     Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901a), then multiplied 
     by \243/365\ for that period'' and inserting ``, and for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 
     2015, only in an amount equal to $639,000,000, less any 
     reductions that would have otherwise been required for that 
     year by section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
     Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901a), then multiplied 
     by \304/365\ for that period'';
       (C) in subsection (c)--
       (i) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by striking ``May 
     31, 2015,'' and inserting ``July 31, 2015,''; and
       (ii) in paragraph (2) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
     (A) by striking ``for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2014, and ending May 31, 2015, that is equal to \243/365\ of 
     such unobligated balance'' and inserting ``for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015, 
     that is equal to \304/365\ of such unobligated balance''; and
       (D) in subsection (f)(1) in the matter preceding 
     subparagraph (A) by striking ``May 31, 2015,'' and inserting 
     ``July 31, 2015,''.

     SEC. 1002. ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.

       Section 1002 of the Highway and Transportation Funding Act 
     of 2014 (128 Stat. 1842) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a) by striking ``for administrative 
     expenses of the Federal-aid highway program $292,931,507 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 
     31, 2015.'' and inserting ``for administrative expenses of 
     the Federal-aid highway program $366,465,753 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015.''; 
     and
       (2) by striking subsection (b)(2) and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(2) for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and 
     ending on July 31, 2015, subject to the limitations on 
     administrative expenses under the heading `Federal Highway 
     Administration' in appropriations Acts that apply to that 
     period.''.

            Subtitle B--Extension of Highway Safety Programs

     SEC. 1101. EXTENSION OF NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY 
                   ADMINISTRATION HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAMS.

       (a) Extension of Programs.--
       (1) Highway safety programs.--Section 31101(a)(1)(C) of 
     MAP-21 (126 Stat. 733) is amended to read as follows:
       ``(C) $195,726,027 for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2014, and ending on July 31, 2015.''.
       (2) Highway safety research and development.--Section 
     31101(a)(2)(C) of MAP-21 (126 Stat. 733) is amended to read 
     as follows:
       ``(C) $94,531,507 for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2014, and ending on July 31, 2015.''.
       (3) National priority safety programs.--Section 
     31101(a)(3)(C) of MAP-21 (126 Stat. 733) is amended to read 
     as follows:
       ``(C) $226,542,466 for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2014, and ending on July 31, 2015.''.
       (4) National driver register.--Section 31101(a)(4)(C) of 
     MAP-21 (126 Stat. 733) is amended to read as follows:
       ``(C) $4,164,384 for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2014, and ending on July 31, 2015.''.
       (5) High visibility enforcement program.--
       (A) Authorization of appropriations.--Section 
     31101(a)(5)(C) of MAP-21 (126 Stat. 733) is amended to read 
     as follows:
       ``(C) $24,153,425 for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2014, and ending on July 31, 2015.''.
       (B) Law enforcement campaigns.--Section 2009(a) of SAFETEA-
     LU (23 U.S.C. 402 note) is amended--
       (i) in the first sentence by striking ``May 31, 2015'' and 
     inserting ``July 31, 2015''; and
       (ii) in the second sentence by striking ``May 31, 2015,'' 
     and inserting ``July 31, 2015,''.
       (6) Administrative expenses.--Section 31101(a)(6)(C) of 
     MAP-21 (126 Stat. 733) is amended to read as follows:
       ``(C) $21,238,356 for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2014, and ending on July 31, 2015.''.
       (b) Cooperative Research and Evaluation.--Section 403(f)(1) 
     of title 23, United States Code, is amended by striking ``and 
     $1,664,384 of the total amount available for apportionment to 
     the States for highway safety programs under section 402(c) 
     in the

[[Page 7306]]

     period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 
     2015,'' and inserting ``and $2,082,192 of the total amount 
     available for apportionment to the States for highway safety 
     programs under section 402(c) in the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,''.
       (c) Applicability of Title 23.--Section 31101(c) of MAP-21 
     (126 Stat. 733) is amended by striking ``May 31, 2015,'' and 
     inserting ``July 31, 2015,''.

     SEC. 1102. EXTENSION OF FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY 
                   ADMINISTRATION PROGRAMS.

       (a) Motor Carrier Safety Grants.--Section 31104(a)(10) of 
     title 49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
       ``(10) $181,567,123 for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2014, and ending on July 31, 2015.''.
       (b) Administrative Expenses.--Section 31104(i)(1)(J) of 
     title 49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
       ``(J) $215,715,068 for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2014, and ending on July 31, 2015.''.
       (c) Grant Programs.--
       (1) Commercial driver's license program improvement 
     grants.--Section 4101(c)(1) of SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1715) is 
     amended by striking ``and $19,972,603 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 2015'' 
     and inserting ``and $24,986,301 for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015''.
       (2) Border enforcement grants.--Section 4101(c)(2) of 
     SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1715) is amended by striking ``and 
     $21,304,110 for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and 
     ending on May 31, 2015'' and inserting ``and $26,652,055 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 
     31, 2015''.
       (3) Performance and registration information system 
     management grant program.--Section 4101(c)(3) of SAFETEA-LU 
     (119 Stat. 1715) is amended by striking ``and $3,328,767 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 
     31, 2015'' and inserting ``and $4,164,384 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015''.
       (4) Commercial vehicle information systems and networks 
     deployment program.--Section 4101(c)(4) of SAFETEA-LU (119 
     Stat. 1715) is amended by striking ``and $16,643,836 for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 
     2015'' and inserting ``and $20,821,918 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015''.
       (5) Safety data improvement grants.--Section 4101(c)(5) of 
     SAFETEA-LU (119 Stat. 1715) is amended by striking ``and 
     $1,997,260 for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and 
     ending on May 31, 2015'' and inserting ``and $2,498,630 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 
     31, 2015''.
       (d) High-priority Activities.--Section 31104(k)(2) of title 
     49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``and up to 
     $9,986,301 for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and 
     ending on May 31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and up to 
     $12,493,151 for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and 
     ending on July 31, 2015,''.
       (e) New Entrant Audits.--Section 31144(g)(5)(B) of title 
     49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``and up to 
     $21,304,110 for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and 
     ending on May 31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and up to 
     $26,652,055 for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and 
     ending on July 31, 2015,''.
       (f) Outreach and Education.--Section 4127(e) of SAFETEA-LU 
     (119 Stat. 1741) is amended by striking ``and $2,663,014 to 
     the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 
     2015,'' and inserting ``and $3,331,507 to the Federal Motor 
     Carrier Safety Administration for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,''.
       (g) Grant Program for Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators.--
     Section 4134(c) of SAFETEA-LU (49 U.S.C. 31301 note) is 
     amended by striking ``and $665,753 for the period beginning 
     on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 2015,'' and 
     inserting ``and $832,877 for the period beginning on October 
     1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,''.

     SEC. 1103. DINGELL-JOHNSON SPORT FISH RESTORATION ACT.

       Section 4 of the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act 
     (16 U.S.C. 777c) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) 
     by striking ``May 31, 2015'' and inserting ``July 31, 2015''; 
     and
       (2) in subsection (b)(1)(A) by striking ``May 31, 2015,'' 
     and inserting ``July 31, 2015,''.

               Subtitle C--Public Transportation Programs

     SEC. 1201. FORMULA GRANTS FOR RURAL AREAS.

       Section 5311(c)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (A) by striking ``and $3,328,767 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 
     31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and $4,164,384 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,''; 
     and
       (2) in subparagraph (B) by striking ``and $16,643,836 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 
     31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and $20,821,918 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,''.

     SEC. 1202. APPORTIONMENT OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR FORMULA 
                   GRANTS.

       Section 5336(h)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is 
     amended by striking ``and $19,972,603 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 2015,'' 
     and inserting ``and $24,986,301 for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,''.

     SEC. 1203. AUTHORIZATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.

       (a) Formula Grants.--Section 5338(a) of title 49, United 
     States Code, is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1) by striking ``and $5,722,150,685 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 
     31, 2015'' and inserting ``and $7,158,575,342 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015'';
       (2) in paragraph (2)--
       (A) in subparagraph (A) by striking ``and $85,749,041 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 
     31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and $107,274,521 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,'';
       (B) in subparagraph (B) by striking ``and $6,657,534 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 
     31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and $8,328,767 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,'';
       (C) in subparagraph (C) by striking ``and $2,968,361,507 
     for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on 
     May 31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and $3,713,505,753 for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 
     2015,'';
       (D) in subparagraph (D) by striking ``and $171,964,110 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 
     31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and $215,132,055 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,'';
       (E) in subparagraph (E)--
       (i) by striking ``and $404,644,932 for the period beginning 
     on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 2015,'' and 
     inserting ``and $506,222,466 for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,'';
       (ii) by striking ``and $19,972,603 for the period beginning 
     on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 2015,'' and 
     inserting ``and $24,986,301 for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,''; and
       (iii) by striking ``and $13,315,068 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 2015,'' 
     and inserting ``and $16,657,534 for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,'';
       (F) in subparagraph (F) by striking ``and $1,997,260 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 
     31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and $2,498,630 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,'';
       (G) in subparagraph (G) by striking ``and $3,328,767 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 
     31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and $4,164,384 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,'';
       (H) in subparagraph (H) by striking ``and $2,563,151 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 
     31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and $3,206,575 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,'';
       (I) in subparagraph (I) by striking ``and $1,441,955,342 
     for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on 
     May 31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and $1,803,927,671 for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 
     2015,'';
       (J) in subparagraph (J) by striking ``and $284,809,315 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 
     31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and $356,304,658 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,''; 
     and
       (K) in subparagraph (K) by striking ``and $350,119,726 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 
     31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and $438,009,863 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,''.
       (b) Research, Development Demonstration and Deployment 
     Projects.--Section 5338(b) of title 49, United States Code, 
     is amended by striking ``and $46,602,740 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 2015'' 
     and inserting ``and $58,301,370 for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015''.
       (c) Transit Cooperative Research Program.--Section 5338(c) 
     of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``and 
     $4,660,274 for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and 
     ending on May 31, 2015'' and inserting ``and $5,830,137 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 
     31, 2015''.
       (d) Technical Assistance and Standards Development.--
     Section 5338(d) of title 49, United States Code, is amended 
     by striking ``and $4,660,274 for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 2015'' and inserting 
     ``and $5,830,137 for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, 
     and ending on July 31, 2015''.
       (e) Human Resources and Training.--Section 5338(e) of title 
     49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``and 
     $3,328,767 for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and 
     ending on May 31, 2015'' and inserting ``and $4,164,384 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 
     31, 2015''.
       (f) Capital Investment Grants.--Section 5338(g) of title 
     49, United States Code, is

[[Page 7307]]

     amended by striking ``and $1,269,591,781 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 2015'' 
     and inserting ``and $1,558,295,890 for the period beginning 
     on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015''.
       (g) Administration.--Section 5338(h) of title 49, United 
     States Code, is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1) by striking ``and $69,238,356 for the 
     period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 
     2015'' and inserting ``and $86,619,178 for the period 
     beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015'';
       (2) in paragraph (2) by striking ``and not less than 
     $3,328,767 for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and 
     ending on May 31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and not less than 
     $4,164,384 for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and 
     ending on July 31, 2015,''; and
       (3) in paragraph (3) by striking ``and not less than 
     $665,753 for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and 
     ending on May 31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and not less than 
     $832,877 for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and 
     ending on July 31, 2015,''.

     SEC. 1204. BUS AND BUS FACILITIES FORMULA GRANTS.

       Section 5339(d)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``and $43,606,849 for the period beginning 
     on October 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 2015,'' and 
     inserting ``and $54,553,425 for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,'';
       (2) by striking ``$832,192 for such period'' and inserting 
     ``$1,041,096 for such period''; and
       (3) by striking ``$332,877 for such period'' and inserting 
     ``$416,438 for such period''.

                    Subtitle D--Hazardous Materials

     SEC. 1301. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) In General.--Section 5128(a)(3) of title 49, United 
     States Code, is amended to read as follows:
       ``(3) $35,615,474 for the period beginning on October 1, 
     2014, and ending on July 31, 2015.''.
       (b) Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Fund.--
     Section 5128(b)(2) of title 49, United States Code, is 
     amended to read as follows:
       ``(2) Fiscal year 2015.--From the Hazardous Materials 
     Emergency Preparedness Fund established under section 
     5116(i), the Secretary may expend for the period beginning on 
     October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015--
       ``(A) $156,581 to carry out section 5115;
       ``(B) $18,156,712 to carry out subsections (a) and (b) of 
     section 5116, of which not less than $11,368,767 shall be 
     available to carry out section 5116(b);
       ``(C) $124,932 to carry out section 5116(f);
       ``(D) $520,548 to publish and distribute the Emergency 
     Response Guidebook under section 5116(i)(3); and
       ``(E) $832,877 to carry out section 5116(j).''.
       (c) Hazardous Materials Training Grants.--Section 5128(c) 
     of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking ``and 
     $2,663,014 for the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and 
     ending on May 31, 2015,'' and inserting ``and $3,331,507 for 
     the period beginning on October 1, 2014, and ending on July 
     31, 2015,''.

                      TITLE II--REVENUE PROVISIONS

     SEC. 2001. EXTENSION OF HIGHWAY TRUST FUND EXPENDITURE 
                   AUTHORITY.

       (a) Highway Trust Fund.--Section 9503 of the Internal 
     Revenue Code of 1986 is amended--
       (1) by striking ``June 1, 2015'' in subsections (b)(6)(B), 
     (c)(1), and (e)(3) and inserting ``August 1, 2015'', and
       (2) by striking ``Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 
     2014'' in subsections (c)(1) and (e)(3) and inserting 
     ``Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015''.
       (b) Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund.--Section 
     9504 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended--
       (1) by striking ``Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 
     2014'' each place it appears in subsection (b)(2) and 
     inserting ``Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015'', 
     and
       (2) by striking ``June 1, 2015'' in subsection (d)(2) and 
     inserting ``August 1, 2015''.
       (c) Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund.--Section 
     9508(e)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by 
     striking ``June 1, 2015'' and inserting ``August 1, 2015''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Shuster) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) each will control 
30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2353, the Highway and 
Transportation Funding Act of 2015. This bill will extend the Federal 
surface transportation programs for 2 months, through July of 2015.
  H.R. 2353 is a clean extension of the surface transportation 
programs, funded at the authorized amounts for fiscal year 2014. No 
transfer of funding to the highway trust fund is necessary because the 
trust fund will remain solvent during the period. However, we will more 
than likely have to pass another short-term patch before the August 
recess and take steps to ensure the trust fund remains solvent. I hope 
all of you will support H.R. 2353.
  I have to say, a short-term extension through the end of July was not 
our preferred path forward. Our hope was to extend the surface programs 
through the end of the calendar year. That would have ensured reliable 
funding for the States through the construction season. A longer 
extension would also have allowed us to focus on finding a long-term 
funding solution within the context of tax reform without the 
distraction of needing to address a shortfall in the highway trust fund 
later this summer. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach an agreement 
on a 7-month extension, and so we are left with a 2-month patch.
  Mr. Speaker, we have an immediate, critical need to extend the 
current surface transportation law. If Congress fails to act, over 
4,000 Department of Transportation personnel will be furloughed and the 
States will not be able to be reimbursed. Transportation projects and 
jobs across the country will be at risk.
  I appreciate Chairman Ryan's attention to this pressing issue, as 
well as his commitment to addressing the long-term solvency of the 
highway trust fund. A long-term reauthorization bill will continue to 
be a top priority for this committee. I look forward to working with 
Chairman Ryan, Ranking Member DeFazio, and others to achieve a long-
term bill.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Well, here we are again, yet another short-term pass. It is a heck of 
a way to run a great nation. Our system is falling apart: 140,000 
bridges on the National Highway System need repair or replacement; 40 
percent of the surface National Highway System is in such bad shape we 
have to dig up the roadbed and resurface; and we have an $86 billion 
backlog in transit just to bring the existing transit up to a state of 
good repair. It is so bad that we are killing people in the Nation's 
Capital unnecessarily because of the state of disrepair of the Metro 
system.
  It is embarrassing. The United States of America has gone from number 
one in the world, unparalleled in terms of its infrastructure in the 
Eisenhower era and through a good deal of the latter part of the last 
century, to 26th and falling fast. We are investing less of a 
percentage of our GDP in infrastructure repairs and maintenance--let 
alone, building out a new system--than virtually every nation in the 
world.

                              {time}  1415

  We are down to around 1 percent. There are many developing nations 
who are investing much, much more because they know they have to move 
their people and their goods more efficiently in a world economy.
  We cannot continue to kick this can down the road. The road is at a 
dead end. Today, we will reluctantly go along with a 2-month patch 
because, if we do not act today, at the end of this month, June 1, 
4,000 people will be laid off at DOT and all Federal funding for 
surface transportation and transit would stop. That would be the end of 
it. It wouldn't be authorized.
  States that had bills pending couldn't be paid, and States that want 
to get new commitments for new projects wouldn't be able to do it, a 
tragedy at the height of the construction season. Sixty days should be 
enough time to negotiate a long-term bill.
  Today, we introduce the GROW AMERICA Act written by the 
administration. It has many, many good points to it, especially the 
spending levels. We need to enhance spending. We can't pretend, Oh, we 
are going to do more with less. We are past that point.
  Look at what has happened to the purchasing power of the gas tax, 
which hasn't been changed since 1993, two and a half times faster road 
traffic volume is going up than we are dealing with the funding issues. 
We are in a huge deficit situation, and there are many, many ways--many 
of them proposed on a bipartisan basis--to deal with this. We should be 
able to work that out.

[[Page 7308]]

  More importantly, this committee writes the policy. We introduced a 
bill today that sets the levels for $87 billion. It is an increase in 
transit to deal with the backlog, an increase in highways to deal with 
the insufficiencies there, a new dedicated program for freight; and it 
puts some more money into rail--commuter rail, in particular--to deal 
with positive train control and other issues.
  We believe that this is the last wake-up call to give Congress time. 
Sixty days is more than enough time to write a long-term authorization 
and for the Ways and Means Committee to figure out a way to fund it.
  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Graves), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and 
Transit.
  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank, in 
addition to this patch, I want to thank Chairman Shuster and Chairman 
Ryan for their very hard work towards a long-term reauthorization of 
the Federal highway bill.
  Mr. Speaker, my home State of Missouri has nearly 35,000 highway 
miles and over 10,000 bridges that are practically begging for our 
attention. As chairman of the House Subcommittee on Highways and 
Transit, every single day I hear about the need to improve and repair 
our roadways in this country.
  As you can imagine, this isn't a simple task. This is a job that is 
going to take years to complete. It requires the hard work and 
cooperation of thousands of men and women and relies on partnerships 
between the stakeholders, local governments, and Washington.
  Most importantly, though, a task of this magnitude requires that 
those responsible for planning each project, the State and local 
governments, are able to do so with confidence. They need certainty not 
only in this year's budget, but also the budgets for the next 5 or 6 
years.
  This 2-month extension does not come under ideal circumstances, but 
it is going to ensure that States are reimbursed for their expenses on 
Federal projects, and it is going to give us the time to craft a 
bipartisan long-term reauthorization that we so desperately need.
  Long-term reauthorization is critical for everyone who plays a role 
in improving our Nation's highways and bridges. For too long, they have 
been forced to operate off of short-term extension after short-term 
extension, and this makes the already difficult job of maintaining our 
roadways nearly impossible.
  This Congress, we have a huge opportunity to secure a long-term 
highway bill that is going to improve, rebuild, and modernize America's 
highway system. It is time that we come together to do just that, and I 
hope this extension gives us the time to come up with that agreement 
that we need.
  Again, I want to thank both chairmen for their hard work, and I look 
forward to finalizing a much-needed long-term reauthorization.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman 
from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), the ranking member of the 
Highways and Transit Subcommittee.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for yielding.
  By July, when this new patch expires, Mr. Speaker, we shall have 
spent a full year since the last patch, not even trying to make 
progress toward a long-term authorization bill.
  We have acquired a dangerous habit--33 since the last long-term 
bill--of patches that create no urgency to get a long-term bill done. 
The Ways and Means Committee, the funding committee for this bill, is 
holding its first hearing next month. The frustration in the States has 
accumulated as fast as the untenable backlog of projects. Another 
construction season has already been sacrificed.
  The reason we are here is itself a comment on congressional neglect 
of the Nation's infrastructure. States have slowed down their request 
for reimbursements from the trust fund because the unreplenished fund, 
together with the short-term patches, make it impossible for States, 
themselves, to even begin projects of any size.
  Mr. Speaker, the States have already scaled back their plans for 2015 
that would have created jobs. This self-inflicted crisis is threatening 
other jobs, too--many Federal employees in my district and thousands of 
others throughout the country. If Congress fails to take action by May 
31, many Federal employees will be furloughed; Federal reimbursements 
will stop, and the highway and transit programs will shut down. The 
hidden costs are even worse, the many economic development projects in 
the country that can't be started until roads, bridges, and transit to 
accommodate them are done.
  Today, the Democrats on the Transportation and Infrastructure 
Committee have introduced the President's GROW AMERICA Act. We are 
putting a good bill on the table. Change it or do your own substitute, 
but do not leave the Nation's infrastructure twisting in the dust of 
another delay.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Crawford).
  Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, first, let me thank Chairman Shuster and 
Ranking Member DeFazio for their hard work and to the rest of the 
committee for the hours of work already done on a long-term 
transportation bill.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 2353 to prevent the shutdown of 
funding for infrastructure improvement. I believe there is shared 
commitment between the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and 
most of the Members of the House to pass a fully funded, multiyear 
highway bill.
  With the debt crisis we continue to battle, it is becoming more and 
more difficult to find the much-needed resources for our most critical 
needs. That leaves few options at our immediate disposal, most of which 
are not palatable in this economic environment.
  Members of both the Transportation Committee and the Ways and Means 
Committee will have to take a closer look at potential funding 
alternatives and be creative in how to finance a reliable and modern 
infrastructure system, and at the same time, we need to work towards 
getting our country back on a path of fiscal solvency.
  As we work on a long-term solution, we should examine how to reform 
the highway trust fund to prevent finding ourselves in this same 
position over and over. A consistent funding mechanism, paired with a 
more transparent system that demonstrates effective use of taxpayer 
dollars, will put us in a better position to fund critical 
infrastructure projects and instill more confidence on the part of our 
constituents.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting H.R. 2353 so we can 
continue work on a multiyear transportation bill to ensure our Nation's 
growth. Failure to act threatens our general contractors and their 
employees, suppliers, and puts at risk the jobs that are both directly 
and indirectly supported by these projects.
  Mr. Speaker, if we want to keep our folks in business and continue 
any meaningful growth in our economy, then we must find a reliable, 
long-term solution.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Nadler).
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill to extend highway and 
transit programs for 2 months, but with reservations.
  The last surface transportation bill, MAP-21, expired last fall. At 
that time, we passed an extension to the end of this month to give us 
time to work on a long-term bill. We have known for months that this 
day was coming; yet we have made no progress finding a solution to 
funding highways, transit, and other important surface transportation 
programs.
  MAP-21, itself, was only a 2-year bill, breaking the tradition of 
Congress passing 5- or 6-year bills to provide the reliable funding 
necessary to promote long-term capital plans and projects that require 
a commitment beyond 1

[[Page 7309]]

fiscal year. The last long-term bill we passed was SAFETEA-LU in 2005. 
That was 10 years ago, and that bill was underfunded because of a 
resistance to raising the gasoline tax or to identifying new revenue 
sources.
  For over a decade, we have failed to address the funding challenges 
necessary to break the cycle of underinvestment and put this country 
back on a competitive path with the rest of the work.
  Today, we spend about 1.7 percent of GDP on infrastructure, while 
China spends 9 percent and Europe spends 4\1/2\ to 5 percent. We used 
to spend 4\1/2\ to 5 percent also.
  According to DOT, there is an $800 billion backlog of investment 
needs on highways and bridges, including $479 billion in critical 
repair work. Public transit has an $86 billion backlog of critical 
maintenance and repair needs, which increases by $2.5 billion each year 
as bus and rail infrastructure ages.
  While our infrastructure crumbles around us, House and Senate 
leadership refuse to come up with the additional $60 billion needed to 
fill the gap in the highway trust fund just to do a long-term bill at 
current levels; but this week, they will put on the floor a tax 
extender that will cost $182 billion over 10 years, completely unpaid 
for. The priorities of this Congress are completely out of whack.
  I am concerned that we will pass this 2-month extension and be right 
back here in July having this same conversation. I will support this 
extension, but only with the understanding that we must spend the next 
2 months, once and for all, making transportation funding a priority so 
that our citizens don't have to risk unsafe transportation so that we 
can invest in our infrastructure and we can be competitive in our 
economy going forward.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Gibbs).
  Mr. GIBBS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 2353, the Highway and Transportation 
Funding Act of 2015.
  Although we must construct a long-term highway bill, this legislation 
is a compromise that will provide States with certainty through the 
vital summer construction months.
  By extending the expenditure authority of the highway trust fund 
through the end of July, States will not have to worry about 
reimbursements from the Federal Government while they are in the middle 
of the busiest construction season of the year.
  Following the passage of this extension, I look forward to working 
with my colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee 
to construct a long-term highway bill with a sustainable funding 
mechanism.
  Upon its enactment in 2012, MAP-21 made important reforms by 
consolidating Federal highway programs and streamlining the project 
approval process. The next highway bill should build on MAP-21's 
successes to cut red tape and ensure highway trust fund dollars are 
spent responsibly.
  We must also be good stewards of taxpayer dollars by keeping our 
promise to the American people that the next surface transportation 
bill will provide adequate funding for highway and freight 
infrastructure to create jobs and keep our Nation competitive.
  My constituents and the hard-working people all over this country 
need reliable roads and bridges to commute to work, take their children 
to school, and get home safely at night.
  Unfortunately, the President's funding proposal is not viable and, I 
believe, will encourage more inversions or takeovers of American 
companies.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2353 and encourage them to 
commit to crafting a long-term fiscally responsible highway bill that 
will provide the much-needed certainty to States, industry, and the 
American people.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy, 
and I appreciate his leadership on this matter. He hit it right on the 
nail.
  We are in a situation, I am sad to say, having listened to my 
colleague a moment ago; the States will still have to worry. Two months 
doesn't give them a straight shot at a construction season, and there 
is still uncertainty.
  I could have dusted off the speech I gave last summer where I said we 
would be right back here in the same spot, with uncertainty around the 
country; and the local governments, the State governments, the 
contractors don't deserve that.
  But it is not the problem of the T and I Committee, as much as Ways 
and Means. You can't craft a bill unless you know how much money you 
have got to spend. I am embarrassed as a member of that committee that, 
in the 55 months my Republican colleagues have been in charge, we have 
not had a single hearing on transportation finance.
  We hear certain things are off the table or not acceptable. It is 
interesting, we haven't raised the gas tax in 22 years, but six 
States--six red States--have raised the gas tax already this year. 
Utah, Idaho, Georgia, South Dakota--these are not flaming bastions of 
liberalism. These are people who looked at the problem and decided they 
needed to step up, and they stepped up not to take the place of the 
Federal responsibility, but in anticipation that at some point, the 
Federal Government would meet its obligation for almost half of the 
major construction projects.
  I would respectfully request that we dive in and see what we can do 
over the course of the next couple of months, but that the Ways and 
Means Committee spend one week listening to the men and women who 
build, operate, and use our Nation's infrastructure, spend a week, look 
at the items, consider maybe what Ronald Reagan thought was a good idea 
in 1982: raise the gas tax.
  We can pass that bill out of committee in 1 week, and you can have 
the next couple of months to give America the bill it needs to rebuild 
and renew this great country.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Nevada (Mr. Hardy).
  Mr. HARDY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of long-term highway 
funding. I will support the bill on the floor today, but let's be 
clear. This is a long-term problem that needs to have a long-term 
solution.
  We gather in hearings and we gather in meetings to discuss the 
various options we have for revenue. We now have to gather to make a 
decision, the long-term decision.
  We were elected to Congress to represent our constituents and to make 
difficult decisions that will help us guide our Nation forward. It is 
time for us to accelerate and produce a solution to our highway funding 
problems. Our highways and our bridges are falling into disrepair.
  Before I became involved in public service, I was a contractor in 
Nevada where I worked on roads, bridges, and dams. I know the wear and 
tear that our infrastructure is experiencing. I know the uncertainty 
that States are facing when it comes to highway projects.
  Our inaction has created a difficult environment for the States to 
make decisions. So I stand here today to support long-term funding. It 
is a long-term problem that requires a long-term solution.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Johnson).
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the 
leadership of this committee for getting to this point. I am very, very 
sorry that this is another kicking the can down the road, but we don't 
have much choice but to support the bill before us today.
  We have missed a major construction season already. Bridges are 
falling; accidents are happening; traffic jams increase because of the 
crumbling infrastructure. This is all very costly, and it is more 
costly when we have a winter like we just had that hits already 
crumbling infrastructure.
  We must address this costly neglect of our infrastructure around the 
country. It is not partisan. There are no

[[Page 7310]]

Democrat and Republican bridges or streets. We must address our 
responsibility to this Nation.
  Sensible, large projects must have time to plan for those long-term 
projects. They cannot do that. No city or State can do that kind of 
planning without knowing whether we have a long-term source of funding 
that will keep it going.
  It is unwise for us to continue just to put this off. We have got to 
pay for it no matter when we do it. The time is now. We have extended 
this time too long. The Nation has suffered too long. Traffic is 
jamming; accidents are happening; and it will not get better until we 
take on our responsibility.
  I would urge all of us today to support this short-term bill for the 
last time. It is time for us to have a long-term infrastructure bill 
for this Nation.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to inquire of the Chair the 
balance of time remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Oregon has 19 minutes 
remaining. The gentleman from Pennsylvania has 22 minutes remaining.
  Mr. SHUSTER. It is now my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin).
  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, the funding and authorization for our Federal 
highway program expires in just 12 days. This is a deadline that 
Congress, the Department of Transportation, and the American people 
have known about for almost a year now. And the bill before us today is 
not the long-term solution that we were hoping for, but it is the 
necessary step forward at this time while we continue to work on a 
longer term solution for our highway funding.
  I appreciate very much the attention that Chairman Shuster has given 
to this important issue. He has taken a very keen interest in what we 
need on a national level, and many of us from the Houston area 
appreciate his coming to our part of America to learn and see what our 
needs are in the State of Texas. I am confident that the chairman and 
those of us on the relevant committees in the House and the Senate will 
come together and deliver a long-term solution for our highway programs 
and will strengthen them for every Texan and every American.
  While this bill before us isn't ideal, the choice is very simple. I 
urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on this bill to keep 
our State Department of Transportation on the job through the summer 
building months and to keep Congress working on a long-term solution.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Brown).
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, here we go again, passing another 
extension and failing in our duty to provide a world-class 
transportation system.
  Transportation programs are much too critical to our economy to be 
delayed any longer. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership in 
Washington continues its long-running failure to fund surface 
transportation infrastructure programs. Just last week, House 
Republicans passed a bill, with no offsets, that cut taxes by $269 
billion for the richest 1 percent of Americans, but they failed to pass 
a real transportation authorization bill that would put Americans to 
work. We know, for every billion dollars we invest in transportation, 
it generates 44,000 permanent jobs.
  In closing, Secretary Anthony Foxx said that all of us have roles to 
play in shaping our Nation's infrastructure. As we saw last week during 
the tragic train derailment in Philadelphia, Congress urgently needs to 
increase funding for our Nation's passenger rail system in order to 
make it safer for all of the traveling public and to prevent future 
tragedies on our Nation's rails.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman 
from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, let me thank Mr. DeFazio for yielding and for 
the work that he does on this committee.
  Let me also say to the chairman of the committee, Mr. Shuster, how 
pleased I am with the kind of work that he does on the committee. Very 
frankly, Mr. Shuster is committed to getting things done and to working 
in a bipartisan fashion. That is good for this House, and it is good 
for his State, and it is good for the country. I thank him for his 
leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this 60-day extension because it is 
essential that we do this. The consequences of not doing it would be 
very, very negative. I rise to lament the fact that we have gone 10 
months in our having known full well that this date was upon us and 
that theoretically, we thought, that funding as well as authorization 
would end on the 31st of this month. We have now found that funding 
will not end. This bill is necessary to authorize, not to fund, because 
funding is available for the next 60 days from the 31st.
  I also rise to urge this House, under Mr. Shuster's and Mr. DeFazio's 
leadership, to do the work we were sent here to do--to invest in 
America, to invest in the growth of our economy, to invest in the 
creation of jobs--in fact, what the board of directors of the greatest 
country on the face of the Earth ought to have done many years and, 
certainly, months ago.
  I am absolutely convinced that this House has the capacity, the 
intellect, and the ability within 60 days to come to this floor with a 
bill that will invest in our infrastructure and provide sufficient 
funds to make America competitive and to pay for it, not to pass the 
expense along to future generations--my children, my grandchildren, my 
great grandchildren. They are going to have to buy for themselves the 
infrastructure of their generations, and they ought not to have to pay 
the bills of our generation.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.
  Mr. HOYER. It is a moral responsibility that this generation pays for 
the investments that it needs to make in the infrastructure that will 
be used today and tomorrow.
  Mr. Shuster, I know, wants to do that. Mr. Shuster and Mr. DeFazio 
have the courage to do that. The issue is going to be whether this 
body, on both sides of the aisle, comes forward with a responsible, 
paid-for infrastructure bill, particularly for highways and roads and 
bridges, but for other investments as well.
  I want to tell Mr. Shuster and Mr. DeFazio that I will work closely 
with them and that I will urge the Members on my side of the aisle to 
work closely with the Members on Mr. Shuster's side of the aisle to 
effect this end. But let us not pretend on July 30 that we can extend 
until December 31 or until a year from then. Today, let us commit 
ourselves to using the next 70 days, approximately, to come up with a 
paid-for, 6-year reauthorization that will make America stronger, grow 
our economy, and be a pride of the American people, whom we serve.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished whip for his kind 
words, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, again, may I inquire as to the amount of 
time remaining on my side.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Oregon has 14 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Nolan), a member of the committee.
  Mr. NOLAN. Mr. Speaker and Members of the House, this failure to 
write a long-term, paid-for surface transportation bill for this 
country has become a national embarrassment. Quite frankly, it is an 
international embarrassment. Passenger trains and oil trains are coming 
off the tracks, are taking lives, are causing untold amounts of damage. 
The simple truth is that we can't fix those lives who were lost, but we 
can fix our transportation system. Isn't it about time that we do that? 
It is not only a national embarrassment, our failure here, but it is a 
failure of the Congress. It is a failure of the legislative process. It 
is a failure of the committee process. That is what is happening here.

[[Page 7311]]

  We held hearings in the last session. We heard from the Chamber of 
Commerce; we heard from the unions; we heard from the retailers; we 
heard from the truckers. Everybody said three things: one, our 
transportation system is falling apart. They had that right. Two, it is 
hurting our ability to grow our economy and to create jobs. They had 
that right. Three, they said we need to find some new revenue. None of 
it could be more obvious. Yet the Transportation Committee held 
hearings from all of those people in the last session, and we held 
hearings again in this session, but we never took up the markup and the 
writing of a transportation bill.

                              {time}  1445

  That is the simple truth, Mr. Speaker, and I am calling on the 
leadership here to either instruct the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure or allow the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure to write a transportation bill. I have absolute 
confidence that we can come together if we do.
  It is through the committee process that we find common ground. That 
is where we reach our bipartisanship. That is how we fix things here in 
the Congress. That is how we get things done. Mr. Chairman, Mr. 
Speaker, allow or instruct the committee to do its job, to do its 
business, and we will write a transportation plan for this country that 
gets this country moving again, saves lives, and builds an economy.
  Mr. SHUSTER. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. 
Titus), a member of the committee.
  Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, why are we debating an extension of the 
surface transportation authorization instead of doing the right thing 
and passing a bill that invests in our future? We should be playing the 
long game, not betting on the come, as they say in Nevada.
  For the 2 million residents who live in the Las Vegas valley and the 
more than 42 million visitors who come to our city from around the 
world, we must commit to the passage of a long-term surface 
transportation bill this summer. We can't do yet another extension that 
creates uncertainty, stifles development, and puts us further behind.
  We must pass a bill that includes investment that is real, 
sustainable, and goes beyond just maintaining our current 
infrastructure but instead sets our Nation on a road that is built to 
last.
  Mr. SHUSTER. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. 
Frankel), a member of the committee.
  Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I just want to start by thanking 
Mr. Shuster and Mr. DeFazio for their bipartisan leadership. I am going 
to vote for this 2-month extension for the highway trust fund in order 
to avoid a shutdown of America's transit building and repair.
  But with that said, Mr. Speaker, this legislation is like fixing our 
roads and bridges with Silly Putty. It is just not strong enough to 
hold our Nation's crumbling infrastructure. So I join my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle to say it is time to make those long-term 
investments necessary for people and goods to get to their destination 
safely and timely.
  Mr. Speaker, transportation moves our economy. It is time for 
Congress to get going.
  Mr. SHUSTER. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Pascrell), a strong advocate for all things transportation, a member of 
the powerful Committee on Ways and Means.
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member and the 
chairman. I am not going to vote for this piece of legislation--not 
even close.
  Everyone talks about how we must maintain the roads. If you listened 
over the last 45 minutes, all of these infrastructure issues are in bad 
shape, terrible shape. We know the problem. So long speeches about this 
and the problem don't make much sense.
  Here is my question to every Member of this body: What are you 
prepared to do? Make believe you are doing something? Hide under the 
desk in your office?
  How much money have we used, Mr. Speaker, from the general fund to 
bail out transportation? The percentage of general funds increases each 
budget that we are using. So without a clear source of long-term 
funding, our States cannot plan for the future. In fact, many States 
are not putting money into their trust fund. My own State, the State of 
New Jersey, I guess the money is going to fall out of the sky. So 2 
months, 4 months, 7 months, it is all a joke.
  Ensuring the solvency of the trust fund is not only a key component 
of meeting our transportation challenges, it is our job. The Committee 
on Ways and Means has not even had one hearing, Mr. Ranking Member, Mr. 
Chairman. How many States have put themselves in the same position as 
the Federal Government?
  I understand that some Members are already planning another short-
term extension in July because you say now we are ready to have a long-
term solution, but you are already planning for another short-term in 
July. In fact, we are moving towards the omnibus bill, where we will 
put everything together. It will be like a stew: trade, transportation, 
lollipops, put them all in there. Put it all in there, and then we will 
vote on it and have some of our Members vote against motherhood so that 
they will be on the block a year from this November.
  Look, let me suggest something novel for this group. Let's spend the 
next 8 weeks resuscitating a system where users of the system pay to 
maintain and grow the system. International tax can be a part of the 
solution. I say to the President and the Congress, it is not nearly 
enough money.
  A group of us presented a bipartisan plan--Republicans and 
Democrats--to fund the Federal highway trust fund. Through Democratic 
Presidents, Republican Presidents, through Democratic Houses and 
Republican Houses, we have always been able to come to a resolution on 
this until the last 3 or 4 years. Why? Why is this?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The time of the gentleman has 
expired.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, neither party has the wherewithal to deal 
with the problem. I believe our model must receive serious 
consideration as the clock counts down on the trust fund's expiration. 
Our legislation has the support of both business and labor.
  I am done with extensions, and I plan to vote ``no'' today. I ask my 
colleagues to show support for a long-term bill and cosponsor the 
Renacci-Pascrell plan, because if we don't change something, we will be 
right back here in July talking to each other.
  Mr. SHUSTER. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. How much time do I have remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Oregon has 6\1/2\ minutes 
remaining. The gentleman from Pennsylvania has 20\1/2\ minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  First off, I want to join in what many others have said: 
transportation infrastructure has not been historically nor should it 
become a partisan issue. I appreciate the chairman's willingness to 
work together on many aspects. We will at times disagree over elements 
of bills, but in general we agree that what makes this country great, 
what makes us competitive in the world is a world-class system of 
transportation infrastructure and other critical infrastructure, and 
today we are deficient. I talked during my introductory remarks about 
some of the needs. Let me just talk about the revenues.
  Back in 1993, when the gas tax was raised by a bipartisan coalition 
in the House--actually, on the Republican side, led by the chairman's 
father, Bud Shuster--we paid about 14 percent.

[[Page 7312]]

Every time you went to the pump, with the increase in the gas tax in 
1993, 14 percent of your bill went to invest in the Nation's 
infrastructure. Yet today, some 22 years later, 7 percent goes to the 
infrastructure. Population has grown, road miles have increased, and 
the Eisenhower infrastructure has aged.
  Infrastructure doesn't just age a little bit each year. It reaches a 
point where it accelerates dramatically, so a bridge that you could fix 
for $15 million or $20 million today, 2 years from now you might have 
to totally replace for $100 million. So not delaying these needed 
investments, unless we want to see people detouring around all the 
rivers in America because of bridge outages, is really, really critical 
for a just-in-time economy, for our world competitiveness, to save on 
fuel efficiency.
  Now, a number of States have stepped in to fill the void; 14 States 
have voted to raise their own gas taxes since 2013. As the gentleman 
from Oregon pointed out, six deep red Republican States have voted to 
raise their gas tax this year.
  Just to assure my colleagues, for those who raised it before the last 
election, nobody lost their election because they raised the gas tax in 
those States. People recognize it as a user fee. They are tired of 
blowing out tires and car repairs because of potholes. They are tired 
of detours. The trucking industry is tired of detours, and they don't 
want a proliferation of tolls across America. The solution is a Federal 
partnership.
  The chairman held a hearing recently where we had the Department of 
Transportation director from Wyoming, a deep red State, talking about 
the fact that they had increased their gas tax, but they still need the 
Federal partnership; it is critical. We had the Governor of North 
Carolina--has one of the highest gas taxes in the country, deep red 
State these days--saying the Federal partnership was more critical than 
ever. The same with the mayor of Salt Lake City, the Federal 
partnership is critical. No State can do it on its own.
  I propose that we index the gas tax to construction costs, inflation, 
fleet fuel economy. That would mean next year the gas tax would go up 
by 1.7 cents. I would like to see the Member of Congress who thinks 
they are going to lose their election over a 1.7 cent investment in 
America's infrastructure to avoid those potholes, the congestion, the 
detours, the delays, or the additional tolling to maintain what we 
have. It won't happen. It hasn't happened recently in red States that 
have raised it much more than 1.7 cents.
  But if we index to inflation, fleet fuel economy, and construction 
costs inflation, we could borrow upfront for the trust fund, let's say, 
$150 billion, a nice increase over the current levels of spending, and 
we could pay it back in about 15 years with that increment, just the 
indexed increment that would grow a tiny bit each year.
  And again, you drive by the gas station on your way to work, and when 
you drive home at night, ExxonMobil has raised it a nickel because 
there were rumors of war in the Middle East or a refinery had an outage 
or something or this. Where did that nickel go? It went into the 
pockets of ExxonMobil or speculators on Wall Street. It didn't go into 
our Nation's infrastructure.
  The American people would sure as heck rather pay 1.7 cents to 
rebuild our system and make America more competitive and put hundreds 
of thousands of people to work than another nickel in the coffers of 
OPEC or ExxonMobil or Wall Street speculators.
  It is time to suck it up around here, act like men and women who were 
sent here to make tough decisions, to regain our legacy, to begin to 
bring America back toward a world-class infrastructure. It would take 
many years and many tens or hundreds of billions of dollars to reclaim 
the legacy of the Eisenhower era, but it is only a lack of will--will--
that prevents us from doing that. There is no major impediment. Nobody 
is going to lose their election over 1.7 cents a gallon. In fact, 
people will thank you at home.
  The trucking industry is begging--begging--for an increase in the 
diesel tax. The United States Chamber of Commerce, when is the last 
time they asked for an increase in a tax? Look, all across the 
spectrum, the retailers, the business community, all across this 
country people are saying: Help us; get us out of congestion; fix the 
system; bring it up to a state of good repair. There is another whole 
contingent of American people who are saying: We need jobs.
  There is no more certain way to create jobs in this country than 
investing in America's infrastructure. And they are not just 
construction jobs. They are engineering jobs. They are manufacturing 
jobs. In the case of mass transit, they are high-tech jobs. They are 
small business jobs. They are disadvantaged business enterprise jobs. 
It goes through the entire economy. No American will be left behind.
  We could create hundreds of thousands of jobs and make America number 
one again. All we lack is the will here in this House. Let's say this 
is the last 60-day delay. Let's work together, and let's get a real 6-
year bill by the end of July.
  Mr. Speaker, I just want to announce we introduced the GROW AMERICA 
Act comprehensive bill with which we could begin policy discussions, 
H.R. 2410, today, with 19 cosponsors.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1500

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I always appreciate the passion of the ranking member, 
my friend, Mr. DeFazio, on these issues. I have to say that much of 
what has been said on this floor by both sides, I agree with. The need 
to invest in our infrastructure is real. It is critical. Our 
infrastructure is crumbling all around us.
  I also agree that we need to find a long-term solution to the trust 
fund to make sure it is fiscally responsible, and most importantly, I 
agree that we need to act. This 2-month extension was not my 
preference. What my preference is, is to buckle down, work hard, find 
the dollars, and have a long-term surface transportation bill that is 
sustainable.
  Again, I stand here today urging all my colleagues to vote for this 
essential 2-month extension to get us through to July. I am committed 
to continue to work to find the solution so we can have a long-term 
bill, but a vote against this bill is a vote in favor of shutting down 
these vital programs, stopping the work of thousands of highway 
projects around the country and laying off thousands of construction 
workers and Federal employees.
  I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, the highway trust fund has enough 
money to pay for projects through the end of July, but its legal 
authority to spend that money expires at the end of this month. I would 
have preferred to pass an extension that lasted through the end of the 
year, but we just couldn't come to a bipartisan agreement on how to pay 
for it. That's unfortunate because the more time we spend on these 
short-term patches, the less time we'll have to find a long-term 
solution.
  And ultimately, the only real solution is a long-term solution. At 
the very least, this legislation will allow the trust find to continue 
to fund projects through July, while we continue to work on an 
extension for the rest of the year. But if we really want to solve this 
problem, both parties need to confront the serious challenges facing 
the trust fund. That's the only way we'll come up with a plan to give 
states the certainty they need to build the roads and bridges our 
families need to thrive.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the 
bill, H.R. 2353, the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015 but 
with reservations.
  I support Chairman Shuster's efforts to ensure the Highway Bill does 
not expire and cost the economy jobs and cause important projects to 
stop progress.
  I am, however, disappointed we once again face this issue.
  We need to pass a long-term highway bill so that our communities and 
businesses have the certainty they need to invest in our future.
  I understand the fiscal challenges we face but I believe that we must 
do more to improve our nation's transportation system.
  Transportation funding, particularly for highways and transit, is 
particularly important for my constituents and the entirety of the 
Greater Houston area.
  We have a congestion problem in Houston.
  We have done a lot to reduce this congestion, but more must be done.

[[Page 7313]]

  We also have the largest port for foreign tonnage and largest 
petrochemical complex in our country along the banks of the Port of 
Houston.
  In the years ahead, we will face a much higher traffic volume due to 
population growth and the expansion of the Panama Canal, which will 
bring more truck traffic and economic development to the area.
  In order for Houston and our Port to continue to be a hub for 
commerce, we must strengthen our rail and road infrastructure.
  Both a successful port and a growing local economy rely on well 
maintained roads and bridges.
  Communities around our country must improve its transportation 
infrastructure in order to encourage businesses and economic 
development.
  While I understand the strain the Highway Trust Fund is experiencing, 
it is important that we fund important highway projects throughout the 
country.
  We are at a critical time for our nation in terms of transportation 
funding.
  We must fix bridges, expand highways, and increase the capacity of 
our infrastructure.
  Highway and transit projects are important to our constituents, so 
they can get to work and school and they are important to our 
businesses so they can move commerce.
  Everyone wins when we increase our investments in our transportation 
infrastructure.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2353 but I also urge my 
colleagues to fix the problem and craft a long-term highway bill for 
the benefit of all our citizens.
  Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
opposition to H.R. 2353. This bill will mark the thirty-third time 
we've passed a short-term extension to the Highway bill in eight years. 
Enough is enough. Our roads and bridges are crumbling. We owe it to the 
American people to pass a robust long-term surface transportation bill 
and make real investments in our transportation infrastructure. These 
short-term extensions not only diminish our economic competitiveness as 
a nation but they erode the safety of all of the folks we were sent 
here to represent. I will not support any more short-term gimmicks and 
implore my colleagues to join me in rejecting this proposal and instead 
pass a long-term bill and once again invest in our national 
infrastructure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  Pursuant to House Resolution 271, the previous question is ordered on 
the bill.
  The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was 
read the third time.


                           Motion to Recommit

  Ms. ESTY. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentlewoman opposed to the bill?
  Ms. ESTY. I am, in its current form.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to 
recommit.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Ms. Esty moves to recommit the bill H.R. 2353 to the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure with 
     instructions to report the same back to the House forthwith, 
     with the following amendment:
       At the end of title I, add the following:

       Subtitle E--Passenger Rail Positive Train Control Funding

     SEC. 1401. PASSENGER RAIL POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL FUNDING.

       Section 20158(c) of title 49, United States Code is amended 
     by inserting ``, and $750,000,000 for the period beginning 
     October 1, 2014, and ending on July 31, 2015,'' after 
     ``2013''.

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve a point of order against the 
motion.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. A point of order is reserved.
  Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Connecticut is recognized 
for 5 minutes in support of her motion.
  Ms. ESTY. Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which 
will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the 
bill will immediately proceed to final passage as amended.
  My amendment provides $750 million to passenger railroads to help 
them implement positive train control. Tragically, last week, Amtrak 
188 derailed, killing 8 people and injuring more than 200. My thoughts 
and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.
  Unfortunately, last week's tragic accident is just the latest in a 
series of incidents that are unacceptable and largely preventable.
  According to National Transportation Safety Board member Robert 
Sumwalt, the lead investigator of last week's Amtrak derailment in 
Philadelphia: ``Had PTC''--positive train control--``been installed on 
the section of track, this accident would not have occurred.''
  Now, what is positive train control? Positive train control, commonly 
referred to as PTC, is a communications and signaling system that uses 
GPS technology and sensors to communicate train location, speed, 
restrictions, and moving authority.
  Most importantly, PTC can save lives. For instance, positive train 
control technology can detect if a train is going too fast for an area 
and use onboard equipment to automatically slow or stop the train.
  Now, Mr. Speaker, last week's derailment is not the first time NTSB 
has recommended implementing positive train control. This 
recommendation has been made since 1969, following an investigation of 
a head-on collision of two Penn Central commuter trains near Darien, 
Connecticut, in my home State. That collision killed 4 people and left 
43 injured.
  Forty-six years after that deadly collision in Connecticut, the NTSB 
is still demanding and waiting for action. During this time, the NTSB 
has investigated 144 accidents that would have been preventable if 
railroads had installed PTC. Not surprisingly, positive train control 
has been on the NTSB's most wanted list of safety improvements since 
1990.
  144 accidents over 43 years--try and think about that, and try to 
comprehend 6,532 preventable injuries and 288 preventable deaths.
  This just isn't an issue only on the Northeast corridor. In 2008, a 
tragic accident in California killed 25 people and injured 102. After 
that accident, this House enacted legislation requiring PTC on commuter 
and intercity passenger rails by December 31 of this year; but 
protecting lives requires leadership from this Congress.
  The American Public Transportation Association asked Congress to 
provide Federal funding for 80 percent of the installation costs on 
passenger rails. We in Congress can help. We can and must make this 
investment before another terrible accident, before another life is 
tragically and needlessly lost. We can't afford to wait.
  Less than 2 years ago, a Metro-North Railroad engineer fell asleep as 
the train he was operating sped up to 82 miles an hour through a tight 
curve. The restriction for that section was only 30 miles an hour. As a 
result of the derailment, 4 people died, and 61 were injured. With 
tragic predictability, the NTSB investigation determined that positive 
train control could have prevented that tragedy as well.
  How many more times does the NTSB need to repeat its recommendation 
before PTC is implemented?
  There is no reason why this Congress should continue to ignore its 
responsibility to help passenger railroads implement the lifesaving 
technology as soon as possible.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment to 
provide the necessary funding to help passenger railroads implement PTC 
across the United States.
  Let me be clear: this funding won't prevent every single accident. 
The fact that PTC will not prevent every accident should not--cannot--
be an excuse for this Congress' failure to act.
  Failure to act today on implementing positive train control is wrong. 
It is unworthy of a great country. A great country does not respond to 
crises with duct tape; a great country leads with action.
  I ask all House Members to join me to vote for this amendment, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I wish to withdraw my reservation of a 
point of order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The reservation of a point of order is 
withdrawn.
  Mr. SHUSTER. I rise in opposition to the motion.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Pennsylvania is 
recognized for 5 minutes.

[[Page 7314]]


  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I oppose this motion. We certainly know of 
the tragedy that happened in Philadelphia, in my home State, but this 
really is not the place to address this.
  We need to pass a clean extension. We have got to pass it and get it 
to the Senate, so we make sure that these vital programs keep people 
working, we keep projects moving forward, and that they don't shut 
down.
  Again, this is a clean extension. We want it to be a clean extension 
because we know that time is of the essence to get this over to the 
Senate, as I said, and pass it. You are talking about 4,000 people in 
the government that will be furloughed and thousands of workers across 
America. Projects will stop, and they won't be working.
  Again, we have an immediate need to extend the highway transit and 
safety programs. I am confident and remain committed to working with 
Chairman Ryan; but this is not the time to slow this down. This the 
time to get it done so that we can get it to the Senate as quickly as 
possible.
  Again, I am opposed to this motion. I urge a ``no'' vote on the 
motion and continue to ask my colleagues to support the underlying bill 
that gets the job done and gets us past this critical time.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is 
ordered on the motion to recommit.
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the noes appeared to have it.
  Ms. ESTY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER. Pursuant to the order of the House of today, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.

                          ____________________