Hire More Heroes Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, we are continuing to make substantial
progress on passing a multiyear highway bill. Thanks to the
developments of the recent day--I guess it was yesterday--we learned
that the House is open to a conference committee to reconcile an
authorization bill that they will likely take up soon and then to have
a conference committee to reconcile those differences. Previously we
had been told that the House would not take up the Senate bill and was
insisting on a short-term patch to the December timeframe. I can tell
you that I, for one, was reluctant do that because without a clear path
forward after December, we would be looking at perhaps not just the
34th patch but the 35th patch and on and on.

What this country needs is a long-term transportation bill, and that
is what the Senate will likely pass tomorrow--our own 3-year bill--and
then work with our colleagues in the House, as we usually do when the
two bodies don't necessarily agree on everything, to work those out.

I am thankful that the Members of this Chamber recognize how
important this legislation is. I have to tell you, coming from Texas--a
big, fast-growing State that needs this investment in our
infrastructure--this is important for my constituents.

The highway legislation we are putting forward is actually a 6-year
authorization, and that is something to be celebrated. As I mentioned, this
avoids the sorts of temporary patches we have had in the past.

Although Chairman Hatch of the Senate Finance Committee came up with
enough money--enough pay-fors in the jargon we use around here--to pay
for this for 5 years, there was an attempt to work on a bipartisan
consensus. Since all of those pay-fors were not acceptable to this
consensus, we got enough pay-fors to pay for the first 3 years of this
6-year bill. But that doesn't mean the work will end on trying to find
a way to, in a fiscally responsible way, pay for the back end of this
6-year bill.

There is a popular bumper sticker found on cars and trucks in Texas.
I know people sometimes get a little tired of Texans who are so proud
of their State, as I am. But one of those bumper stickers said: ``I
wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could.'' Indeed,
people have been voting with their feet, coming from parts of the
country where, frankly, the policies--whether it is tax or regulatory
policies--or just the lack of jobs have caused people to look elsewhere
for jobs, for an opportunity to provide for their families and to
pursue the American dream.

I have mentioned time and time again on this floor that our economy
in Texas grew at a rate of 5.2 percent last year. Compare that to the
national growth rate, which was 2.2 percent. So something is going on
here, and I would argue that what is going on is that the policies that
have been emanating from Washington, DC, have actually been a restraint
or a wet blanket on job growth and economic growth. We ought to look to
some of the States that have been successful laboratories of democracy
for the kinds of policies that actually pay off. I am not just talking
about for businesses; I am talking about for workers and families,
particularly when it comes to wages and good jobs.

My State is a growing, diverse State. I know sometimes people are
surprised. They know we have a large Hispanic population. Roughly 38
percent of Texas is Hispanic. But Vietnamese is the third most commonly
spoken language in Texas. We have about a quarter of a million
Vietnamese Americans. We are a very diverse State. Some estimates
project our State to exceed 50 million people by the year 2050,
potentially doubling our current population.

There is no time to lose when it comes to maintaining and expanding
our transportation networks to meet the rising demands from more people
and more vehicles on our roads. That is why this multiyear bill is so
important.

For example, this legislation would help our State focus on improving
roadways that impact the daily lives of Texans. That includes many of
our interstates, such as Interstate 35. I don't know how many people in
this Chamber have ever tried to drive down Interstate Highway 35
through Austin, but it is almost like a parking lot. It runs the length
of our State, starting in Laredo, TX, which is the largest inland port
in America, where we have a lot of trucks and a lot of commercial
traffic coming across. It starts in Laredo, but it goes through
multiple population centers, such as San Antonio--my hometown--Austin,
and then Dallas and Fort Worth, which are some of the fastest growing
cities in America, before going on to Oklahoma. The interstate is more
than 400 miles long in Texas alone, and because of our growth, it is
incredibly congested. In fact, 18 segments of the interstate rank in
the top 100 most congested roadways across the State. That growth isn't
projected to let up anytime soon. As a matter of fact, it is going to
continue at high levels.

Employment levels in Central Texas alone--some of the fastest growing
parts of the State--are projected to double or quadruple in the next 30
years.

We are not afraid of getting bigger. We are proud of our size, our
growth, and the opportunity that provides to the people of Texas. But
passing a long-term, well-funded highway bill becomes even more
important when you come from a State such as mine with the sorts of
transportation challenges we have now and will continue to have in the
future.

Building a stronger transportation network for a stronger economy
means strengthening not only Interstate Highway 35, which I mentioned a
minute ago, but also the vast existing networks of other interstates
and upgrading routes to higher standards. This is ultimately about
public safety. We need to have transportation infrastructure, highways,
and interstates that allow people to travel at relatively high speeds
in a safe way. That is why this is important as well.

Because we understand the relationship between quality infrastructure
and economic success, I introduced an amendment to the highway bill
that would help our State connect more efficiently. I appreciate the
bill managers for letting us take a close look at this and the
potential benefit for my State and the transportation network as a
whole.

This amendment will provide for much needed improvements to high
priority corridors in Texas, such as Interstate Highway 69. Congress
first designated future segments of I-69 in Texas nearly 25 years ago,
after leaders from the gulf coast region and East Texas said the State
needed a new route to increase connectivity between land and sea ports
and our existing interstate system. Fortunately, this is also a route
that improves emergency evacuation capabilities--something I know the
Presiding Officer can appreciate coming from Louisiana--and one that
delivers an interstate to the Rio Grande Valley, which is the largest
population center in the country previously unserved by the Interstate
Highway System.

Through years of outreach and public engagement--from Brownsville to
Texarkana--we have identified upgrades and improvements to existing
State corridors that could deliver a future I-69 throughout the
State. We have made great progress since 2010. More than $1.3 billion
has been expended toward corridor improvements throughout Texas, and
since 2011, more than 200 miles of I-69 have been added to the
Interstate Highway System, including the first segment in South Texas.

This is still a work in progress, and it costs money. Upgrades are
needed for more than 1,000 miles of designated roadways to complete it.
I am reminded of what the chairman of the Environment and Public Works
Committee, Senator Inhofe, has said to me privately, which I know he
has also said publicly as well, about the importance of infrastructure
and the Federal Government's role. Now, I happen to be one who believes
that the Federal Government needs to do a much better job when it comes
to prioritizing Federal spending and spending within our means, which
the Federal Government has not been doing. But when we talk about
priorities and things that only the Federal Government can do that the
States and local government cannot do, as Chairman Inhofe likes to say,
there are two things that the Federal Government should do, and that is
national defense and infrastructure. He said pretty much everything
else is a lower priority item. I think that makes a lot of sense.

When it comes to spending money, that is something that my
constituents in Texas are leery of when it comes to the Federal
Government. They realize that spending money on our infrastructure and
the highway system just makes common sense. So with a multiyear highway
bill such as the one before us, we can complete our interstate, I-69,
and that will move us one step closer to reality. As I mentioned a
moment ago, these and other modernization efforts also make our roads
safer and help with more efficient freight movement, which means our
businesses can deliver goods to customers across the State and
throughout the country in a more expeditious fashion.

I must also point out that this bipartisan bill is fiscally
responsible and the pay-fors are not phony pay-fors, which sometimes
occurs here in the Congress. It doesn't increase taxes or add to the
deficit. So from my perspective, it is a win-win.

I encourage all of our colleagues to continue reviewing it and to
keep in mind the essential role infrastructure plays in our country and
in our economy. Our economy, of course, is what produces jobs, and it
allows people to find good work and provide for their families and
pursue their dreams.

So far 2015 has been marked by real steps forward in this Chamber,
including essential legislation, such as the Defense authorization bill and a bill that will
combat human trafficking. This highway bill continues in the spirit of
accomplishment. Perhaps it is not a grand-slam home run, but I would
call them singles and doubles that we have been able to eke out so far
this year. This bill will represent another solid accomplishment for
the 114th Congress that we can be proud of on a bipartisan basis.

I encourage all of our colleagues to continue the momentum and to get
this bill passed soon, hopefully no later than tomorrow.

I yield the floor.

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