Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5021) 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.

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

At the end of this month, States across the country will be forced to put road construction on hold if Congress cannot address the highway trust fund. At risk are hundreds of thousands of jobs in the construction industry.

A strong infrastructure is central to commerce, and at a time when millions of Americans are packing their bags to take a vacation or just traveling to work, we must ensure that projects can be completed so that the roads, bridges, and highways they travel on are modernized and safe.

The bill before us today, H.R. 5021, will provide enough funding to get us through May 21, 2015, giving States the ability to complete projects.

This bill is the only package with all provisions having a proven history of getting big bipartisan votes in both the House and the Senate. The three provisions--pension smoothing, custom user fees, and leaking underground storage tanks--have all been used previously in bills that received strong bipartisan votes.

Pension smoothing and LUST were included in the last bipartisan highway trust fund legislation. These are policies everyone is familiar with. They are policies that will provide the funding we need, and they are the only policies that will pass both the House and Senate in time to fund our highways after the end of this month.

A long-term solution would be my preference, and an important feature of my tax reform discussion draft would provide enough revenue to maintain the solvency of the highway trust fund for 8 years.

In the meantime, I hope all Members of Congress can work on a longer- term solution by the end of May next year. This won't be an easy task, so it is important that Congress has time to have a deliberative, open debate about bipartisan solutions, rather than trying to hit Americans who are already paying more for gas with a gas tax hike.

It is time to act now. State transportation departments have already started delaying or stopping certain highway projects to prepare for the fact that funding may fall short. Americans across the country deserve to see less gridlock on the roads and from their elected representatives.

These policies are straightforward and have a history of bipartisan, bicameral support.

I am encouraged that the White House issued their support for the House highway bill, so we have an opportunity to solve this problem today.

Mr. Speaker, I will enter into the Record the administration's statement of support.

Statement of Administration Policy

H.R. 5021--Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014

(Rep. Camp, R-Michigan, and Rep. Shuster, R-Pennsylvania, July 14,

2014)

With surface transportation funding running out and

hundreds of thousands of jobs

at risk later this summer, the Administration supports House

passage of H.R. 5021. This legislation would provide for

continuity of funding for the Highway Trust Fund during the

height of the summer construction season and keep Americans

at work repairing the Nation's crumbling roads, bridges, and

transit systems.

However, this legislation only provides a short-term fix to

the Highway Trust Fund. It does not address the continued

need to pass a long-term authorization bill that creates jobs

and provides certainty for cities, States, and businesses.

Congress should work to pass a long-term authorization bill

well before the expiration date set forth in H.R. 5021. The

President has been very clear that increasing investment in

the Nation's infrastructure is a top priority. That is why

the President laid out a vision for a 21st century surface

transportation infrastructure, the GROW AMERICA Act, which

would streamline project approval processes and implement

innovative transportation policies that will make better use

of taxpayer dollars while supporting millions of jobs and

positioning the Nation's economy for lasting growth. That

proposal is fully paid for through existing revenues and by

reforming business taxes to help create jobs and spur

investment while eliminating loopholes that reward companies

for moving profits overseas.

The Administration is focused every day on what can be done

to expand opportunity for every American. In today's economy,

that means building a first-class infrastructure that

attracts first-class jobs and takes American businesses'

goods all across the world.

We also have strong industry support in a letter to Congress from 62 organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Road and Transportation Builders Association, the American Trucking Association, and the National Association of Manufacturers, which stated, ``A long-term Federal commitment to prioritize and invest in our aging infrastructure and safety needs is essential to achieve this goal. Keeping the highway trust fund solvent is the first step.''

Mr. Speaker, I will enter their statement of support into the Record as well.

July 14, 2014

To Members of the U.S. Congress:

The undersigned organizations representing every sector of

the economy urge the House of Representatives and Senate to

pass bipartisan legislation that will stabilize the Highway

Trust Fund and prevent a shutdown of federal highway and

public transportation investments across the country.

Our transportation infrastructure network is the foundation

on which the nation's economy functions. American

manufacturers, industries and businesses depend on this

complex system to move people, products and services every

day of the year.

As the World Economic Forum (WEF) noted in its 2013-2014

Global Competitiveness Report, infrastructure connects

regions, integrates markets and provides access to markets

and services. While this latest report places the U.S.

economy fifth in its ``Global Competitiveness Index,''

America's infrastructure network now ranks 15th globally.

Shortchanging the Highway Trust Fund is not the path to

future economic growth, jobs and increased competitiveness.

The possibility of a deficient Highway Trust Fund that

shutters 100,000 construction projects that support 700,000

jobs and puts all new highway, bridge and public

transportation investments on hold will further harm an

already fragile economy.

The U.S. economy requires a surface transportation

infrastructure network that can keep pace with growing

demands. A long-term federal commitment to prioritize and

invest in our aging infrastructure and safety needs is

essential to achieve this goal. Keeping the Highway Trust

Fund solvent is the first step.

We urge Congress to avoid the immediate transportation

cliff and improve the long-term fiscal condition of the

Highway Trust Fund during 2014.

Sincerely,

National Association of Manufacturers, U.S. Chamber of

Commerce, American Road & Transportation Builders

Association, Associated General Contractors of America,

National Retail Federation, American Trucking Association,

U.S. Travel Association, American Farm Bureau Federation,

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, NAACP, American Association of

State Highway and Transportation Officials, International

Union of Operating Engineers, American Society of Civil

Engineers, Laborers International Union of North America,

National Association of Development Organizations, NAIOP, the

Commercial Real Estate Development Association, American

Public Transportation Association, Airports Council

International--North America, Transportation for America,

Building America's Future.

Smart Growth America, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance,

The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators,

Governors Highway Safety Association, American Highway Users

Alliance, American Public Works Association, American Council

of Engineering Companies, National Stone Sand and Gravel

Association, Transportation Intermediaries Association, The

American Society of Landscape Architects, American Iron and

Steel Institute, National Utility Contractors Association,

American Concrete Pipe Association, American Concrete

Pavement Association, National Ready Mixed Concrete

Association, National Asphalt Pavement Association, Truckload

Carriers Association, American Association of Airport

Executives, International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike

Association, Intelligent Transportation Society of America

(ITS America).

Safe Routes to School National Partnership, League of

American Bicyclists, Alliance for Biking & Walking,

Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, National

Tank Truck Carriers, American Moving & Storage Association,

NATSO, representing America's Truckstops and Travel Plazas,

National Recreation and Park Association, Metropolitan

Planning Council (Chicago, IL), American Traffic Safety

Services Association, SMART--Transportation Division, Safe

Kids Worldwide, PeopleForBikes--Business Network, PolicyLink,

International Warehouse Logistics Association, The National

Industrial Transportation League, The Coalition for America's

Gateways and Trade Corridors, Association of Equipment

Manufacturers, Portland Cement Association, Associated

Equipment Distributors, National Electrical Contractors

Association National Electrical Manufacturers Association

(NEMA).

A ``yes'' vote will avoid a last-minute crisis. We also need to fund important highway projects and ensure that thousands of jobs are not at risk.

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

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

In addition to the Statement of Administration Policy in support of the legislation which has been entered into the record, as well as a letter from 62 organizations in support of the legislation--including the American Trucking Association, American Farm Bureau, National Association of Manufacturers--I also have a letter from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is the world's largest business federation, which represents more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, is key voting this legislation and has written a separate letter in support of this bill.

I would enter into the Record the Chamber of Commerce letter regarding H.R. 5021.

Chamber of Commerce

of the United States of America,

Washington, DC, July 15, 2014.

To the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives: The

U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business

federation representing the interests of more than three

million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as

well as state and local chambers and industry associations,

and dedicated to promoting, protecting and defending

America's free enterprise system, strongly urges you to vote

for H.R. 5021, the ``Highway and Transportation Funding Act

of 2014,'' which would extend federal surface transportation

programs and provide for a short-term solution for the

Highway Trust Fund (HTF) shortfall. By the end of July,

Congress must send to the President a measure that generates

the necessary cash flows to support continued outlays from

the HTF and affords much-needed continuity in the short-term

for economic development, international trade, and job

creation.

Then, it is imperative to immediately turn to identifying

and advancing a bipartisan, sustainable, and long-term

solution to the HTF that can achieve bicameral success. The

Chamber urges leaders of both parties to put politics aside

and come together on a shared solution to the HTF's

structural deficiencies. The user-supported HTF has been a

bipartisan compromise from its beginning. It is the offspring

of a Democratic-controlled House and Senate in the 84th

Congress and the Republican Eisenhower Administration. For 58

years the HTF has served America's transportation

infrastructure well and helped to create the world's largest

economy; however, its long-term solvency has been compromised

by a lack of action in both the legislative and executive

branches.

The Chamber recognizes action on a short-term HTF fix as an

important step and looks forward to working with you in the

months ahead on a long-lasting remedy for the Highway Trust

Fund. The Chamber urges the House to pass H.R. 5021, and may

include votes on, or in relation to, this bill in our annual

How They Voted Scorecard.

Sincerely,

R. Bruce Josten.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit for the Record a letter from the Associated General Contractors of America in support of H.R. 5021 and urging its passage.

The Associated General

Contractors of America,

Arlington, VA, July 15, 2014.

Re Support H.R. 5021, the Highway and Transportation Funding

Act of 2014

Hon. John Boehner,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Representative Boehner: On behalf of the Associated

General Contractors of America (AGC), I urge you to support

H.R. 5021, the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of

2014.

The Highway Trust Fund is running on fumes. The United

States Department of Transportation (DOT) recently announced

they will initiate cash management procedures for programs

funded out of the Highway Account of the trust fund on August

1, 2014. This will force DOT to delay reimbursements to state

departments of transportation for projects under construction

or, in some cases, already completed. Further, if no

additional revenue is found, the trust fund will not be able

to support any new projects in 2015.

Bipartisan action is required to give states the funding

certainty they need to issue highway construction contracts

and to give the 10,000 construction firms engaged in highway,

road and bridge construction the confidence they need to make

hiring and capital investment decisions at the peak of the

summer highway construction season. Providing revenue for the

Highway Trust Fund will also guarantee the federal government

can meet its obligations to reimburse states for highway and

bridge construction projects already underway.

The looming insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund and the

lack of long-term authorization stifles the economic impact

of road construction. It undermines states' ability to best

plan and manage their highway, bridge and transit

construction programs It also stretches state budgets and may

increase their borrowing costs.

To that end, AGC urges the House to pass bipartisan

legislation that can provide the certainty states need to

make investment decisions and the industry needs to make

critical business decisions. Focus must then turn to finding

a bipartisan, bicameral solution this year to fund a multi-

year reauthorization of MAP-21.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey D. Shoaf,

Senior Executive Director,

Government Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young).

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

I would add to the gentleman from Alaska's remarks by saying the Ways and Means Committee proposed a tax reform discussion draft that actually funded the highway trust fund for 8 years. Now my friends on the other side would like to shorten this temporary measure, which goes through the end of May, to just go through the end of December, and that is wrong for a couple of reasons.

First, the Senate bill that is being considered has the same length of time as the current House bill, so that would be out of step with the direction that the Senate is trying to go. We are obviously trying to form a bipartisan, bicameral piece of legislation here.

The second is that, if we only were to pass this along for a few months, all of the problems that the Members on the other side talked about would only be made worse, that is, there would not be the ability to plan over the winter, for example, for spring construction projects. To just extend it for a few months, again, makes it so temporary and so short that you would immediately have companies, States, employers hedging their bets on whether funding is going to continue after that time.

The construction season isn't just in the good months of the year, it also goes through the winter, and that is why it is so important that we get through the end of May to June 1 to give the Congress time to really come up with a long-term solution, which clearly everyone prefers on both sides.

So with that, I urge support for the legislation and yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the customary time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, today, we are considering the rule for H.R. 5021, the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014. While this bill provides an extension of Federal highway programs, frankly, our Nation deserves a long-term solution to support our transportation infrastructure needs that will allow for a more effective and efficient use of resources through public-private partnerships and long-term contracts. In effect, by engaging in short-term legislating, we are actually raising the cost of infrastructure projects across the country, making it less efficient rather than more than efficient.

Unfortunately, this bill is a closed rule, which I do not support. It limits debate. It doesn't allow Democrats or Republicans to come up with ideas for amendments to improve the bill. That should be what this legislative body is all about.

I have friends on both sides of the aisle who have ideas to make this more efficient, to save taxpayers money, and to get more infrastructure bang for their buck, ideas like a national infrastructure bank, a bipartisan bill by my colleague, Mr. Delaney, that would allow for lower-cost financing with locally driven infrastructure projects, at no taxpayer cost.

None of us are even allowed to discuss for not 10 minutes, not 1 minute, not a single moment, any amendments under this closed rule, and I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``no'' on this closed rule.

In 2012, Congress passed the Moving Ahead for Progress program that my colleague, Mr. Webster, mentioned, which reauthorized Federal surface transportation programs and maintained the solvency of the highway

trust fund through the end of September 2014.

That seemed like a little ways off at the time, but here we are in July of 2014, fast approaching insolvency of the trust fund in September of 2014. How inconvenient to members of the Republican Party that this might occur before an election. Suddenly, there is an impetus to do something about it, to actually address the issue or at least to kick the can down the road a few months until, conveniently, after the election when we actually have a national discussion about how to meet our infrastructure needs and to pay for them.

This bill is simply a very short-term highway trust fund patch. It only extends the highway programs through May 31, 2015, and transfers $10.8 billion to the highway trust fund.

As Transportation Secretary Foxx said, without a patch, tens of thousands of critical projects and 700,000 jobs will be jeopardized. In fact, States are already preparing to delay or halt ongoing projects if the funding runs out in September. My home State of Colorado alone has nearly 50 active construction projects that could be at risk if we don't pass some kind of patch.

But this approach is just another kick the can down the road approach, to have a national discussion about infrastructure, to encourage efficiency of our Federal dollars rather than forcing contractors to bid out higher amounts because of uncertainty about whether their contracts will be long-term or short-term.

There are several easy ways that we could pay for a long-term transportation fix. The simplest would be immigration reform. H.R. 15 would generate over $200 billion in the first 10 years and close to a trillion over 20 years that could be used to invest in infrastructure across our country.

Others have talked about using some kind of user fee. Traditionally, the gas tax has been used as a proxy for people who use our highways.

I am very disappointed that not only are we not considering any long- term solutions to reauthorizing MAP-21, but we are not even allowed to improve this current bill before us, not just to make it longer term, but to offer simple, efficient ideas to make it work better and get more bang for our buck.

Our Nation relies on Congress to pass measures that ensure that our roadways, bridges, and transit systems are the best in the world. This bill falls short on that account. The American Society of Civil Engineers has given our country's infrastructure a D-plus grade on its 2013 report. In this increasingly competitive global economy, a D-plus is not enough to get us by as a nation to create jobs and grow our economy.

My home State of Colorado has increasing transportation needs, as do many other States. In the wake of floods last September, rockslides, landslides, and mudslides caused damage to roadways and bridges in Colorado. Five hundred miles of roadway were affected at the peak of the flood and 120 bridges were damaged, resulting in over $500 million of additional repairs to our already beleaguered transportation infrastructure. While the Colorado Department of Transportation did an excellent job completing short-term fixes to get traffic moving, there remain many long-term projects along our canyons and roadways where we need permanent repairs to our roads. There simply isn't enough of an investment in this highway infrastructure bill to address our infrastructure needs.

Again, we don't necessarily need to spend more money. We can simply pass the Partnership to Build America Act--if it were allowed to be introduced as an amendment under this bill, I would be happy to--a bipartisan bill by Representative Delaney with 70 sponsors from both sides of the aisle that would essentially help finance locally driven projects to the tune of $750 billion at a low interest rate by allowing U.S. multinational companies who have tax-deferred profits oversees to bring back their earnings to the United States, where they can invest them in growing employment and infrastructure here. It is a win-win scenario. Yet under this closed amendment process, we are not even allowed to bring up this bill.

This measure falls short on a number of accounts. Its short-term nature makes the growing importance of public-private partnerships more difficult. And yet if we could simply amend this bill and improve it or make it longer term, we could finally have a discussion about our national infrastructure.

The House majority continues to have a closed process where bills are constructed and not allowed to be improved upon by Republicans or Democrats here in the House. I know that we can do better, and I encourage my colleagues to oppose this rule, bring down this rule so we can have an open process regarding transportation funding.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield).

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer), a leader on transportation issues.

I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Madam Speaker, may I inquire if the gentleman yielded back?

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).

Madam Speaker, if--or should I say when--we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule that will bring up legislation that will prevent employers from denying common birth control coverage to women, and it will fix the damage that has been done by the recent Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision. Now more than ever, it is critical to protect everyone's right to health services, including that of basic contraception.

To discuss our proposal, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy).

Madam Speaker, with due respect to my colleague from Florida, the gentleman is incorrect.

We have stated it and will offer the language on the previous question. So, as long as we can have the votes to defeat the previous question, we will be able to bring to the floor under the procedures of this body a bill that will ensure that women have access to contraception as part of basic health care. That is under the rules of this House--by defeating the previous question now being discussed and that I will offer--and we will be able to move forward on ensuring that women have access to comprehensive birth control.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Frankel).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a leader on the issue.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus).

Madam Speaker, I would like to inquire if the gentleman from Florida has any remaining speakers.

Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close. I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, this Congress seems committed to kicking the can down the road, avoiding discussions of real solutions, failing to solicit ideas from Members of both sides of the aisle to move our country forward, and just stumbling along.

I think we can do better as a Nation, and we need to do better with regard to our Nation's infrastructure.

Yes, this bill funds the highway trust fund until next May. That is important; but what happens after May 2015? Is that the magic month where we finally agree that we need to take long-term action to address our Nation's crumbling roads and bridges?

This Congress continues to manage self-imposed crisis to self-imposed crisis. That is no way to run a company. It is certainly no way to run a country.

As long as we kick the can down the road, we are reducing the certainty that developers and contractors need to plan for the future and increasing costs for taxpayers for supporting our existing infrastructure.

We are undercutting opportunities for public-private partnerships because of the lack of stability or even knowing when or if or in what form the highway trust fund will be funded in the future.

If we don't act to provide stability to the highway trust fund, we are not only putting our economy at risk, but the safety and well-being of all those who send us here as their representatives. It is not only a competitiveness issue. It is a safety issue for the American people.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment in the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

When we defeat the previous question, we can send our colleagues back to work with regard to infrastructure and a long-term solution and address an issue that my constituents have been writing me about and that American women and men across the country have been crying out for.

Contraception was a tremendous leap forward for women and for the American people. It empowers women to make the reproductive choices that make sense for them and their families. It reduces the number of abortions. It helps ensure that children are planned and well-raised, yet the recent Supreme Court decision throws into jeopardy the availability of contraception as a basic part of comprehensive health care.

By defeating the previous question, we can bring to the floor a simple bill that I strongly support that would remedy that and ensure that women have access to contraceptive choices as part of their basic health care and prevent us returning to the pre-contraception era.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' and defeat the previous question, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

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

I am pleased that Congress is finally acting today, not with a looming crisis, but one that is already upon us. This is entirely predictable.

I have been arguing for months that Congress needs to act because the stopgap measure we did last Congress was designed to create precisely this Congress at precisely this time.

Sixty-two groups may have signed on a letter of support, but they prefer us to act meaningfully for long-term funding. They accept this because it is the only alternative to shutting down activities this summer.

My Republican friends are unwilling--not unable--but unwilling to resolve the funding contradictions. Revenues have failed to keep pace with the demands of an aging growing Nation, making no change for 21 years, as our infrastructure ages and falls apart, our Nation continues to grow and transportation patterns change. It is guaranteed that we should change as well.

This Congress has refused to address its responsibilities. The House Ways and Means Committee has not had a single hearing on transportation finance. One of our most important responsibilities, uniquely ours, one that is unlike so many other items we deal with, it is possible to resolve. We haven't had a hearing in the 43 months that the Republicans have been in charge of Congress.

Now, I understand there are conflicts within the Republican Caucus. There are some that appear satisfied with locking us into a slow, steady decline called for in the Republican budget--no new projects until October of 2015 and a 30 percent reduction over the next decade, at exactly the time the Federal partnership should be enhanced, not reduced.

There are others in the Republicans whose answer is to just abandon ship, to give up on the Federal partnership, slash the Federal gas tax, and abandon any hope of a national transportation policy and partnership to help States with projects that are multistate in nature or that need to be done whether economic times are bad.

That would be tragic and wrong to abandon the partnership that has meant so much, but it is part of what is driving some of our Republican Tea Party friends. Just because there may not be a majority in the Republican ranks for either approach does not mean that we should continue to dither.

Because Republicans friends are unwilling or unable to resolve this, we have frozen the Transportation Committee in place. They don't have a bill. They are not going to have a bill unless we resolve what the budget number is: increase, continue the downward slide, or abandon it altogether.

We will be no better off next May to resolve this question. In fact, we will be worse off because we will be in the middle of a Presidential campaign, with a new Congress, maybe new committee lineups.

So as one of the stakeholders told me as we filed out of the hearing room last week, May 2015 is really May 2017 and, I might add, at the earliest.

We should reject this approach to hand off our responsibilities. We should resolve the resource question, and we should commit that this Congress is not going to recess for August vacation, not going to recess to campaign in October, until we have worked to give the American people a transportation bill they need--deserve--to jump-start the economy, create hundreds of thousands of family-wage jobs, and strengthen communities and families across the Nation.

American infrastructure used to be the best in the world and a point of pride bringing Americans together. It is now a source of embarrassment and deep concern as we fall further and further behind global leaders.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), one of the champions on our committee for infrastructure in America.

I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman

from Pennsylvania (Ms. Schwartz), who has been a valued member of our committee, and we are going to miss her.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the remaining time?

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis), a valued member of our Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett), an eloquent spokesperson for rebuilding and renewing America.

I yield myself the remainder of the time.

I appreciate my friend from Michigan putting into the Record what can only be regarded as reluctant letters of support. I wish that some of my colleagues would have had time to look at it. It is not a ringing endorsement of what is before us. It is a reluctant acknowledgement that that is all we have time for, that is all the Republicans will allow.

I have worked with those groups, with the road builders, with the Chamber, with the AFL-CIO, with the contractors, with elements large and small, local governments, transit. They are unanimous in their effort, in their regard that we should deal with this in the big picture. A number of them had letters before the Ways and Means Committee that it should be done this year, not kicked forward. That is why I asked our Republican chairman to allow us to hear from these people.

If we would have heard from Peter Ruane from the Road Builders in person; Tom Donohue from the Chamber; Rich Trumka from the AFL-CIO; Terence O'Sullivan, the eloquent leader of the Laborers'; from the AAA and the truckers, Bill Graves, they wouldn't endorse this approach. They would be

talking about our getting down to business. But the Republicans would not allow us a hearing, not for 43 months. So they are reduced to offering tepid letters of support so the whole system doesn't fall apart.

Mr. Speaker, I would respectfully suggest that those are not a reason to move forward with this legislation and be happy. It is a sad commentary that this is the best that the Republicans think they can give us.

Those road groups who depend on moving freight, maintaining roads, who care about the health and well-being of our communities deserve better. Our families deserve better. The economy deserves better.

I hope that we will, in a moment, have a motion to recommit that will shorten the amount of time that we let this Congress off the hook and make sure that we don't adjourn this Congress without doing our job.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am, in its current form.

Mr. Speaker, this may be the last chance Congress has to honor our commitments to provide answers about transportation funding and develop a framework that will guide the Federal partnership that has meant so much. The motion won't kill the bill, and it won't delay the bill. It simply reduces the funding to the amount necessary for Congress to do its job before we adjourn for the year. It is so that we cannot duck our responsibilities and hand this off not to the next Congress but to the Congress after that.

Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, in May of next year there will be no transportation bill, there will be no funding, and Congress will be even more nervous and confused with a transportation problem that will be more complex. It will be more expensive, and the politics, I am sad to say, will be harder, not easier.

My good friend, the chair of the Ways and Means Committee, does have a proposal. He has never had a hearing on it. And it was dismissed when it was announced by his own Speaker, if I quote: ``Blah, blah, blah.''

This is a sad moment for me. But it is not too late for us to do something about it. We need to move forward and have a tighter timetable. Let's finally have a hearing in Ways and Means. Let's have a proposal going forward. I am perfectly willing to work in August to do this. I would be happy for us to add days in September. We shouldn't recess in October to campaign and leave a big question mark. It is true that it takes time to put these things together, but we won't be putting it together next spring, mark my words.

The Republicans need to enable us to find out where they stand. Will they finally have a hearing on my friend Mr. Camp's proposal? Will they slash the highway trust fund and abandon the responsibilities? Or will they just use the Ryan budget and reduce transportation 30 percent over the next 10 years and no new projects for 15 months?

Those are all legitimate issues. They deserve to have a day in court, and if we get down to work, we could resolve it. I am confident we can do it, and it will be just as easy, if not easier, to do now than waiting until next year when the clock will be ticking, when half the United States Senate will be running for President, and we will have a new lineup, other than the Speaker, who may be happy to have avoided it. It is not going to be any easier.

I respectfully suggest that we honor those 62 groups that want us to move. Look, they would much rather have us do it this year.

We had infrastructure that was once the envy of the world. Now it is a source of embarrassment. We are 27th in the world and sinking. Our problems are getting more expensive, and they are getting harder. I know how hard the job that the chair of the T&I Committee has. I respect him, I respect the committee, but they need to know exactly how much money they have got so they can fashion a bill, and if they did that, they would be able to crank one out, I am confident, in a month or two. But right now, after an entire Congress, they don't have a bill. We don't have a bill.

Those 62 groups and organizations don't have a path. What they have is a great big question mark next May when we start this all over again. This shouldn't be a partisan argument. I disagreed when President Bush shut it down. I disagreed that President Obama didn't move forward, but it is not Republicans versus Democrats. It is not House versus Senate. It is time for us to all come together and work as the stakeholders would have us do.

In fact, we don't even have to have any courage. We can just follow what those experts who represent truckers, AAA, local government, and contractors have offered as guidance. Read the special commissions that have reported to President Bush. This is not rocket science. It is will, it is action, it is deciding exactly how much we are going to spend and when.

Mr. Speaker, I would respectfully request that the House approve this motion to recommit, give us enough time and money to avoid the summer shutdown but not enough to let this Congress off the hook and hand it off to the 115th or the 120th Congress, but we do our job so America can do its.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 669 and ask for its immediate consideration.

For the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis), my friend, pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of the resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.

General Leave

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

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

I rise today in support of this rule and the underlying bill. House Resolution 669 provides a closed rule, as is customary for bills that are reported by the Committee on Ways and Means, for H.R. 5021, the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014.

On July 10, the Ways and Means Committee marked up H.R. 5021. The committee ordered the bill favorably reported by voice vote.

The bill is simple. It extends our transportation programs and our reforms enacted by MAP-21, and it pays for the extension without raising taxes on hardworking American taxpayers.

This extension is crucial. Prior to the expiration of MAP-21 later this fall, the highway trust fund is expected to encounter a funding shortfall. The Secretary of Transportation has warned that, as early as August, payments from the trust fund to the States will begin to be delayed.

Let's be clear: this bill is just an interim remedy for our current situation. It is not a solution to our transportation funding problem.

As a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I can testify to the work that Chairman Shuster and the committee are doing to provide a multiyear authorization bill. It is a deliberative, thoughtful process. The underlying bill advances that process.

The underlying bill proposes policies that have previously received bipartisan support. Further, these policies have previously also been embraced by the Senate.

The bill extends the surface transportation programs and funding through May 2015. It provides stability and certainty for States. It continues our investments in infrastructure. It staves off job losses at the height of the construction season. And it allows the process to move forward toward a long-term solution.

Some have suggested or proposed a short-term patch for just a few months. There are some who would like to see this just provide enough time to get through the election. A short-term extension would guarantee a crisis. Even worse, that manufactured crisis is easily avoidable.

Central Floridians are still trying to dig their way out of years of economic downturn. We are focusing on improving our families' financial situation, and certainly we don't need a downturn in construction--and especially infrastructure construction in the State of Florida and in my particular area, central Florida.

A short-term extension is, at best, feeble and, at worst, irresponsible. Washington should not do less when it can do better. Washington should not add to the list of crises of its own doing by passing a short-term patch when a longer-term answer is within reach.

The task at hand remains avoiding the expiration of the existing transportation authorization. The existing authorization is actually a good bill.

MAP-21 included significant reforms to cut out Federal red tape and bureaucracy. It streamlined the project delivery process. It reformed and consolidated programs. It improved safety. It ended the process of earmarks in transportation bills.

MAP-21 set deadlines for slow-moving projects. It set a new NEPA funding threshold and expedited projects that were destroyed by disaster.

MAP-21 consolidated more than 100 programs by nearly two-thirds. It eliminated dozens of ineffective programs and provided more resources and flexibility to States. It also incentivized States to seek partners in the private sector to finance and operate infrastructure projects.

Further, MAP-21 passed the House by a strong bipartisan vote of 373- 52, including the support of the gentleman from Colorado. It passed the Senate by an equally strong bipartisan vote of 74-19. The White House issued a statement that said they were pleased with the bill.

While we continue with a process that will lead to a multiyear authorization bill, there is no reason why we should not support an extension of MAP-21. Extending MAP-21 through next summer is simply an extension of another year of good transportation policy.

Once again, I rise in support of this rule and the potential this extension holds for producing a thoughtful process that results in a quality long-term authorization bill.

I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I think it is important to note that the authorization is not ending next month. It is just the funds are running out. We have got to extend the funds. The authorization continues on through the end of the year.

That authorization was a good bill, as I explained in my opening remarks. MAP-21 was an excellent piece of legislation that consolidated a lot of programs, allowed States more flexibility, and gave them a pathway to create many of the infrastructure projects we need. This is just the money. And then we go a little bit further so we are not creating a crisis right before we adjourn.

So I think, in the end, this is a very good piece of legislation. It puts forth what is needed. We need money to finish the authorization we already have. That is what this does.

The administration policy from the Executive Office of the President's Office of Management and Budget says this: ``With surface transportation funding running out''--he is only talking about the funding. He knows that the policy still is in place--``and hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk later this summer, the administration supports House passage of H.R. 5021 . . . This legislation would provide for continuity of funding for the highway trust fund during the height of the summer construction season and keep Americans at work repairing the Nation's crumbling roads, bridges, and transit systems.''

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Garrett).

Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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

I just want to make sure we remind everybody that there were 373 Members

who voted for that halfhearted bill, including the gentleman who spoke against that bill but who voted for it just 2 years ago. Why? Because it was good policy. It set forth some policy moving forward in that MAP-21 allowed for more flexibility for the local communities to determine what they needed. It took 100 projects and silos and so forth and reduced them down by a major amount. It gave that flexibility to the States.

As for my State, we have the largest transportation program this year that we have ever had--$10 billion--which is $2 billion more than it was the year before. Why? Because this program and this project and this bill and the reauthorization worked, and all we are doing is extending that good policy. The policy already extends all the way through the end of the year. We are funding it. That is the real need, to finish funding it, and then we extend it another 5 months.

To me, it is a great piece of legislation that can be improved. It gives us the time as we come along and begin working on the reauthorization bill that we are getting ready to propose at some point in time in the future. The staff is already working, and the Members are giving ideas. I have met with the staff, and have given them some ideas that I thought would work, and that is happening right now.

This does not preclude us from continuing on. We don't have to have, really, even within the current timeframe, a new reauthorization bill until the end of the year. However, we do need funding. That is what this bill does. It provides the funding necessary to complete what, I think, was a very good piece of public policy.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I just want to remind the audience or anyone listening that we are talking about a rule that is dealing with transportation funding and about extending it so that we can continue the jobs necessary and finish the projects that have been started in States and so that we can start new ones. That is what we are talking about here and not necessarily about the issue that was just presented.

I reserve the balance of my time.

No, Madam Speaker, we don't.

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

This rule provides for ample and open debate. It advances a bill that originally passed the House 373-52, one of the most bipartisan votes we have had since I have been here.

The underlying bill extends good public policy. That policy was supported, like I said, by 373 Members of the House, 74 in the Senate, and signed by the President.

While we must look forward to the passage of another multiyear transportation authorization, there is no reason we should not pass the extension. Certainty means ``the state of being free from doubt or reservation; confident; sure.''

Extending our transportation programs until next summer provides our States with certainty. It also ensures that our highway trust fund does not become insolvent at the end of this month.

This extension will keep our transportation construction workers on the job. It will keep our transit systems functioning at full capacity. It will continue our investments in our economy. It will do all these things, without raising taxes on the American people.

Most importantly, it advances the process of a multiyear transportation bill. I look forward to working with Chairman Shuster and other members of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure as we focus on producing a long-term bill that strengthens our transportation programs.

The passage of this extension gives us the opportunity to work together and produce a solution that continues to deliver an unmatched transportation system for the American people. It is our responsibility to make sure that that happens.

This bill is the last chance to fulfill our responsibility to the American people and to provide our States with certainty before the highway trust fund reaches insolvency.

I urge all Members of this House to vote for the rule, vote for the bill, keep our transportation systems operating, and let us work together for a long-term solution.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and I move the previous question on the resolution.

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. 5021.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 669, I call up the bill (H.R. 5021) 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.

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

H.R. 5021, the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014, extends Federal surface transportation programs and ensures the solvency of the highway trust fund through May 2015. H.R. 5021 is a clean extension of the surface transportation programs and continues the MAP-21 reforms.

We have an immediate, critical need to address the solvency of the trust fund and extend the current surface transportation law. This bill does that in a responsible way, with policies that have all previously received strong bipartisan and bicameral support. If Congress fails to act, thousands of transportation projects and hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country will be at risk. This legislation provides much-needed certainty and stability for the States.

This bill in no way precludes Congress from continuing to work on addressing a long-term funding solution and a long-term reauthorization bill, which remains a top priority for the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. However, this legislation is the responsible solution at this time, ensures that we don't play politics with these programs, and enables us to continue making improvements to our surface transportation system.

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

Committee on Education and the Workforce, House of

Representatives,

Washington, DC, July 14, 2014.

Hon. Bill Shuster,

Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to confirm our mutual

understanding with respect to H.R. 5021, the Highway and

Transportation Funding Act of 2014. Thank you for consulting

with the Committee on Education and the Workforce with regard

to H.R. 5021 on those matters within the committee's

jurisdiction.

In the interest of expediting the House's consideration of

H.R. 5021, the Committee on Education and the Workforce will

forgo further consideration of this bill. However, I do so

only with the understanding this procedural route will not be

construed to prejudice my committee's jurisdictional interest

and prerogatives on this bill, or any other similar

legislation, and will not be considered as precedent for

consideration of matters of jurisdictional interest to my

committee in the future.

I respectfully request your support for the appointment of

outside conferees from the Committee on Education and the

Workforce should this bill or a similar bill be considered in

a conference with the Senate. I also request you include our

exchange of letters on this matter in the Congressional

Record during consideration of this bill on the House floor.

Thank you for your attention to these matters.

Sincerely,

John Kline,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri), chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Crawford), from a State in which a referendum arose that increased the user fee to fund the highway system.

Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta), one of the committee's true experts on infrastructure, a mayor of a small city, and a construction business owner.

Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon), who is from one of the most innovative States in funding and moving projects forward at a very fast pace.

Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito), a long-term member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, someone who fights every day for West Virginia.

Mr. Speaker, I do agree with the distinguished minority whip that we need a long-term solution to the trust fund and a long- term bill to provide certainty to this Nation when it comes to our transportation system.

With that, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis), one of the newest members of the committee but one of the hardest-working members of the committee.

Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica), the distinguished former chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

We have no more speakers on our side.

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

Mr. Speaker, how much time is left?

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

First, I want to start off by expressing my condolences to a former chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I guess, back then, it was Public Works and Transportation. Chairman Bob Roe, who chaired the committee in the eighties, passed away this morning, at 9:30, at the age of 90. I just want to say that my thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time.

I want to start in closing by thanking Chairman Camp and Ranking Member Levin and the entire Ways and Means Committee for passing out, on a voice vote, H.R. 5021.

I would like to reiterate that H.R. 5021 is a clean extension of the surface transportation programs that continues the MAP-21 reforms. This extension is necessary to provide much-needed certainty and stability for States while we continue to work on addressing a long-term funding solution and a long-term reauthorization bill.

I am committed to that. I know that the Transportation Committee is going to work diligently with the Ways and Means Committee on funding a long-term solution to the funding and also to passing a strong long- term reauthorization bill.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I object.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve a point of order against the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my point of order and seek the time in opposition to the motion.

Mr. Speaker, I do rise in opposition to the motion to recommit, and I just want to say I have high regard and great respect for the gentleman from Oregon and his passion for infrastructure. As long as I have been here, he has certainly been a strong advocate. Leaving the committee to go to Ways and Means, I know his passion is on the Transportation Committee, but now he is on the committee that certainly can help the process and move it forward.

But I strongly oppose this motion to recommit. It shortens the length of the time of the extension, and I am afraid that putting all our eggs in a lameduck basket will cause us great problems, and I don't believe it will be successful. And then what do we do then? We are going to be doing another short-term and another short-term extension. So shortening the length is not appropriate, I believe.

I think this is the best strategy. It cuts funding. I don't believe that that is in our interest. If we don't get this into next year, we are going to lose that funding because somebody will take it for something else, and if we are not successful in lameduck, then we are going to be going into the next construction season and then we will have trouble working out a solution to that when you cut the funding. It also increases taxes, and that is something right now that I just don't believe this country can accept.

We have an immediate, critical need to address the solvency of the trust fund and extend the surface transportation law so that we can get through this construction season and we can continue with the planning season to move us into next year. I am confident that we are going to be able to do something next year because I believe we have to do something, not on just this issue, but on many issues that we have kicked the can down the road.

As the distinguished former chairman of the Transportation Committee pointed out, my colleagues, not Mr. Blumenauer, but many of my colleagues on the other side, went and kicked the can down the road and passed a massive stimulus bill that put about 5 or 6 or 7 percent of that into highway funding when we all know that was where the need was.

Former Chairman Oberstar wanted to do a bill, but again, his own party left him. His own party was irresponsible on that and, again, passing a stimulus bill which I believe hasn't worked, and if it would have been directed to transportation and to infrastructure, we would see a very, very different economy today.

I also add that extending these programs through May in no way precludes Congress from continuing to work on addressing a long-term funding solution--which I believe we have to do. It in no way precludes us from moving on a long-term reauthorization bill, which we continue to work on in the committee, and which is a top priority for the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

However, I believe this legislation is the responsible solution at the time and ensures we don't play politics with these programs, and it enables us to continue to make improvements to our surface transportation system.

So, Mr. Speaker, I strongly oppose this motion. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'', and I yield back the balance of my time.