Transportation, Housing And Urban Development, And Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010--Conference Report

Floor Speech

TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2010--CONFERENCE REPORT -- (Senate - December 10, 2009)

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Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I rise this afternoon to speak about the Transportation-Housing title of the bill now before the Senate. This is a bill that has broad bipartisan support because it addresses the very real housing and transportation needs of American families across the Nation.

There is a lot to be proud of in this conference report, and I am pleased with what we have been able to accomplish working with my colleague from across the aisle, Senator Bond, Chairman Olver on the House side, and Congressman Latham and all their staffs.

This bill makes needed investments in our transportation infrastructure, creating critical jobs, while also supporting housing and services for our Nation's most vulnerable.

It ensures that two critical Federal agencies--departments that communities across the country depend on--have the resources they need to keep our commuters safe and our communities moving and prospering.

The bill before us touches the lives of Americans in ways they can appreciate each day. Because we are talking about transportation projects and housing assistance, we are also talking about jobs and stemming a housing crisis that has contributed to our current economic troubles.

Whether it is the parent who commutes every day and needs safe roads or new public transportation options so they can spend more time with their families or a business that depends on solid infrastructure to move goods and attract customers or the young family searching for a safe and affordable community in which to raise their children or the recently laid-off worker who needs help to keep his or her family in their home, this omnibus bill before us has a real impact on Americans who are struggling in these troubling economic times.

Our bill takes a balanced approach that addresses the most critical needs we face in both transportation and housing, while remaining financially responsible and staying within the constraints of the budget resolution.

I am especially pleased that the bill provides over $10.3 billion to support and expand public transit, which continues to see record growth in ridership.

The bill also includes $600 million for the competitive multimodal surface transportation grant program, which supports projects making a significant impact on communities and regions--in addition to the over $41.8 billion included for our Nation's roads and bridges, which will support good-paying construction jobs and lead to safer and more reliable infrastructure.

These transportation investments are critical to supporting our Nation's economy and creating good-paying jobs.

In addition to these important investments in transportation, the bill represents a firm commitment to provide critical housing and supportive services to families most impacted by the economic crisis.

This bill includes increased funding for the section 8 program, which provides housing for low-income families across the country. In addition, the bill increases housing programs for some of our Nation's most underserved populations, such as the elderly, the disabled, and Native American communities.

Senator Bond and I are particularly proud that this bill includes $75 million for vouchers for the joint HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program. That program will provide an additional 10,000 homeless veterans and their families housing and supportive services. We should all be very proud of the inclusion of that in the bill.

I am also pleased the bill includes more than $150 million for housing counseling programs to help families avoid scams and stay in their homes, instead of facing foreclosure.

Our bill provides assistance to those who need it most, and it directs resources in a responsible and fiscally prudent way.

It addresses the needs of families and businesses in every region of the country--families who are looking for the Federal Government to step up and provide solutions to everything from congestion solutions to transportation safety, to foreclosure assistance, to affordable housing.

This bill helps our commuters, homeowners, and the most vulnerable in society. Most important, it will create jobs and support the continued recovery of our national economy.

I hope we can get past the differences we have and move quickly to send this bill to the President's desk.

Before I close, I thank all our Senate staff who worked extremely hard over this past year to move this bill forward to our subcommittee, through full committee, to the floor of the Senate, through conference committee, and now here at its final stop before it reaches the President's desk. They have worked many weekends and evenings putting this together. These staff members are: Matt McCardle, John Kamarck, Ellen Beares, Joanne Waszczak, Travis Lumpkin, Grant Lahmann, Michael Bain, Dedra Goodman and Alex Keenan and especially Meaghan McCarathy and Rachel Milberg for their outstanding efforts to help us get this bill to the floor today. We are the ones who stand before everybody and take credit for these bills, but it is our staffs who have helped us get here. I thank the staffs on both sides of the aisle for getting us here today.

I urge our colleagues to get past our differences and move the bill quickly to the President's desk.

I yield the floor.

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