Bill Shuster

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 1155, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 3985, the Over-the-Road Bus Transportation Accessibility Act, I was not present. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor G. Warren Elliott and Cheryl S. Plummer, who are retiring as members of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners after 12 years of leadership. Both were honored yesterday for their longtime service to the community at a retirement ceremony in Franklin County, PA. Both Cheryl and Warren have dedicated much of their lives to bettering the region, both as commissioners and advocates of the community. They have served Franklin County honorably, bringing about key changes to operations and programs within the county, increasing efficiency and creating and revitalizing key community initiatives. With their leadership, Franklin County has become the best economy in Pennsylvania and number 5 overall in the entire northeastern region. Their service and leadership has been fundamental to the success of the county and the quality of life of its residents. Commissioner Elliott and Commissioner Plummer jointly received the Outstanding County Commissioner of 2007 Award. G. Warren Elliott has served as the chairman of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners for 12 years, leading one of the most successful and efficient boards in Franklin County history. Elliott has also served on numerous boards of directors, including the Franklin County Area Development Corporation and the Franklin County Conservation District. He has received multiple civic awards, including the Penn State Centennial Fellow Award and the Commissioner of the Year for Conservation Award. He also gives back to his alma mater, Shippensburg University, by serving as an adjunct faculty member. Commissioner Elliott's accomplishments are vast, and his work for the community irreplaceable. His presence will be sorely missed as he retires from his post as chairman of the board of commissioners. Cheryl Plummer also served as a member of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners for 12 years. She has dedicated much of her career to improving human services in the county, serving as chair of the Human Services Committee in the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. In addition to performing her duties as a county commissioner, Plummer led multiple community organizations, dedicating time and effort to the United Way, Chambersburg Area School District, and the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce, just to name a few. She has been recognized often for her efforts, and her dedication and leadership will be missed by her colleagues and community members. Commissioner Elliott and Commissioner Plummer deserve great thanks, as they have brought about lasting changes and improvements to Franklin County and have vastly bettered the quality of life of the entire community. While their presence will be missed, I wish them both a happy retirement, and I am sure they will continue to volunteer and inspire others to follow in their footsteps to become leaders within society.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor John Woodruff, an Olympic Gold Medalist who passed away last week at the age of 92. Woodruff, a native of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, was one of the most remarkable athletes in the world and will always be remembered for his astonishing come-from-behind victory in the 800 meter run at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. John Woodruff is also remembered as one of the great American rags- to-riches success stories. Born into a struggling family with 11 siblings, John overcame numerous obstacles on his way to becoming an American hero. He dropped out of high school to work in order to help support his family, but was denied a job. He returned to school, joined the track team and earned a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh, becoming the first member of his family to attend college. It was the summer of his freshman year that Woodruff qualified for the Olympic Games, outrunning the best American distance runners in the field to make it to Berlin. It was there, during the 800 meter final, that Woodruff pulled one of the riskiest moves in the history of the Olympic Games. Finding himself boxed in by several professional runners, Woodruff stopped in the middle of the race and let everyone pass him. He then ran around the other runners to take the lead, becoming the first American in 24 years to win the race. Woodruff returned home a hero, and continued his college and track career, during which time he won numerous championships and set the American record in the 800 meter run, which lasted 12 years. He graduated from Pitt and served in World War II and Korea, after which he retired as a lieutenant colonel. He passed away on October 30th in Fountain Hills, Arizona. John Woodruff was a true American hero who proved that with determination and hard work, any feat can be overcome. Our thoughts are with his family as they mourn their loss, and may they be comforted in knowing that John will be remembered as a leader who dedicated his life to serving his country as both an Olympian and a soldier. His legacy will live on in Connellsville, as his community honors and remembers their hero at a memorial service on Sunday.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 1056, the Motion to Recommit with Instructions on H.R. 3685, I was not present. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to call out to the American people to ask them to take notice of what's happening here on the floor. When the majority party took control in January, they promised a new direction. But the only direction they've received is to go backwards. Here it is November, and the President has not received one appropriations bill on his desk. The Congress has not moved this slowly in 20 years, and the reason is purely political. They want to drastically increase social spending, and they can't get a bill passed on social spending without coupling it and holding hostage our veterans bill. Our veterans deserve better. Our veterans deserve the funding that they need. I hope every veteran in America is listening to this debate today. I hope they realize that the veterans funding is being held hostage. The President will veto the social spending the Democrats propose and thus delay the funds needed to go to our veterans around this country. I urge the majority party to stop this charade, give the veterans a straight up-or-down vote, and it'll pass this House overwhelmingly. I thank the Congress for listening. I thank the American people for listening to me.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 1034, 1035, and 1036 I was not present because I was delayed returning from Iraq on official travel. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on each of these rollcall votes.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 1011 taken on Monday, October 29, 2007, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 1014 taken on Tuesday, October 30, 2007, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 1013 taken on Tuesday, October 30, 2007, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 1012 taken on Monday, October 29, 2007, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 1009, I was not present. Please note that I view rollcall No. 1009 as a re-vote of rollcall No. 982 on October 18, 2007 where I voted no. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 1008, Motion to Recommit with Instructions on H.R. 3963, I was not present. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman, and I just want to echo what he said about the Capitol Hill Police and what they do every day, protecting us, making sure the grounds are safe, not only for us but the people who do business here, the visitors here. So we owe them a great debt of gratitude. I would urge all of you, while not all of you were able to get out to the game and not all of you were able to play in the game, but I would urge all of you, when you see a Capitol Hill Police officer out there, thank them. Thank them for what they do for you, for your family and for, as I said, everybody that uses this great Capitol Hill complex. The game, as Heath pointed out, didn't end up the way we thought it would. Some thought we gave better than we took. Some thought that the Capitol Hill Police could have scored 56 on us. That will remain to be seen, but nobody was hurt during the game. Everybody played. We all had a lot of fun, and we raised some money for the benevolent fund that goes to the kids of the Capitol Hill Police. So it was a great success. I appreciate all those that participated. Practices were early. Heath and John Booty and Ken Harvey, who really ran the show, did a great job of getting us out there in the morning. I also want to thank the Members that showed up to the game. Some of you came out: Henry Brown, Mike Conaway, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Jesse Jackson, Gregory Meeks and Lincoln Davis. Thank you guys for coming out there to the game. I think that's extremely important that when you are out there, we're out there, leaving a little skin on the field, a little blood, but all of it's for a great cause to the Capitol Hill Police. Sergeant at Arms, Bill Livingood, thank you. The Chief of Police, Philip Morse, thank you for all your help. And also a special thanks to Vardell Williams, who's now become the voice of the Longest Yard Classic. Thank you. He works here for the superintendent, but he volunteered to be out there to be the voice of the Longest Yard Classic. So again I thank everybody, and congratulations to the Capitol Hill Police. The following is our team roster. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jersey Member name State number ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kendrick Meek........................ Florida................ 0 Zach Wamp............................ Tennessee.............. 1 Pat Murphy........................... Pennsylvania........... 3 Jim Jordan........................... Ohio................... 4 Joe Donnelly......................... Indiana................ 7 Anthony Weiner....................... New York............... 9 Charlie Dent......................... Pennsylvania........... 15 Brad Ellsworth....................... Indiana................ 18 Heath Shuler......................... North Carolina......... 21 Jason Altmire........................ Pennsylvania........... 24 Sam Graves........................... Missouri............... 27 Jack Kingston........................ Georgia................ 28 Jim Gerlach.......................... Pennsylvania........... 30 John Sullivan........................ Oklahoma............... 39 Dean Heller.......................... Nevada................. 42 Jeff Flake........................... Arizona................ 44 Todd Tiahrt.......................... Kansas................. 45 Michael Arcuri....................... New York............... 58 Thaddeus McCotter.................... Michigan............... 65 Rick Renzi........................... Arizona................ 67 Gresham Barrett...................... South Carolina......... 76 Paul Ryan............................ Wisconsin.............. 80 Bill Shuster......................... Pennsylvania........... 00 Kevin McCarthy....................... California............. 11* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Might change. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. I appreciate and look forward to having those discussions. I, again, oppose the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, as Mr. Rohrabacher pointed out, this authorizes a program to install a pilot electric conveyer system for cargo. There have been several concepts developed for the Port of Los Angeles to move cargo using electric trucks, LNG trucks, automated shuttles, and even maglev. The general idea is, as Mr. Rohrabacher has pointed out, to get rid of the diesel trucks and move the cargo to outlying areas for transload to trains or truck. This would cut air pollution and potentially cut the congestion that exists now in the Port of Los Angeles, and would certainly benefit all of the Nation as we develop these types of transportation ideas. I support Mr. Rohrabacher's goal of reducing congestion and pollution and urge support of the amendment.

Mr. SHUSTER. I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I have no further speakers, and I reserve my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. We are here today to consider one of the most important pieces of legislation that we will undertake this year, as the chairman pointed out, the Federal Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2007. As the chairman pointed out, there are still accidents that occur and there are still deaths that occur on rail, but to put that into perspective, in 2006, it was in fact the safest year ever in our Nation's railroad history. Over the past 30 years, we have made tremendous progress in reducing the number of train accidents and deaths that occur around our rail yards and railroad lines. Let me give you some of those statistics. In 1996, there were 33 railroad employees that were killed; in 2006, it's down to 16. Now, that's 16 too many, and we can continue to reduce that as we're attempting to do in this bill, but as you can see, there has been definite improvement. Passenger trains, which were carrying, in 1996, 397 million people, in that year, there were 12 passengers killed. In 2006, there were 549 million passengers that were transported by train, and there were only two killed in 2006. Once again, a significant decrease. Any death is too many, but we're seeing positive results in the rail industry. In 1996, 488 people were killed at grade crossing accidents; and in 2006, that number, again, is down to 369. While those numbers are high, this bill is going to address, as I will talk about here, how it's going to address those unsafe conditions and how we can improve making them safer for the traveling public and, of course, the rail industry. One of the biggest issues we address in this bill is limbo time, the time that train crews must wait for pickup at the end of a run. Limbo time is very complicated. We went through some complicated negotiations, but in the end, limbo time will still exist. And I think it's important that people know that the limbo time that employees wait at the end of their run, they are being paid for limbo time, but it extends that waiting period and can result in crews being fatigued. So we phased that down in this bill. We phased down limbo time to 10 hours per month over a period of 3 years. Complete elimination of limbo time would have had some unintended consequences, like forcing train crew members to relocate their homes to new reporting points. The compromised language in this bill avoids disrupting the lives of rail workers and should permit railroad operations to continue smoothly and safely. Another safety concern addressed in this bill is installation of positive train control, or PTC. The bill mandates that PTC be installed by the year 2014, but also provides up to 2 years of leeway in case a better or more effective system is developed. Installation of PTC will likely cost about $3 billion, but the people that use the system will pay for that. That's not going to be passed on to the taxpayers, but the people that use the system and the rail industry will see some positive things happening in their operations to help them lower their costs. That's why I think it's important that we install an effective and reliable system, and this bill will ensure that. I must admit that I think the bill still has some weaknesses, and we need to continue to improve in some critical areas. Grade crossing and trespassing fatalities, still the numbers are high. As I mentioned earlier, in 1996, there were 471 fatalities. That number went up, trespassers that died in 2006, to 517. And trespassers are people that are going onto rail properties illegally, they don't belong there, but those trespassing deaths are something we have to address. Grade crossing fatalities. Again, we've seen them decrease, but we need to do more. I am grateful to Mr. Graves, who submitted an important amendment in the committee markup. The amendment is now part of the bill and authorizes up to $250,000 in emergency funding for a crossing which experiences a collision with a school bus or an accident where there is a fatality. Presently, if there is a fatality, that grade crossing just stays on the list, but with Mr. Graves' amendment, we're going to push it up until it's prioritized and make sure that crossing is dealt with in a timely manner. I am also grateful to Mr. Brown from South Carolina, who helped us create a provision fostering the use of advanced warning devices at railroad crossings. In closing, I want to thank Chairman Oberstar and Chairwoman Brown, the subcommittee Chair, for working with me and Mr. Mica in trying to make this bill a better bill. As I said, there are still some improvements that we would like to see, and we will continue to work through the process to make the bill a stronger bill. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2095. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. I yield as much time as he may consume to the distinguished ranking member of the Transportation Committee.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, through this process, we have had some significant differences, but we were able to work them out and produce a product that has bipartisan support in the committee. For me, it was a great experience working with Chairwoman Brown, but especially working with Chairman Oberstar. At times it was quite daunting to go into negotiations with somebody who not only knows the current issues of the rail history, but knows the vast history of the rail industry. So I made it through the process and learned quite a bit, and I appreciate the chairman and chairwoman for working with me, and also, of course, Mr. Mica for giving me the responsibility on this piece of legislation. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2095, the Federal Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2007. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I have some concerns with this amendment which attempts to regulate railcar brake inspections in Mexico. As I understand it, this issue has already been dealt with by the FRA. The Union Pacific Railroad had requested a limited waiver to do certain air brake testing in Mexico, but the Federal Rail Administration denied that waiver. So air brake and other safety inspections are actually being done on the American side of the border. A potentially larger issue is that this amendment attempts to regulate labor conditions in Mexico. This amendment would interfere with the existing flow of commerce across our southern border. I do not have an answer to that, but I am concerned it could be construed as violating NAFTA. While I agree with Mrs. Napolitano's intent of ensuring a safe U.S. rail system, I have great concerns. But I hope we can work together as we go through conference to take care of my concerns. I thank the chairman.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I agree with what the chairman said. Again, I don't disagree with the situation that is occurring that appears significant in New Jersey. I am concerned, as I stated, that this language is going to allow communities to stop legitimate and law-abiding rail entities and operations, to stop them when they don't like it. I have great concern in that. I believe the trash issue, as I said, is significant. Pennsylvania is the biggest importer of trash in the Nation with 10 million tons every year coming across the border into Pennsylvania. My concern is that this problem will get pushed out of New Jersey and out of other States into States that are more willing to handle it, and as I said, we all produce trash. I'm sure today I've got half a waste can or more in my office. My community produces trash. Communities have to deal with that problem. Again, nobody wants a landfill in their backyard, but the reality is we've got to have landfills. We've got to have these waste transfer stations. We've got to make sure, though, that people that are operating them are operating them properly so that we're not damaging the environment, that we aren't doing negative things to our communities because, as we heard yesterday, outside of Philadelphia and Bensalem, Mr. Murphy's district, they were trying to redevelop their town, and right across the street, somebody wants to come in and put in a waste treatment facility or waste transfer station that's not going to be positive for that community. So, again, local communities have to have some say, but we've got to make sure they're not overstepping and stopping legitimate operations.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Baker).

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette), the distinguished former chairman of the Rail Subcommittee and one of America's experts in the rail industry.