Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank, in addition to this patch, I want to thank Chairman Shuster and Chairman Ryan for their very hard work towards a long-term reauthorization of the Federal highway bill.

Mr. Speaker, my home State of Missouri has nearly 35,000 highway miles and over 10,000 bridges that are practically begging for our attention. As chairman of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, every single day I hear about the need to improve and repair our roadways in this country.

As you can imagine, this isn't a simple task. This is a job that is going to take years to complete. It requires the hard work and cooperation of thousands of men and women and relies on partnerships between the stakeholders, local governments, and Washington.

Most importantly, though, a task of this magnitude requires that those responsible for planning each project, the State and local governments, are able to do so with confidence. They need certainty not only in this year's budget, but also the budgets for the next 5 or 6 years.

This 2-month extension does not come under ideal circumstances, but it is going to ensure that States are reimbursed for their expenses on Federal projects, and it is going to give us the time to craft a bipartisan long-term reauthorization that we so desperately need.

Long-term reauthorization is critical for everyone who plays a role in improving our Nation's highways and bridges. For too long, they have been forced to operate off of short-term extension after short-term extension, and this makes the already difficult job of maintaining our roadways nearly impossible.

This Congress, we have a huge opportunity to secure a long-term highway bill that is going to improve, rebuild, and modernize America's highway system. It is time that we come together to do just that, and I hope this extension gives us the time to come up with that agreement that we need.

Again, I want to thank both chairmen for their hard work, and I look forward to finalizing a much-needed long-term reauthorization.

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