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Norton Introduces Administration’s Transportation Bill

June 12, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ranking Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, today thanked Subcommittee Chairman Tom Petri (R-WI) for introducing the Administration's surface transportation authorization bill, with Norton as the original Democratic co-sponsor, as a courtesy at the request of the Administration. Norton reached Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx about the importance of introducing the Administration's bill – the GROW AMERICA Act (Generating Renewal, Opportunity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, Efficiency, and Rebuilding of Infrastructure and Communities throughout America Act) – and Chairman Petri subsequently introduced the bill as a courtesy.

In her statement introducing the bill, Norton said that she prefers a six-year bill with more funding, but, "This Administration's four-year bill is a timely contribution as Congress works towards passage of a long-term surface transportation authorization, and should provide guidance and ideas as we develop legislation to set the future course of these vital programs… The GROW AMERICA Act recognizes that we have fallen behind, and calls for increasing investments in modernizing the nation's roads, bridges, railways, and transit systems. We cannot address our infrastructure deficit by just continuing to provide baseline levels of funding."

The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton

Statement on the Introduction of the "Generating Renewal, Opportunity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, Efficiency, and Rebuilding of

Infrastructure and Communities throughout America Act"

June 12, 2014

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to join Congressman Petri in introducing, on June 11, 2014, the Administration's $302 billion, four-year surface transportation authorization proposal – the "Generating Renewal, Opportunity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, Efficiency, and Rebuilding of Infrastructure and Communities throughout America Act" (GROW AMERICA Act). With the goal of trying to get greater focus on surface transportation reauthorization before the Highway Trust Fund becomes insolvent, I was in touch with Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx about introducing the Administration's bill. He agreed, and, subsequently Chairman Tom Petri, as a courtesy, agreed to introduce the bill at the request of the Administration.

Particularly considering that the funding provided in the current authorization, MAP-21, based on the Highway Trust Fund plus an additional $18 billion from general revenue, has proven unable to get states through the two-year duration of the bill, I believe Congress must act soon on a fully funded six-year reauthorization. Such a bill would provide the funding and the certainty necessary to give the nation a chance to reduce the backlog of needed transportation infrastructure work waiting to be done. This Administration's four-year bill is a timely contribution as Congress works towards passage of a long-term surface transportation authorization, and should provide guidance and ideas as we develop legislation to set the future course of these vital programs.

Mr. Speaker, federal investments in transportation and infrastructure contribute much more to our economy than they cost the federal government, as they improve the nation's mobility and economic competitiveness and create good-paying jobs. Unfortunately, we have not been providing the investment levels necessary to keep pace with the growing demands on the nation's surface transportation network. The GROW AMERICA Act recognizes that we have fallen behind, and calls for increasing investments in modernizing the nation's roads, bridges, railways, and transit systems. We cannot address our infrastructure deficit by just continuing to provide baseline levels of funding.

Specifically, the GROW AMERICA Act provides:

  • $199.2 billion over fiscal year 2015 – fiscal year 2018 for highways, compared to $40.9 billion authorized in fiscal year 2014;
  • an increase of 70 percent over current investment levels in transit, by providing more than $72 billion over four years and dramatically increasing investment in all modes of transit, including buses;
  • more than $19 billion in freight and passenger rail investments, including $9.5 billion over four years for Amtrak; and $9.5 billion to states for investment in high-speed and intercity passenger rail and to eliminate congestion on shared-use track; and
  • $5 billion over four years for the TIGER discretionary program.

In addition to these critical investments in the nation's intermodal surface transportation network, the GROW AMERICA Act also includes a number of important policy provisions that ensure that surface transportation investments create good-paying American jobs.

Mr. Speaker, the GROW AMERICA Act proposes to strengthen Buy America by closing a major loophole in the application of Buy America requirements for public transportation rolling stock by requiring that transit rolling stock must consist of 100 percent domestic content by 2019. It also applies Buy America to all Federal Railroad Administration grant programs and the Railroad Infrastructure Financing program. These provisions will spur job creation in the United States and foster domestic manufacturing, and should be included in the next surface transportation authorization legislation.

The GROW AMERICA Act also protects truck and bus drivers by changing worker wage and hour laws to ensure that these drivers are compensated at no less than the federal minimum wage for hours spent on duty but not driving.

The proposal also provides $245 million over four years for workforce development to support and enhance the size, diversity, and skills of our nation's construction and surface transportation workforce.

There are aspects of the bill that may give some of my colleagues pause. For example, eliminating the prohibition on tolling of existing free interstate highways for reconstruction of an existing facility and further streamlining environmental reviews will be subject to significant debate as Congress begins developing its legislation. But, this bill is an important first step in our efforts to craft a bill to move our nation into the 21st century.

I again thank Congressman Petri for his courtesy in introducing this proposal. I look forward to working closely with him and Republicans and Democrats on the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit as we begin to develop new surface transportation authorization legislation.

Published: June 12, 2014