The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“H.R. 2, THE MOVING FORWARD ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E701-E702 on July 30, 2020.
The Department handles nearly all infrastructure crisscrossing the country. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department should be privatized to save money, reduce congestion and spur innovation.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
H.R. 2, THE MOVING FORWARD ACT
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HON. RICK LARSEN
of washington
in the house of representatives
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of medium-sized cities in Washington state and across the country who play a critical role in driving the nation's economy.
In Washington state, transportation and infrastructure mean jobs and are key to economic recovery as the nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, the House passed H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, a comprehensive package that invests more than $1.5 trillion in America's transportation and infrastructure over the next five years. This includes nearly $7 billion for Washington state's transportation network. The Moving Forward Act is part of a long-term vision to put Americans back to work, jumpstart the economy and make the transportation network smarter, safer and greener.
Although H.R. 2 significantly increases surface transportation funding, it falls short in helping the nation's medium-sized cities, like Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood and Oak Harbor in my district. Congress must recommit to supporting medium-sized cities' efforts to improve their transportation systems and foster economic development. We can do this by increasing federal infrastructure investment.
Previously known as Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants, the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program awards grants to local surface transportation projects across the country. However, the BUILD program's structure can force medium-sized cities to delay or indefinitely postpone vital transportation projects.
The City of Mountlake Terrace, Washington is one example. The city applied for a BUILD grant in 2011 and 2012 to help fund the redevelopment of Main Street to facilitate economic development and affordable housing connected to the planned Light Rail station. Despite receiving among the highest economic benefit ratios by DOT, the city's population size was the main reason DOT did not fund the project.
The City of Shoreline, Washington faced a similar problem. For the past two years, Shoreline has submitted a BUILD grant application for a project to rebuild a highway interchange that will help reduce congestion and improve mobility. Although this project was highly rated and advanced to the Transportation Secretary's desk for consideration, it has not received federal funding due to its medium-sized population.
To help address these issues, I introduced the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development for Underfunded Projects (BUILD UP) Act earlier this year. The BUILD UP Act would require at least 30 percent of funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation's BUILD grant funding be awarded to cities with 10,000 to 75,000 residents. Over the past two years, cities with populations between 10,000 and 75,000 have received approximately 35 percent of BUILD funding. The BUILD UP Act would codify current DOT distribution practice and not re-
route funding from other rural or urban areas.
As the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress must ensure medium-size cities can access the federal resources necessary to proceed with shovel-ready infrastructure projects and to help put Americans back to work. I encourage House leadership and the Appropriations Committee to include a similar BUILD UP set-
aside in a final FY2021 appropriations package.
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