Tom Petri

Mr. PETRI

Mr. PETRI. If the gentleman will yield, I would be very happy to do so.

Mr. PETRI

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, I think the gentleman from Louisiana knows that this Member, at least, has met on a number of occasions both here in Washington and down in New Orleans and other places in Louisiana with groups who are supporting this high-priority project. It is an important project. But there are a lot of important projects in our country. Our committee is trying to come up with the resources to meet a variety of needs. I would urge the gentleman to work with the committee and the process, rather than attempting to single out his particular project in this way, because it is not going to work politically here in the House, given all the other regions and their concerns. But what the gentleman is saying is important. He does have an important project, and we are eager to work with the gentleman to try to come up with the resources necessary to help move it forward.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, I can state for the majority that we will work with the gentleman and with the minority leader on this matter.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, it is my understanding that the gentleman did misdraft the original amendment. We are still going to oppose the amendment as redrafted on the merits, but extend him the courtesy of correcting his drafting error.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. PETRI

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, I reserve my time.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers). (Mr. EHLERS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. McCrery).

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest).

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert). (Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble).

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Quinn).

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette).

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from east Tennessee (Mr. Duncan).

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Chairman, I would first like to salute the chairman of our committee for bringing us to this day and to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and my colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski), the staff on both the majority and minority of the committee. It has been a lot of work and a long road, and we still have far to go, but this is an important milestone in the passage of our Nation's transportation policy for the next 6 years. This legislation will have an impact on each of our constituents literally every day as they go about their daily lives, whether it is driving kids to school, hopping on a train as part of a daily commute or picking up a gallon of milk that has been brought over the road on a truck. We on the committee had hoped to be discussing a somewhat different bill today. TEA LU, as introduced at $375 billion, is the right thing to do. It was fashioned to start to address the needs as identified by our own United States Department of Transportation. Anything less will not maintain and improve our transportation system. Nonetheless, this bill at $275 billion is a step toward meeting the needs we as a Nation have with a reduced amount of resources and is the best that we can achieve at the current time, given the situation that we find ourselves in. This bill provides increases each year in funding for the core highway formula programs for the States so that every State will see an increase in its funding. It includes important programs for safety, infrastructure safety on the road, work safety, motor carrier safety and behavioral safety programs to address drunk driving, occupational protection programs and other hazards. There are many provisions that facilitate the movement of freight, an important element to interstate commerce and a primary Federal interest in transportation. It will allow us to meet the needs of emerging trade corridors in this post-interstate construction era and other projects that have regional or national benefits that overwhelm the capabilities of any one State. We retain funding for transit at the 80/20 split and include programs that will help States meet the mobility needs of both urban and rural communities and improve opportunities for the elderly and for the disabled. It is forward looking in providing for a robust research program and innovative payments in bridges, recycled materials, freight movements and environmental programs. We prepare for the future in beginning to tackle the problem of identifying new financing mechanisms to replace the gas tax as a source of revenue for the Highway Trust Fund in the future and consider the future of the interstate system. Are there concerns about funding formulas or other policy issues? Of course. In a bill of this size it is inevitable. We face the same questions literally every time that the House considers a reauthorization bill. In order to make progress in providing what some are calling for in terms of equity and donor State issues, you need more funds. Unfortunately, we do not have that today. But as we move through conference and in the future, we want to try to address those needs, if given the resources to do so. It is important to note, too, that the spending in this bill is paid for by the revenues coming into the Highway Trust Fund. We retain the guarantees that we fought so hard for in TEA 21 and maintain the trust with the traveling public that the gas taxes they pay will actually be spent on transportation improvements. So, Mr. Chairman, I would ask support for the bill so we can provide jobs, protect our citizens' safety and maintain and improve our economic standing in a fast-changing world.

Mr. PETRI

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the first meeting of the Republican Party in the town of Ripon, Wisconsin on March 20, 1854. On that momentous day, a group of 54 concerned citizens gathered in the Little White Schoolhouse to protest the extension of slavery into the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. Led by Alvan Bovay, this group of citizens dissolved the local Whig and Free Soil parties and officially declared themselves ``Republicans.'' For this reason, the Little White Schoolhouse has long been known as the Birthplace of the Republican Party. Since its inception, the Republican Party has stood for Liberty and Equality for all--making the Little White Schoolhouse a symbol of civic responsibility to the residents of Ripon and the nation. On May 30, 1974, the Department of the Interior formally recognized the historical importance of the first meeting of the Republican Party by designating the Little White Schoolhouse as a National Historic Landmark. The structure is significant, according to the National Park Service, because ``a meeting in this simple, one story clapboard and frame schoolhouse on March 20, 1854 and another in Jackson, Michigan on July 6'' led to the formation of the Republican Party. To this day it attracts visitors from around the world. In order to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the Republican Party, the town of Ripon is holding a celebration entitled, ``From Schoolhouse to White House; A Celebration of Active Citizenship'' that will promote the importance of civic involvement. This celebration will also honor the leadership that 54 citizens of Ripon displayed on March 20, 1854, in proclaiming themselves Republicans under the banner of Liberty and Equality. The event on March 20, 2004, caps off a two month series of events that have been held in Ripon, including a conference on the accomplishments of Wisconsin women and mock elections held in the Ripon schools to focus attention on this most basic form of active citizenship. Therefore, I want to once again recognize the 150th Anniversary of the first meeting of the Republican Party at the Little White Schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin.

Mr. PETRI

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill H.R. 3783, the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2004. Although a lot of work has been done on the reauthorization bill, there are challenges remaining, including identifying the needed resources to support funding levels over the next 6 years and addressing the concerns of donor States who want to get a better return on their contribution to the Highway Trust Fund. This short-term extension is a must-pass bill and so, frankly, is the six-year reauthorization at some point. This is not, as some try to characterize it, pork. This is needed investment in our Nation's productive infrastructure. If we fail to invest in our Nation's productive infrastructure, we will become less competitive as an economy, we will have a less productive economy, higher prices in the stores, less safe driving on our highways. It is estimated that one out of three deaths on our highways, some 40,000 a year, could be prevented if we had well- maintained, well-designed, modern transportation infrastructure. This is an investment which, if we fail to make, we are going to pay anyway. The fact is we are not going to save any money by underinvesting in our transportation infrastructure as a country. We will pay in terms of blowing gas out of people's tailpipes, in terms of delay, in terms of inefficiencies in our economy or we can invest and have something to show for it: a first-rate transportation system linking our country together, making us competitive as an economy. Today, we worry a lot in America about the growing economic competition we face from across the Pacific in China. Let me tell you what China is doing. They are taking a leaf out of our book. Back 60 years ago, Dwight Eisenhower, who knew something about war and about competitiveness and about our country, he stood back, put a cap as best he could on defense spending and pulled the lid full speed ahead on investing in our productive domestic transportation infrastructure. We built the interstate highway system. What did the Soviet Union do? No roads to speak of. They relied on their railroads. Forty years later, who had the better investment strategy? We had something to save for. We were more competitive as a country, and they collapsed. What is happening today in the world? We are talking and debating about whether we are going to maintain our commitment to a first-rate infrastructure, grow it to accommodate growth in our economy, grow it to accommodate on the public sector side the tremendous investment the private sector has made in communication and computer technology, to manage data, which at the end of the day squeeze inventory out of the system, go to just-in-time delivery, wonderful things that make us much more productive. But if the goods cannot be moved efficiently, none of that pays off the way it otherwise can. What is China planning to do today? They are planning over the next 15 years to replicate our interstate transportation system, four-lane highways linking that continent. They are planning on doing in 15 years what it took us 60 years to do. If we fail to meet this challenge, where will we be? What will we have to show for all this supposed savings that we make as a country by underinvesting in our infrastructure? We will leave our children and our grandchildren disarmed in the face of that challenge. So I ask my colleagues to put aside the rhetoric, recognize that there are different kinds of spending in this world. Everyone says their spending is investment. This is real investment. You have got something to show for it. We will leave a legacy to our children and our grandchildren that we can be proud of and that they can benefit from. This is must-pass legislation, and we are going to have to pay for it if we are going to want to get something for it. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of the continuing resolution before us today. It is vitally important that this bill be passed by both the House and the Senate and delivered to the President before February 29. Our economy cannot withstand the shutdown of the national surface transportation programs, and it cannot withstand a kind of gnawing away and erosion of our commitment in this area otherwise, either. If we do that, we will regret it in years to come.

Mr. PETRI

Mr. PETRI. Madam Chairman, I applaud the vision of the Chairman of the Subcommittee and the Ranking Minority Member in recommending additional helicopter assets to be deployed on the West Coast for drug interdiction and port security. Currently, there are eight leased, armed helicopters based in Jacksonville, FL, which make up the entire Coast Guard Airborne Use of Force capability. Pre 9-11, this Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (or HITRON) was used solely for drug interdiction, primarily in the Caribbean. Occasionally, some or all of the fleet was sent to the West Coast since about 50 percent of the drug interdiction has occurred in the eastern Pacific. Post 9-11, insofar as possible, these same eight armed helicopters have also assumed port and inland waterway security duties. Lakes Michigan and Superior form part of the Wisconsin border. Currently the air stations at Travers City, Michigan, and Detroit monitor the Great Lakes from Niagara Falls through Lake Superior. They are already stretched very thinly. To meet increased terrorist threats wherever they occur, the Coast Guard must rob Peter to pay Paul. The humanitarian aspect of the Coast Guard's mission is a constant, so it is imperative that they obtain more assets--ships, fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. Since their introduction into the Coast Guard Inventory many years ago, the role of helicopters has expanded. They had primarily been used for search and rescue missions at sea until the introduction of the lighter, armed Sting Rays. Beginning with the introduction of the Sting Rays in 2000, they have deployed as a cutter-based aircraft to pursue, intercept and disable ``go-fast'' boats engaged in drug running. To date, they have intercepted over 30 Tons of illegal drugs valued at more than $2.1 billion. There are just not enough of them to go around! The Coast Guard motto is Semper Paratus--Always Prepared. As stated on their web site, they are The Shield of Freedom; The Defender of the Homeland; The Port in the Storm and The Enforcer of the Sea. They are indeed all those things and always have been. However, since 9-11, all those things have taken on added significance. To accomplish these missions, they need more assets to meet the increased burden.

Mr. PETRI

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I want to express my support for this resolution which recognizes the 100th Anniversary of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association. As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I know first hand the valuable role that the Association and all its many member companies play in building infrastructure around the country. This has a very direct impact on our quality of life and helps to maintain our transportation network that is so vital to our economic prosperity. First founded as the National Quarry Owners Association one hundred years ago, the Association now represents about 800 members across North America. The Association devotes energy and resources to encouraging the professional development of its members, promoting safe workplaces, and conducting research to improve the quality and longevity of asphalt and concrete products. Aggregates are one of the building blocks of our nation's infrastructure, composing 80 percent of concrete and 90 percent of asphalt. And in terms of building structures, about 400 tons of aggregate is used on the average home. The work of this industry can be seen all around us. And yet, most of us probably take for granted the contributions of this industry as we drive on roads, learn in schools, and even brush our teeth at night with toothpaste--all of which are created by aggregates in one form or another. On the occasion of its 100th Anniversary, I want to recognize the efforts of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association and the many contributions its members make to our nation every day.

Mr. PETRI

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Kamogawa, Japan, on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the formation of their sister city relationship. On August 3, 1993, Mayor Kevin Crawford and Mayor Toshio Honda signed a Sister City Agreement in order to forge a long-term relationship between the two cities. This anniversary marks a decade of great friendship that has touched the lives of thousands of people in a positive way and has provided years of joy through the bonds that have been created. Since 1993, Mayor Honda has brought several delegations to Manitowoc and Mayor Crawford has led friendship visits to Kamogawa. Several other groups, including civil servants and student musicians, have also traveled between the two cities. On the 8th Anniversary of the agreement, Kamogawa delegates planted cherry blossom trees at several Manitowoc locations as living symbols of this growing relationship. Manitowoc reciprocated by planting sugar maple trees in Kamogawa. The sister city relationship has been supported by the many industries in the City of Manitowoc that rely on Japan as a major market for their products. One out of six jobs in Wisconsin exists because of export trade. One of the objectives of the partnership has been to ``internationalize'' the youth of both cities and prepare them to be part of the global community. Through the summer student exchange program, which was initiated in 1995, students from each city spend 20 days with each other in homes in Manitowoc and then Kamogawa learning to appreciate their respective customs and culture. This year, in honor of their 10th Anniversary, Mayor Crawford again traveled to Kamogawa in early September and Mayor Honda will visit Manitowoc in October. Today these two cities share one of the most vibrant sister city relationships in the nation. They are to be commended for encouraging and promoting goodwill between the United States and Japan. Therefore, it is fitting that Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Kamogawa, Japan, receive special recognition and appreciation on the occasion of this most memorable anniversary.

Mr. PETRI

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, this stopgap measure is needed to give the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and our colleagues on the Senate authorizing committees time to finalize the long-term surface transportation authorization bill. Though much work has been done on the bill, there are challenges remaining, including identifying the needed resources to support a $375 billion level of funding over 6 years and addressing the concerns of donor States who want to get a better return on their contribution to the Highway Trust Fund. This short-term extension is a must-pass bill. If Congress does not pass a bill and send it to the President before the end of the month, four Department of Transportation agencies will close their doors and furlough their employees: The Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Without passage of this extension, new highway projects will be shelved, safety grants will not be provided to States, transit construction will be halted, and Federal enforcement of motor carrier safety regulations on the highways and at the borders will end. The bill before us provides over $17 billion in new funding authority, which reflects 5 months' worth or \5/12\ths of the budget authority and associated outlays in the 2004 budget resolution that Congress passed earlier this year. Some groups have expressed concern about a provision in H.R. 3087 that allows the temporary transfer of funds among core highway programs to give States flexibility, if needed, in administering their programs under a short-term extension. However, this bill provides that any transfers will be restored when the next highway bill and transit authorization bill is passed. When this provision was included in the surface transportation extension bill that bridged the gap between ISTEA and TEA-21, nearly half the States did not utilize this authority at all, and every State fully restored all transferred funds. We will monitor this process closely again to ensure that increased flexibility does not lead to funds being used for ineligible purposes, and that funds are not needlessly transferred. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 3087 today. It is vitally important that this bill be passed by both the House and Senate and delivered to the President before September 30. Our economy cannot withstand the shutdown of the national surface transportation program.

Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman from California is correct. Section 3(c) specifically states that the transferability provision applies only during this 5-month period, and any funds used will be restored.