Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of an amendment which I am offering with Representatives SENSENBRENNER and RIBBLE of Wisconsin. I believe this amendment represents a simple, commonsense change to an otherwise excellent bill.

I thank Chairman Latham and his staff for their hard work in getting us here today.

Mr. Chairman, current Federal law prohibits Federal agencies from lobbying Congress in support of or against legislation. Thanks to Representative Sensenbrenner's past leadership, Congress passed similar antilobbying language to prohibit the Department of Transportation from lobbying State and local officials in 1998.

In 1997, the Government Accountability Office released a report on activities undertaken by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, NHTSA, to allow the State legislators to enact State motorcycle helmet laws or discourage the repeal of existing State laws.

At the cost of tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars, NHTSA officials traveled across the country to testify before State legislative committees, participated in conferences, and produced videotapes and other printed materials all towards the goal of weakening State laws requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets.

NHTSA has an appropriate role to play in developing programs that prevent accidents, but Congress has made it clear they should not be in the business of lobbying State legislatures. Unfortunately, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 included language which repealed the lobby ban, and that provision is carried over into this bill. Allowing Federal agencies to lobby States would add to the severe governmental overreach, while violating the principles our Founding Fathers laid out in the 10th Amendment.

The amendment I am offering today clarifies that Federal Government agencies should not be in the business of lobbying State legislators. It is an inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars, and it violates the rights of States and local communities to make their own decisions. Just as importantly, I believe these funds can be better spent on programs to prevent distracted driving or on educating riders and the driving public.

I ask my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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