Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Works Week, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I join in support of the resolution before us. It is appropriate and important that we honor the hardworking men and women who make our infrastructure the envy of the world. Investment in the Nation's highway, bridge and transit infrastructure has not kept up with growing demands on the system. Our Department of Transportation found that to maintain highway bridge and transit networks, governments at all levels would need to invest nearly $95 billion per year for each of the next 20 years, and to improve highway, bridge and transit networks, that level of investment would need to increase to nearly $154 billion per year.

Recently, the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, a bipartisan commission made up of representatives from various transportation sectors appointed by leadership in both parties and from the executive branch, reported to the Congress that the United States needs to invest up to $340 billion annually for the next 50 years to upgrade the Nation's existing transportation network to a good state of repair and to build the more advanced facilities that our people will require to remain competitive with other emerging economic powers around the world.

We have neglected this work for a generation, and it will come back to haunt our children and our grandchildren, unless we begin the necessary investment and the necessary work, not just to provide the jobs, which is obviously important, but to provide the efficient undergirding of our economy, which will enable us to maintain our standard of living, improve it, and maintain our competitiveness as an international power.

Our committee, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has jurisdiction over our water transportation system, and that consists of 926 coastal and inland harbors maintained by the Corps of Engineers and some 25,000 miles of inland and coastal commercial waterways. If we don't keep our harbors and waterways operating efficiently, we obviously threaten our economic prosperity. To meet these needs, as well as the need for flood protection and environmental restoration, passing a Water Resources Development Act for 2008 is high on our committee's agenda.

According to separate studies conducted by the Congressional Budget Office, EPA and municipal groups, the current rate of capital investment will not keep our waterway treatment systems operational. State and local governments are spending nearly $10 billion a year in capital investments and waste water infrastructure, and most of this funding comes from local ratepayers.

However, to meet the needs of communities all over our country, we should be doubling that spending. We can't continue to take our modern wastewater treatment facilities for granted. Not only are they critical to protect our health and environment, they are important to protect our economy as well.

Public infrastructure plays an important role in enhancing our quality of life, improving our environment, and contributing to our economic prosperity. These systems, and the professionals, engineers, and administrators who maintain them, are sometimes taken for granted. So it is important that Congress recognize the contribution they make to ensure that America remains the world's premier economic power, and passage of this resolution will do that. I urge all Members to support House Resolution 1137.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1137) supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Works Week, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on H. Res. 1137.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1137, supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Works Week. I thank the gentleman from Minnesota, Jim Oberstar, Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, for bringing this measure to the floor and for his strong advocacy in support of our Nation's infrastructure needs.

This week, we honor and recognize the oftentimes unsung heroes of this Nation's public health and economic livelihood, the public works professionals who keep our country running smoothly. The infrastructure facilities and services that these professionals design, maintain and repair are critical to addressing our country's vast needs. Without our rail systems, our airports, our pipelines, our water treatment plants and other such services, our country would be unable to function.

Instituted as a public education campaign in 1960, every third week in May recognizes the quiet dedication of the workers who continue to build and maintain our country's transportation and infrastructure each year. For the hard work that these workers put in to improve each citizen's life on a daily basis, it is only fitting that we designate one week a year to celebrate their efforts. In the past, Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson have sent letters of acknowledgment to this event, and a Presidential Proclamation was signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

While we will continue to formally appreciate this week, I believe it would

also be fitting for us to show our appreciation through our actions. Last August, the House of Representatives passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, WRDA, by a vote of 381-40. This past November, this body overrode a presidential veto for WRDA 2007 by a vote of 361- 54. The vote showed an ever-present need to continue to invest and improve in our country's vast network of infrastructure. We must continue to remind our President that these projects need funding, and that ignoring our Nation's needs will only cause our current problems to grow and our infrastructure to deteriorate.

I support our public works professionals, our transportation and infrastructure systems and National Public Works Week. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman for his acknowledgement of the importance of maintaining our infrastructure, rail, water, air, and highways.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 1137. This resolution acknowledges and celebrates Public Works Week, which this year is celebrated the week of May 18 through May 24.

We celebrate National Public Works Week for a full week each year during the month of May. This week honors the many public works professionals--those individuals who design, build, operate, maintain, and protect transportation systems, water supply infrastructure, sewage and refuse disposal systems, public buildings, and other structures and facilities that are vital to our Nation. H. Res. 1137 pays tribute to these professionals.

Public works do exactly that--they allow our public to work, and they keep our country safe. Our industries and communities rely on railroads, highways, airports, and public transit to travel, and our government conducts business in public works buildings across this Nation.

Towns and cities around the country are serviced by necessary systems for sewage and waste disposal, as well as water supply for our homes, businesses, and crops. Pipelines safely transport natural gas and hazardous liquids over millions of miles throughout the country.

It is appropriate to designate a week to recognize these entities and those who work for them and the public good. Public works are often not recognized until problems are encountered. As public works professionals work daily to coordinate, design, and maintain our public works, we must also work to fund our country's infrastructure needs, which our so critical to our Nation's economy and its citizens.

Last November, this Congress overrode a veto of the Water Resources Development Act (``WRDA'') of 2007 by an overwhelming margin (361-54), showcasing the desires of the American people for renewed investment in our infrastructure. In contrast to this action, President Bush failed to include any projects authorized by WRDA in the fiscal year 2009 budget.

The House of Representatives has passed three additional water infrastructure bills: H.R. 569, the Water Quality Investment Act of 2007; H.R. 700, the Healthy Communities Water Supply Act of 2007; and H.R. 720, the Water Quality Financing Act of 2007. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to promptly take action on similar legislation.

On August 1, 2007, on the same evening that the House passed the WRDA Conference Report, the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapsed during rush hour traffic in my home State of Minnesota. Of the 597,340 U.S. highway bridges, 73,784 are structurally deficient and 80,317 are functionally obsolete. This tragic event further highlighted the public works investment needs that our Nation faces.

Last week, the leadership of this committee introduced a bill to revitalize the Amtrak intercity passenger rail system.

I continue to vigorously support our country's public works, and I urge my colleagues to join me in agreeing to this resolution.