Tom Petri

Mr. PETRI

Mr. PETRI. I thank my colleague from California for yielding. I support House Resolution 562, which recognizes the importance of preserving the oral histories of current and former Representatives' personal experiences regarding the historic Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, marches and the civil rights movement. As a student during the civil rights movement, I had the opportunity to witness the impact the Selma to Montgomery marches had on shifting public opinions. An example of the influence the marches wielded is the fact that, 2 days after witnessing the images of the initial march in the media, President Johnson presented a bill to a joint session of Congress, which became the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Like so many others, I tried to play my own small part in support of the civil rights movement. As a member of the NAACP and as a college student, I participated in a boycott of a Woolworth's store in support of the desegregation of the chain's lunch counters in the South. During that time, Dr. King came to our college, and I had the honor to very briefly meet him. While my direct involvement in the civil rights movement may have been limited, there are many former and current Members who have unique and inspirational stories to share about the historic 1965 marches and the civil rights movement. We have the honor of serving with Representative John Lewis, for example, who just spoke, who is an icon of the civil rights movement. I have been lucky enough to hear him speak movingly to student groups and others about his experiences as he led the fight for racial and voter equality. It is important that accounts such as his be preserved in the historic record so that they can be shared for years to come. I believe it is important to keep the history and heritage of the civil rights movement alive by collecting and sharing these oral histories with the American public. Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution, and I urge its passage by the House today.

Mr. PETRI

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1134) to authorize the St. Croix River Crossing Project with appropriate mitigation measures to promote river values.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill before us.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The passage of this bill, which was adopted by the Senate earlier this year by unanimous consent, will remove the last remaining roadblock to construction of a new bridge over the St. Croix River, a bridge that has been identified for replacement by the States of Wisconsin and Minnesota for nearly 60 years and a project that has actively been worked on for more than 30 years. Support for this new bridge is bipartisan and bicameral. The Governors of Wisconsin and Minnesota support it. The entire Senate delegations from the two States support it. With few exceptions, the members of the House delegations from Minnesota and Wisconsin support it. We just need this final action in order to finally proceed with the bridge. The longer we delay, the more unsafe the current lift bridge becomes, congestion continues to worsen, and costs just continue to rise. It's time to end the gridlock. I urge passage of the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague from the State of Washington, the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, Representative Doc Hastings.

Mr. PETRI. I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings).

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, in delight of the bipartisan support for the measure before us, I yield 1 minute to my colleague from Wisconsin, Representative Baldwin.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop).

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, this bill has bipartisan support. Other things being equal, I think we tend to listen to the Representative in whose district the project would exist. This project is in the district of my colleague, Ron Kind, from the State of Wisconsin, and at this time I would be happy to yield him 4 minutes.

Mr. PETRI. I am prepared to close after you finish, yes.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to my colleague from the State of Wisconsin, Representative Sean Duffy.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to yield 4 minutes to Representative Bachmann from the neighboring State of Minnesota, a strong proponent of the legislation before us.

Mr. PETRI. One, who is before us.

Mr. PETRI. I have reserved, I think, 30 seconds.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I would remind the gentleman that we have come together. The legislation before us, S. 1134, passed the United States Senate by unanimous consent. It has a few people who seem to have raised some concerns here, but the fact of the matter is that Al Franken, the Senator from Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar, the Senator from Minnesota, Ron Johnson, the Senator from Wisconsin, Herb Kohl--Senators from both parties have joined together in recognizing the need and importance and urging their colleagues who unanimously supported this. It's about time we did our job here in the House of Representatives. This project has been studied for over 20 years. Representative Ron Kind, as he said so eloquently in his statement, has consulted with every conceivable interest group in the area. As my colleague, Representative Bachmann, said, the people in Minnesota and Wisconsin are wondering when we're going to do our job. This is a major hazard now, an old bridge. We saw what happened with other bridges in Minnesota, a growing population, commuter populations back and forth in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area. It's about time this hazard was removed and we had a bridge that we could be proud of and that was less intrusive than the one that's there now. So I urge my colleagues to pass the legislation before us, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PETRI

Mr. PETRI. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for yielding. As are you and our other colleagues, I am happy to see this process coming to a conclusion. The successful conference report that we're debating today domonstrates our ability to take on important issues and still reach bicameral, bipartisan agreement on how to move oru aviation industry forward, reform a critical government agency, and create jobs. This legislation will, at long last, provide stable funding and policy direction for the FAA's safety programs, airport development grants, NextGen efforts, and operations for budget years 2012-2015. The legislation contains no earmarks and achieves savings for our taxpayers. This legislation includes many important aviation-policy initiatives. I'm especially pleased with the reforms included in the legislation for the FAA's NextGen program. The conference report establishes timelines, performance metrics, and accountability for the NextGen program. The conference agreement also authorizes the FAA to streamline environmental reviews that often stall out efforts to increase the efficiency of our national airspace system. To be clear, the benefits of the NextGen program are not only felt by aviation users. A May 2011 Deloitte study showed a $281 billion net benefit to the U.S. economy if the NextGen program is implemented on time. So I'm pleased to move this legislation that will help the FAA's efforts to implement the important NextGen modernization program. By setting requirements and deadlines for FAA rules for the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems, the conference report also unlocks the potential for private sector job creation here at home that has so far been stalled by government inaction. Along with advancements in the NextGen program, this legislation enacts policies that will foster sustained, long-term job creation in our private sector, reaffirming the United States' leadership role in aerospace innovation and manufacturing. In addition to policy changes that help spur job creation, the legislation makes over $14 billion available for airport projects over the life of the bill. As the spring construction season nears, it's important to have the stable funding available for airport projects. This legislation gives airport managers the ability to plan and execute airport projects that will support thousands of construction jobs. This legislation also enacts protections to assure airline passengers are treated properly and fairly in the event of travel delays. The bill makes reforms to the Essential Air Service program, eliminating Federal subsidies in the most egregious circumstances, as highlighted last year. Overall, the reforms included in the legislation will make the FAA work smarter, reduce its footprint, and deliver more. The final product will provide the kind of stability and job creation for America's aviation infrastructure that this Congress and the American people have been looking for. I strongly support this legislation, and before concluding would like to acknowledge the very hard work of Holly Lyons and our general counsel, Bailey Edwards, as well as Giles Giovinazzi and Alex Burkett, who have helped negotiate with the Senate and bring this project to a successful conclusion.

Mr. PETRI. I thank the chairman for yielding. I would be remiss to see the discussion of this conference report conclude without expressing my admiration and appreciation of the service of our colleague, Jerry Costello, for whom I suspect this may be the last FAA reauthorization, although I know he will not be riding off into the sunset. He will be very much around in one capacity or another, continuing to play an important role in developing public policy and affairs. Both as the ranking Republican and again as chairman, it has been a pleasure to work with him. I think he has always been open to comments and suggestions. It has been a team effort, especially through the leadership that he has taken in grabbing the bits and helping to establish focus at the FAA for the NextGen effort, which was floundering when he became chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee. It is a major contribution, I think, to an important sector of our economy.

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

Mr. PETRI

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3800) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, and for other purposes.

Mr. PETRI. I yield such time as he may consume to our colleague from Texas, Representative Farenthold.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill, H.R. 3800.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would like to include in the Congressional Record an exchange of letters between the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure concerning H.R. 3800. I am pleased to report that we are currently in the final negotiations of completing an FAA reauthorization bill with the Senate, with only a few open issues left to be resolved. I am confident that we will be able to complete negotiations and produce a conference report in the very near future. However, given the congressional schedule and the limited legislative days before FAA's current authority expires, we will not be able to consider the final agreement on the conference report until February. Since current funding expires at the end of this month, it is necessary for us to pass a clean, short-term extension of the FAA's funding and programs through February 17 at current funding levels. This extension is a prudent precaution to ensure that the FAA is able to continue its funding and programs while negotiations are completed and the House and Senate consider the FAA conference report. House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC, January 24, 2012. Hon. John Mica, Chairman, Committee on Transortation and Infrastructure, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Mica: I am writing concerning H.R. 3800, the ``Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2012'' which is expected to be scheduled for floor consideration this week. As you know, the Committee on Ways and Means has jurisdiction over the Internal Revenue Code. Sections 2 and 3 of this bill amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 by extending the current Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF) expenditure authority and the associated Federal excise taxes to February 17, 2012. In order to expedite H.R. 3800 for Floor consideration, the Committee will forgo action on the bill. This is being done with the understanding that it does not in any way prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment of conferees or its jurisdictional prerogatives on this or similar legislation. I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 3800, and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during Floor consideration. Sincerely, Dave Camp, Chairman.

Mr. PETRI. Does the gentleman have any further requests for time?

Mr. PETRI. I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PETRI. I yield such time as he may consume to the chairman of the full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, our colleague from the State of Florida, John Mica.