[House Report 114-753]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
114th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 114-753
======================================================================
TO DIRECT THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION TO PROVIDE TO THE APPROPRIATE
COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS ADVANCE NOTICE OF CERTAIN ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
_______
September 19, 2016.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Shuster, from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 5977]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom
was referred the bill (H.R. 5977) to direct the Secretary of
Transportation to provide to the appropriate committees of
Congress advance notice of certain announcements, and for other
purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon
without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Purpose of Legislation........................................... 2
Background and Need for Legislation.............................. 2
Hearings......................................................... 2
Legislative History and Consideration............................ 2
Committee Votes.................................................. 2
Committee Oversight Findings..................................... 2
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures........................ 3
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................ 3
Performance Goals and Objectives................................. 4
Advisory of Earmarks............................................. 4
Duplication of Federal Programs.................................. 4
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings.............................. 4
Federal Mandate Statement........................................ 4
Preemption Clarification......................................... 4
Advisory Committee Statement..................................... 4
Applicability of Legislative Branch.............................. 4
Section-by-Section Analysis of Legislation....................... 5
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............ 5
PURPOSE OF LEGISLATION
H.R. 5977 directs the Secretary of Transportation to
provide to the appropriate committees of Congress advance
notice of certain announcements.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
H.R. 5977 requires the Secretary of Transportation to
provide the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
(Committee) and certain Senate committees with at least three
days' notice prior to announcing grant awards and credit
assistance for certain transportation projects. The Secretary
is further required to provide notification to the Committee
and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate
for any quick release of funds from the Emergency Relief
program concurrent with such release.
The Committee authorizes funding for federal transportation
programs, which in turn provide funding and credit assistance
for transportation projects across the country. However, the
Committee does not consistently receive notice from the
Secretary prior to the announcement of grant awards and credit
assistance for transportation projects.\1\ H.R. 5977 improves
transparency and enhances oversight of the Department of
Transportation by ensuring that Congress is properly notified
of such announcements.
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\1\Section 1531 of MAP-21 (P.L. 112-141) included a similar
notification procedure, which has since expired.
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HEARINGS
No hearings were held on H.R. 5977.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND CONSIDERATION
On September 9, 2016, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) and Ranking Member
Peter DeFazio (D-OR) introduced H.R. 5977, a bill to direct the
Secretary of Transportation to provide to the appropriate
committees of Congress advance notice of certain announcements.
On September 14, 2016, the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure met in open session to consider H.R. 5977. The
Committee ordered the bill reported favorably to the House of
Representatives by voice vote with a quorum present.
COMMITTEE VOTES
Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules 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 record votes taken in connection
with consideration of H.R. 5977.
COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(1) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee's oversight findings and recommendations are
reflected in this report.
NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY AND TAX EXPENDITURES
Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives does not apply where a cost estimate and
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974 has been timely submitted prior to the filing of the
report and is included in the report. Such a cost estimate is
included in this report.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE
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 has
received the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5977 from the
Director of the Congressional Budget Office:
September 15, 2016.
Hon. Bill Shuster,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5977, a bill to
direct the Secretary of Transportation to provide to the
appropriate committees of Congress advance notice of certain
announcements, and for other purposes.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Sarah Puro.
Sincerely,
Keith Hall.
Enclosure.
H.R. 5977--A bill to direct the Secretary of Transportation to provide
to the appropriate committees of Congress advance notice of
certain announcements, and for other purposes
H.R. 5977 would require the Department of Transportation
(DOT) to notify certain Congressional committees at least three
days before announcing the award of certain funds to grantees.
Under current practice, DOT already informs other committees of
Congress about such grants and awards. As a result, CBO
estimates that any additional communications costs incurred by
the department would not be significant.
Enacting H.R. 5977 would not affect direct spending or
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5977 would not increase
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
H.R. 5977 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal
governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Sarah Puro. The
estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(4) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
performance goal and objective of this legislation is to
enhance transparency and oversight of the Department of
Transportation by improving its Congressional notification
procedures.
ADVISORY OF EARMARKS
Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House
of Representatives, the Committee is required to include a list
of congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited
tariff benefits as defined in clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of
rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. No
provision in H.R. 5977 includes an earmark, limited tax
benefit, or limited tariff benefit under clause 9(e), 9(f), or
9(g) of rule XXI.
DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS
Pursuant to section 3(g) of H. Res. 5, 114th Cong. (2015),
the Committee finds that no provision of H.R. 5977 establishes
or reauthorizes a program of the federal government known to be
duplicative of another federal program, a program that was
included in any report from the Government Accountability
Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-
139, or a program related to a program identified in the most
recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.
DISCLOSURE OF DIRECTED RULE MAKINGS
Pursuant to section 3(i) of H. Res. 5, 114th Cong. (2015),
the Committee finds that enacting H.R. 5977 does not direct the
completion of a specific rule making within the meaning of
section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
FEDERAL MANDATE STATEMENT
The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of federal
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform
Act (Public Law 104-4).
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.R. 5977 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
legislation.
APPLICABILITY OF LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
The Committee finds that the legislation 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).
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF LEGISLATION, AS AMENDED
Section 1. Congressional notification requirements
This section requires the Secretary of Transportation to
provide the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment
and Public Works, the Committee on Commerce, Science and
Transportation, and the Committee on Banking, Housing, Urban
Affairs of the Senate with at least three days' notice prior to
announcing grant awards and credit assistance for certain
transportation projects. It also requires the Secretary to
provide notification to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure and the Committee on Environment and Public
Works of a quick release of funds from the Emergency Relief
program concurrent with such release. Finally, the section
ensures that notification procedures existing under current law
are not affected by the requirements of this bill.
Section 2. Definitions
This section defines certain terms used in the bill.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED
H.R. 5977 makes no changes in existing law.
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