Rep. Pascrell argues that modified version of Renacci-Pascrell-Ribble-Lipinski bill should be granted vote by full House [November 3, 2015]

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) offered testimony in front of the House Rules Committee today, requesting that a bipartisan amendment being offered by Reps. Renacci (R-OH), Pascrell, Ribble (R-WI), Lipinski (D-IL), Amodei (R-NV), Hanna (R-NY), Capuano (D-MA), Barletta (R-PA), Quigley (D-IL), Rangel (D-NY) and Welch (D-VT) be granted consideration before the full House during consideration of the federal surface transportation reauthorization bill this week. The amendment is a modified version of H.R. 1846, the Bridge to Sustainable Infrastructure Act, which would provide long term sustainable funding for the federal highway program.

The Pascrell testimony follows:

Chairman Sessions, and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

The House’s consideration of a six year highway reauthorization is an important accomplishment. However, in this bill, I am concerned that the Congress moves farther away from a system where the highway user pays for the Highway Trust Fund. Using revenue raisers unrelated to transportation and continuing to transfer general funds into the Highway Trust Fund is not the right way to fund our system.

I am proud to be joining my Ways and Means Committee colleague, Mr. Renacci, along with my Transportation Committee friends Mr. Ribble and Mr. Lipinski, and several other members, in submitting to the Rules Committee a modified version of our bipartisan bill to provide long term sustainable funding for our highways and bridges.

I understand that the committee may be loath to allow amendments to the funding title of this important legislation. But note that our amendment would not change the current financing - rather, it would fund the remaining three years of this bill, as well as the remainder of the ten year budget window. That means that when this plan expires, the Congress could enact another bill without reliving the embarrassing cycle of last-minute, short-term patches.

The Renacci-Pascrell-Ribble-Lipinski amendment allows all ideas for funding our system to be considered, while simultaneously keeping the trust fund solvent. Continuity ensures that construction projects and the jobs they provide don’t come to a grinding halt when Congress fails to act. The three years of funding provided by the Senate allows time for the creation of a bipartisan, bicameral task force charged with determining a plan for sustainable funding. If the Task Force is able to reach agreement, its recommendations would receive an up-or-down vote in both the House and Senate, and if the plan is passed, we will have sustainable financing. If Congress fails to act, current user fees would be indexed, and would increase to a level that would sustain the trust fund.

For those who support sustainable funding for the Highway Trust Fund using the conservative principle that those who use our highways should be the ones to pay for them, this amendment is for you. Or if you trust that Speaker Paul Ryan and our Ways and Means Committee can accomplish international tax reform and pay for highways through repatriation, our amendment lays out a path for that to happen as well.

We have a diverse coalition of our colleagues cosponsoring our amendment and the underlying bill, and our proposal has been endorsed by a broad coalition of business, labor, construction, engineering, and transit advocates.

Let's be frank, be it under Democratic or Republican control, this body has been unable to make the tough choices needed on the issue of transportation funding. I strongly believe that the only way to solve this problem is to have Democrats and Republicans work in a bipartisan manner.

Mr. Chairman, the Ways and Means Committee did not have the opportunity to act on a financing title. As we seek to return to regular order, please give our bipartisan team the chance to put the trust back into the highway trust fund, and allow our amendment to be considered on the House floor.

Thank you.