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“TRANSPORTATION REAUTHORIZATION” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H1334 on March 10, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRANSPORTATION REAUTHORIZATION
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the last 2 days were a whirlwind, but I am not going to criticize the speed in which we moved at this time, 2005, to move TEA-21. Why? Because we have been trying for almost a session to pass a transportation reauthorization bill that really provides jobs and mobility to America. So I rise today to applaud both Chairman Young and Ranking Member Oberstar for the very complicated and complex legislation that was passed trying to embrace all of America: rural, urban, suburban, all of the hamlets and counties and large cities and small cities, all of the true aspects of mobility in this Nation.
I heard this morning on one of our networks, our cable networks, that in order to address the question of an energy shortage besides the fact that I come from Texas and we are known, my particular district, for being the energy capital of the world, but I think good common sense, no matter where you come from, would suggest that mobility is an important part of energy conservation, and mobility dealing with trains and transit systems, buses that are more conservation, if you will, sensitive, electrical cars, hybrids, all of those are on the table and I am glad to say that as we look toward the energy bill, we will be looking at those issues; but the transportation bill addresses them as well.
Let me cite, Mr. Speaker, a few of the concerns that I have and also a few of the accolades. Let me first of all say that I believe that we are a United States of America, small States and large States. I happen to come from a donor State. That means that we send more money to the Federal Government than we get back. It is not a question of selfishness. It is a question of spreading the wealth across the United States per person. I am glad to note that this good sense of the United States House came together to increase the donor State return so that Texas gets more money on its return as it is investing in the United States Government while not hurting the smaller States. That is the donor State equity, and I would say that we as members of the Texas delegation and other large States were willing to work with the leadership to make this happen.
Might I also say that I am disappointed in all of the amendments that came about on the toll roads. These are roads that you pay to go on. I know if I look at most of my constituents, they wish we did not have toll roads. But I certainly think it is unfair if a local jurisdiction decides to provide some sort of relief for low-income workers, many of whom are driving the 1990, 1980 vintage cars, maybe some of you have those cars, and are day laborers or hourly workers and really cannot afford to get to work. They have no mass transit which we are trying to promote. They cannot get to work. That was passed and I hope it is taken out in conference where local jurisdictions can give relief, meaning a lower rate, to those low-income workers who are driving cars who are trying to get to work. Would you not rather have them working than to be on the public benefit, if you will, because they cannot get to work?
That brings me as well, Mr. Speaker, to a provision in my constituency that is called the Safe Clear program. It means that you are automatically moved off a freeway in my jurisdiction in Houston without any option to call any relatives or to move in another direction. It is an automatic tow. We had an enormous crisis and many of these tolls are on interstate highways. I hope that we will have the monitoring of this program, though it has been fixed by city council and they have tried to work with the State, they were concerned, but the United States Government Department of Transportation should be monitoring what we call the Safe Clear program in Houston, Texas, in order to avoid what we call impeding of interstate commerce.
Let me also cite a very important issue in my district and that is Metro. That is our mass transit that has been struggling for 20 years to get on the books.
{time} 1600
We finally got over 50 percent.
Many of you in your communities may be facing this. You want mass transit, and two people do not, and those two people have been holding it up. That is what has been happening in Houston, Texas. I would beg of the Department of Transportation not to be engaged in politics, that is what you are engaged in, and expedite the approval process so that people who want to get on mass transit in jurisdictions like Houston, Texas, and maybe other parts of the Nation, can get an expedited approval so they can move forward with the dollars and get people out of their cars and into effective mass transit.
Our metro system now, with only 7.5 miles, has some 30,000 riders per day. It connects the Medical Center and students to downtown Houston. It is imperative that we work on that.
Again, I want to applaud those who brought a resolution to the donor problem, and I want to likewise be mindful of the fact that as we move towards this bill, let us take out the poison pills, those provisions such as not allowing some individual relief, let us take out the poison pill of not allowing local toll jurisdictions to use their profitable dollars to invest in other mobility projects.
This is a good bill, but we need oversight, and we certainly need to move those transit projects forward that are sitting and waiting on the FTA's desk.
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