Hire More Heroes Act of 2015

Floor Speech

Mr. DAINES. Madam President, some in my home State of Montana like to say we have two seasons: winter and construction season.

In fact, I grew up in the construction business. You learn in Montana there is a famous line when you are paving and putting in infrastructure. It is called 40 degrees and rising. In other words, if the temperature is not at least 40 degrees and rising, you are not supposed to pave. What that means is that we don't have a real long construction season in Montana to build our highways.

I also know how important it is to have certainty before you can break ground, before you can plan a project. With long winters and short summers, Montana construction workers know what it is like to wait for 40 degrees and rising before putting down the asphalt. Unfortunately, they have also learned to wait a long time for a long-term highway bill that provides the certainty needed to make the long-term investments in infrastructure.

Congress has passed 33--let me say that again, 33--short-term extensions in an attempt to keep the highway trust fund solvent. Those are 33 too many short-term extensions. As somebody who has spent 28 years in the private sector, I think it is ridiculous as I watch the way the Federal Government operates to try to manage in this spurt-driven, short-term-driven environment of Washington, DC--and I would argue crisis-driven environment.

This uncertainty, coupled with rigid programs that make planning and executing projects very difficult, is prohibitive to progress and strengthening the infrastructure in our country. These short-term extensions, these short construction seasons for those who live in the Northern part of our country, along with these rigid regulations, leave States such as Montana with their hands tied and hard-working Montana construction workers with their pockets empty.

Montana's short construction season is already well underway, and it is critical that Congress approves a multiyear solution that provides Montana and the rest of our country with the certainty needed to make long-term infrastructure investments.

Montana's extensive transportation is a pillar of our economy. It allows visitors, our tourists, to come to our State and enjoy our national parks. It allows our residents, including our farmers and our ranchers, the ability to traverse the State and to get their goods to market. In any final transportation bill, it is critical to maintain Montana's share of Federal highway, transit, and safety programs.

Congress needs to maintain support for the rural as well as the metropolitan areas. In fact, vehicle miles traveled increased in Montana by 43 percent from 1990 to 2012--to nearly 12 billion vehicle miles traveled. This is estimated to increase another 30 percent by 2030.

Because Montana is a bridge State, we play a vital role in national connectivity. For example, Interstate 90 connects the east coast to the west coast. It runs from Boston to Seattle. I-15 connects our northern-to-southern borders. Now, I-90 is 3,000 miles long. Nearly 600 miles pass through the State of Montana. In fact, you add up the number of miles of interstate highway we have in Montana alone, it is over 1,000 miles. How far is 1,000 miles? To put that in DC terms, it is like going from Washington, DC, to Kansas City. In fact, the I-15 stretch that runs north-south in Montana is the second longest section of I-15. It is only 4 miles shorter than the entire north-south direction of the State of Utah.

In fact, studies by the research group TRIP have shown the two largest transportation challenges facing Montana are I-90 and I-15. There is inadequate capacity, there is deterioration of the pavement, and we need bridges replaced because these inadequacies will have a national impact. TRIP estimates $7.4 billion is needed to address Montana's top 20 list of challenges. However, there is only $1.2 billion currently available. That leaves a nearly $6 billion backlog.

What we need is to support a long-term highway bill. It creates construction jobs--union jobs. That is what is sitting on the table right now and what we will be debating this week in the Senate. These new jobs, created by increased access and infrastructure capacity, are being left unrealized.

Specifically, in these times of constrained funding, it is critical to allow our States to have the flexibility to direct funds to their top needs and their most effective projects. The bill we are now debating will create a multiyear highway authorization and provide time to plan important long-term projects around the country and provide 3 years of guaranteed funding for the highway trust fund.

I am an engineer by degree. In fact, I am the only chemical engineer who serves in Congress. When you are in engineering, you take a look at a problem and you find a solution. When you are an engineer, you lay out project plans. We need to put certainty in place so we can plan to improve the infrastructure of this country--to rebuild our highways, rebuild our bridges that are so much in need of repair at the moment.

If we pass a multiyear highway bill, it will reverse Congress's trend of short-term, temporary bandaid fixes to fund the Nation's transportation network. Across the country and in Montana these patches have left States and localities without the certainty they need to plan and build long-term infrastructure projects.

In the Senate committee on commerce, I have been working to ensure we have some of these needed reforms, and I want to thank Senator John Thune for his efforts in leading the committee. I look forward to a robust amendment process and debate on this much needed legislation.

The bottom line: I am looking forward to passing a long-term, multiyear highway bill that provides certainty, that improves the infrastructure of our country and most importantly creates jobs.

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