[House Report 110-544]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



110th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     110-544

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RESOLUTION REAFFIRMING THE GOALS AND IDEALS THAT FORMED THE IMPETUS FOR 
  ALBERT GALLATIN'S NATIONAL PLAN FOR TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS 200 
                   YEARS AGO, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

                                _______
                                

   March 10, 2008.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be 
                                printed

                                _______
                                

Mr. Oberstar, from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                       [To accompany H. Res. 936]

    The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 
was referred the resolution (H. Res. 936) honoring the 200th 
anniversary of the Gallatin Report on Roads and Canals, 
celebrating the national unity the Gallatin Report engendered, 
and recognizing the vast contributions that national planning 
efforts have provided to the United States, having considered 
the same, report favorably thereon with amendments and 
recommend that the resolution as amended be agreed to.
    The amendments are as follows:
    Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the 
following:

    That the House of Representatives--
          (1) reaffirms the goals and ideals that formed the impetus 
        for Albert Gallatin's national plan for transportation 
        improvements 200 years ago;
          (2) calls on the Federal Government, States, localities, 
        schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and the citizens 
        of the United States to mark this important anniversary by 
        recalling the important legacy of public investment in 
        infrastructure, which connects and enhances the economies, 
        communications, and communities of the several States; and
          (3) supports the creation of a new national plan for 
        transportation improvements to align the demands for economic 
        development with the resources of the Nation.

  Amend the preamble to read as follows:

Whereas President Thomas Jefferson commissioned his Secretary of the 
Treasury, Albert Gallatin, to provide a new vision for transportation that 
would unite the young Republic;

Whereas 2008 marks the bicentennial of the national plan, known as the 
Gallatin Report on Roads and Canals (Gallatin Report), presented by 
Secretary Gallatin to President Jefferson;

Whereas the Gallatin Report proposed transportation improvements not as 
ends in themselves but as means to further national unity;

Whereas transportation improvements were part of the promise of the 
American Revolution, as James Madison, writing in The Federalist No. 14, 
emphasized, ``Let it be remarked . . . that the intercourse throughout the 
Union will be facilitated by new improvements. Roads will everywhere be 
shortened, and kept in better order; accommodations for travelers will be 
multiplied and meliorated; an interior navigation on our eastern side will 
be opened throughout, or nearly throughout, the whole extent of the 
thirteen States'';

Whereas Madison's words have served as a worthy reminder of the needs for 
transportation infrastructure since that time;

Whereas the Gallatin Report incorporated the improvements to the Postal 
Service that Benjamin Franklin bequeathed to the Nation, including 
Franklin's route surveys, his placement of milestones on principal roads, 
and his development of shorter transportation routes;

Whereas the Gallatin Report called for an inland waterway navigation canal 
from Massachusetts to North Carolina, which was the precursor to the modern 
day Intercostal Waterway system;

Whereas the United States, as a result of Gallatin's legacy, has a record 
of successful infrastructure developments, including--

          (1) the Erie Canal, which vastly reduced transportation costs 
        to the interior;
          (2) the transcontinental railway, which united the Nation;
          (3) transit projects across the Nation, which promote freedom 
        and opportunity;
          (4) the National Highway System, including the Dwight D. 
        Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways, which 
        fostered interstate commerce, national unity, and broke down 
        barriers between the States; and
          (5) the Tennessee Valley Authority, devised by President 
        Franklin Delano Roosevelt as a ``corporation clothed with the 
        power of government but possessed of the flexibility and 
        initiative of a private enterprise'', which brought 
        electricity, conservation planning, and opportunity for 
        thousands in the Tennessee Valley and across the Nation;

Whereas to be regarded as a success, any national planning endeavor must 
address and reconcile the needs of different regions of the Nation;

Whereas the genius of the Gallatin Report was its alignment of the hopes of 
the Nation with the opportunities presented by access to new markets, 
populations, and territories;

Whereas the United States currently faces new challenges in financing the 
transportation infrastructure that is necessary for the future economic 
needs of the Nation; and

Whereas if the United States is to succeed in a world of increasing 
international competition, the United States must have a new national plan 
for transportation improvements to provide for the Nation's future: Now, 
therefore, be it

  Amend the title so as to read:

    Resolution reaffirming the goals and ideals that formed the impetus 
for Albert Gallatin's national plan for transportation improvements 200 
years ago, and for other purposes.

                       PURPOSE OF THE LEGISLATION

    H. Res. 936, as amended, honors the 200th anniversary of 
the Gallatin Report on Roads and Canals (``Gallatin Report''), 
and celebrates the national unity the Gallatin Report has 
engendered, recognizes the vast contributions transportation 
improvements have provided to the United States, and supports 
the development of a new national plan for transportation 
developments.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    President Thomas Jefferson commissioned his Secretary of 
the Treasury, Albert Gallatin, to provide a new vision for 
transportation that would unite the young and expanding 
Republic. This year marks the bicentennial of the report that 
Secretary Gallatin presented to President Jefferson.
    The report proposed transportation improvements as a means 
to further national unity, which was part of the promise of the 
American Revolution. Earlier in 1787, James Madison, writing in 
The Federalist No. 14 in support of the United States 
Constitution, emphasized, ``Let it be remarked . . . that the 
intercourse throughout the Union will be facilitated by new 
improvements. Roads will everywhere be shortened, and kept in 
better order; accommodations for travelers will be multiplied 
and meliorated; an interior navigation on our eastern side will 
be opened throughout, or nearly throughout, the whole extent of 
the 13 States.'' Madison's words have served as a worthy 
reminder of the needs for transportation infrastructure since 
that time.
    The genius of the Gallatin Report was its alignment of the 
hopes of the growing nation with the opportunities presented by 
access to new markets, populations, and territories. The United 
States, as a result of Gallatin's legacy, has a record of 
successful infrastructure developments, including the Erie 
Canal, the transcontinental railway, the National Highway 
System, including the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of 
Interstate and Defense Highways, the Intracoastal Waterway 
System, and transit projects across the nation.
    The Gallatin Report highlighted the importance of a strong 
national infrastructure. This critical factor remains relevant 
today as we face new challenges in maintaining, improving, and 
financing transportation infrastructure necessary to meet the 
evolving needs of our economy and mobility.

                       SUMMARY OF THE LEGISLATION

    H. Res. 936, as amended, honors the 200th anniversary of 
the Gallatin Report on Roads and Canals, celebrates the 
national unity that the Gallatin Report has engendered, 
recognizes the vast contributions transportation improvements 
have provided to the United States, and supports the 
development of a new national plan for transportation 
developments.

            LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

    On January 23, 2008, Representative Earl Blumenauer 
introduced H. Res. 936. The resolution was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. This resolution 
has not been introduced in a previous Congress.
    On February 28, 2008, the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure met in open session to consider H. Res. 936. The 
Committee adopted by voice vote an amendment in the nature of a 
substitute that made technical changes to the resolution. The 
Committee ordered H. Res. 936, as amended, reported favorably 
to the House by voice vote with a quorum present.

                              RECORD VOTES

    Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the House of Representatives 
requires each committee report to include the total number of 
votes cast for and against on each record vote on a motion to 
report and on any amendment offered to the measure or matter, 
and the names of those members voting for and against. There 
were no recorded votes taken in connection with any amendment 
offered to H. Res. 936 or with ordering the resolution 
reported. A motion to order H. Res. 936, as amended, reported 
favorably to the House was agreed to by voice vote with a 
quorum present.

                      COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

    With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(I) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee's oversight findings and recommendations are 
reflected in this report.

                          COST OF LEGISLATION

    With respect to the requirements of clause 3(d)(2) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, H. Res. 936 
is a resolution of the House of Representatives and therefore 
does not have the force of law. As such, there is no cost 
associated with this resolution for fiscal year 2008, or for 
any fiscal year thereafter.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

    1. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(2) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, and 
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee 
advises that the resolution contains no measure that authorizes 
funding, so no comparison of the total estimated funding level 
for the relevant programs to the appropriate levels under 
current law is required.
    2. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(4) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee advises that the resolution contains no measure that 
authorizes funding, so no statement of general performance and 
objectives for any measure that authorizes funding is required.
    3. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(3) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the 
Committee advises that the resolution contains no measure that 
authorizes funding. Neither a cost estimate nor comparison for 
any measure that authorizes funding is required.

                     COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XXI

    Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House 
of Representatives, H. Res. 936, does not contain any 
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff 
benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of rule XXI 
of the Rules of the House of Representatives.

                   CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

    With respect to clause (3)(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, H. Res. 936 is a resolution of 
the House of Representatives and therefore does not have the 
force of law. As such, clause (3)(d)(1) of rule XIII does not 
apply.

                       FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

    H. Res. 936 contains no Federal mandates.

                        PREEMPTION CLARIFICATION

    Section 423 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 
requires the report of any Committee on a bill or joint 
resolution to include a statement on the extent to which the 
bill or joint resolution is intended to preempt state, local, 
or tribal law. The Committee states that H. Res. 936 does not 
preempt any state, local, or tribal law.

                      ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

    No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) 
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act are created by this 
resolution.

                APPLICABILITY TO THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

    The Committee finds that the resolution does not relate to 
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public 
services or accommodations within the meaning of section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 
104-1).

         CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

    H. Res. 936 makes no changes to existing law.

                                  
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