Certainly my state as well. This also represents a milestone as members of this Committee Work to complete a multiyear highway bill the first time in a decade. And long overdue. With Service Transportation programs set to expire on friday, it is imperative we work quickly to reach a bipartisan and by cbicamybicameral agreeme. A number of issues happened to be particularly important to my state. For example, upgrading the freight corridors and interstate system that moved goods through my state to Global Markets every day and providing Additional Resources for Public Private partnerships and border infrastructure. Delivering investment certainty so we can plan for and deliver the highquality infrastructure that our country and my constituents deserve. This bill is important. But im proud to say the leadership in texas havent waited on the federal government. In november 2014, 80 of texans approved a Ballot Initiative that provides 1. 7 billion to upgrade and maintain the Transportation Network. Under the leadership of Governor Abbott and the state legislature, our state passed an even grater increase in future Transportation Resources with 83 of texans agreeing to increase funds for our roads and bridges by as much as 2. 5 billion to 3 billion annually without iminposing no taxes o are fees or hardworking families. Why have we chosen to make transportation a priority . Well, were growing. Some estimates showing our state population doubling by the year 2050. On average, more than 600 people move to texas every day. A testament to the opportunities that exist in our thriving economy but a trend that requires improving roadway maintenance and capacity to meet the rising demand. Doing nothing is an unacceptable outcome. So i look forward to working with everyone on the Conference Committee and our house colleagues in particular to produce a mill tie year highway bill for the first time in a decade. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, senator. I know texas has great needs down there. They are moving and growing. With that, i recognize mr. Crawford for a statement. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Understanding everybody has been talking about working quickly. Because this patch expires december 4th, ill ask man news consent to submit my comments for the record and yield back. Did i miss that . It was good. Yield back. With that, senator brasso. Thank you for holding this important meeting for all conferrees. I also want to thank senator boxer and congressman difazio for their hard work to get us here today. It will be critical moving across state lines efficiently and safely. If we allow bureaucrats we will inevitably create a patchwork interstate system. I believe the Senate Position will help every state by distributing freight funding through the formula. If we want to maintain a national highway system, we must include rural states. . In wyoming, we have a short construction season. It starts in may and ends in october or earlier depending on the weather. So we need to give our highway contractors and state departments of transportation the certainly they need to plan as we continue to reconcile is the differences between the house and senate bill. You urge the Commerce Committee to act to ep sure a longterm bill. I look forward to working with everyone to get this done. Thank you, senator. Recognize the chairman of the senate financials committee senator hatch from utah. Thank you, mr. Chairman. And chairman inhofe as well and thank you give thanks to the rest of my colleagues senator, could you speak in the mic a little bit more. Ill get that. I will get a little closer. I want to thank all the rest of my colleagues on both sides of the hill, all of whom deserve credit for their hard work in getting us this far. Ever since the safety bill was enacted more than 10 years ago, most considered the prospect of a longterm infrastructure bill to be dim at best. Yet here we are on the cusp of enact being the longest highway bill since 2005. In many respects, we still have quite a way to go. While both the house and senate past good bills worthy of all the praise they received, most of us would like to see us establish a dedicated funding stream to pay for infrastructure so that were not continually trying to cobble together offsets to pay for roads and bridges. My hope is that we will still keep this longterm goal in mind. However, if this conference is successful, this legislation will be a tremendous accomplishment. I think for everybody. And it will give each of our states a degree of stability that they have not had for many years. It will be a significant win for good government. While there might be some who have issues with some of the individual offsets or the differences in funding levels between the senate and house bills i think it is really important to Work Together to accomplish what we are able to do right now, which is to pass a multiyear funding bill within the base lines established by each of the senate and house passed bills. With that Stable Foundation in place, there will be ample time to continue to work on infrastructure financing and funding issues. Only now we wont have to do that work staring into the abyss of insolvency. We must not take what we accomplished so far for granted. Both chambers are coming in to this conference with bipartisan bills that passed with overwhelming majorities. Now is the time to show that we can follow through. Let me say while it may be difficult and i believe we can pass this legislation before the current shortterm extension expires, i think it is a very achievable goal, one all of us should have in mind as we proceed. With that let me thank my colleagues once again for all of their hard work. Look forward to working with you there you this hard process. It has been a privilege to work with everybody so far. Thanks for listening. Thank you, senator hatch. Appreciate it. Appreciate your remarks on finding a longterm sustainable solution to the Highway Trust Fund. That is critical. As soon as it gets off the president s signature, we have to work in earnest to make sure we figure out stakeholders, all of us, how we get to a Funding Source that we dont have to go through these every five, sixyear finding money behind the couch and in the cushions. Thank you very much for those words. With that, i recognize ms. Johnson for an Opening Statement. Thank you very much, mr. Chairman. Let me thank all the leadership that have gotten us to this point. To address our Critical Infrastructure needs, i look forward to working with you on this Conference Community with our dleegz colleagues to complete work on a longterm deal that will provide certainty for states, local governments and transit agencies. Since 2009, congress has passed transit agencies. Since 2009, congress has passed 35 shortterm extensions reauthorizing surface transportation programs. This has not only undermined our ability to make longterm decisions but has driven up the cost of projects while delaying and halting our construction entirely. In a time when the Transportation System is challenged by aging infrastructure, declining revenues and increased usage, making longterm investments our transportation infrastructure is absolutely vital. One way we can achieve this is by providing access to reliable and robust financing tools in recognition of this fact one of my key priorities is to ensure that the tifia program has Adequate Funding to finance products of regional and nath significance. I urge my colleagues for the highest possible funding for this program so we can make sure financing is readily available for applicants. In the science and Technology Committee in the house, i recognize that longterm viability of our Transportation System also largely rests on quality research. Any legislation agreed to today should be absent of any provisions that inhibit the flow of fundsing toward new research or obstruct the department of transportations ability to promote new innovations. And finally, safety along our highways and freight corridors should be of the utmost important as we move forward. Comprehensive Transportation Network must include safety of the traveling public, and ensure that federal and state authorities remain intact so make important safety considerations. It is my hope we can continue to work in a bipartisan, bicameral manner on a bill that will provide our states, local governments and transit agencies with the certainty they need to plan longterm projects. This bill is far too important to the American People and to our economy for us not to come together and enact a longterm bill that adequately invests in our transportation infrastructure and in turn our future. Thank you. And i yield back. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Even though moment bers members of the house and the senate offered long continue term solutions. It is irresponsible that neithe term solutions. It is irresponsible that neither the house nor the senate has worked on serious reforms. We have not adjusted the user fee for our infrastructure in 20 years. Or considered innovative revenue streams. Instead, we have spent valuable time searching for shortterm gimmicks. We should not be robbing the banks, homeowners or customs to pay for bridges and roads. This is fiscally irresponsible. At some point we have to say enough is enough. That time has come. We need a longterm robustly funded bill. Im hopeful this bill will provide communities the tools they need to invest in americas infrastructure. I was happy to work with chairman shuster and Ranking Member di fazio on preventing heavier trucks from driving on our local roads and ensuring that we fully fund the Highway Safety improvement program. This program invests in infrastructures like guard rails, rumble strips and retro reflective signs. While youll never read in the headline in your newspaper rumble strips save family of four, this program saves lives every day and for that reason alone should not face the cuts in the senate bill. Additionally, the house bill includes common sense provisions i champ whereon to make sure farm vehicles are not regulated like longhaul trucks. It makes crude oil by freight rail safer and gives First Responders more time to react in the unlikely event of a dera derailme derailment. Finally, many of the policy ideas that i introduced were incorporated. It is critical that flawed safety scores are not publicly displayed for buses and trucks. Investing in infrastructure is good for the local economy and good for america and i commend the committee. Thank you. It is now my pleasure to recognize for an Opening Statement senator durbin. Thank you, chairman shuster, chairman inhofe, Ranking Members boxer and di fazio and other members of the Conference Committee who worked hard to bring us to this day. I want to apologize for my speaking this morning. If i sound like i had a beer for breakfast its because i just came from the dentists office. In the past week we have seen a lot of progress toward passing a longterm surface transportation bill. Ive look forward to working with my republican and democratic colleagues to keep the momentum moving. This conference will be able to finish the bill and help rebuild our infrastructure and economy. I will ask that my statement be included as part of the record. Without objection. So i wont read it entirely. I want to say this was truly a bipartisan effort in the senate. Initially. There were perhaps six or seven senators supporting senator boxer in this effort. But as we work through it on a bipartisan basis at the end 27 Democratic Senators supported this effort. More than a majority. And of course a substantial majority on the republican side. What we bring to this conference is truly a bipartisan effort. Im sure congressman lipinski will recount the article to the midwest. I wont go into detail on it. It is critical to not only have highway money, transit money, and money for bus services around the chicago metropolitan area and around the state. Finally, as i look at the wall and see the paintings of some of the portraits of former chairs i realize that i knew most of them and served with many of them. And i can recall when this highway bill was one of the easiest bills to pass on capitol hill. This committee, the public works committee, was one of the largest in the house if not the largest. Members couldnt wait to get on the committee. Then in the name of reform, reeliminated earmarks. And things changed overnight. This became a debating topic. I happen to be one on the record who believes congressional input in terms on of congress in your strict and your state is valuable. I think i know about illinois for the Illinois Department of transportation. But i will save that debate for another day. Let me just say this. I believe that we have a cri8xkyleadership in this area s essential. In our state about 80 of highway construction is paid for with federal funds. For those who believe they should be strictly state and local responsibility i have three words. Dwight David Eisenhower who decided an interstate highway system was critical not only for National Defense that the growth of our National Economy and history has proven him right that i hope we can reaffirm our commitment to our Transportation System. I think the chairman for his kindness and allowing me to say a few words. See i thank you senator and i dont know if you heard there was a muffled i thank the chairman for allowing his kindness in applying a few words. He di i certainly agree with you on president eisenhower and going back to lincoln and beyond. Sit a federal responsibility to thatart of that team. Be so thank you for being here today. Being and i would like to mention tooe you being here means the senate participated 100 . R thats less than i can say for my house colleagues. We need to get through this. Thank you, senator durbin. Veryu iith that, miss edwards is recognized for an opening toda statement. Your thank you, very much mr. Rm shuster and also to senator em inhofe for today and for your commitment, obvious commitment to a longterm surface c comm transportation reauthorize. B as a member of the committee and Science Committee i look forward to working with you and the other members here to send a good bill to the president. For decades, our Transportation Network with robust investments. And research and development at its core supported a strong es american economy. Transportation innovations across all modes from highway pavement steelers to mass transit technologies to innovative Railroad Track and pipeline inspection. Utonomorch likewise, intelligent Transportation Systems research connected Vehicle Research and autonomous Vehicle Research wilt make transportation safer, faster and more environmentally friendly for the 21st century. Making our infrastructure work smarter for us is critical. As a representative of the Fourth District of maryland which borders the nations vatie capital, im personally investea in our federal efforts to nding mitigate cons guess in this fast growing region as well as acrose the nation, especially encouraging Innovative Technologies and processes start with sustainable funding for nab basic and applied research and development at the department of transportation. Und its Research Partners such as the university of maryland. Im concerned that both the house and senate bills contain t provisions that tax existing r o programs or otherwise put Research Funding at risk by moving it out of the Highway Trust Fund. I may agree that the additionale deployment activities are a arii worthy investment. But research and the research he funding in this bill is already far below needed levels. Ve if we dont protect Research Investment today we will not have the deployment ready befo technologies that we will need r 10 years from now. The bills before us do include s several important provisions i t support. Deong them, providing new and directpa federal oversight of eo lamada, transfer metro board appointments to the u. S. Department of transportation, localing planning agencies to mg mitigate storm water impacts, n increasing funding for o distributed to local governments and continued funding for Small BusinessContract Opportunities for minorities and women througo the disadvantaged business program. And i do look forward to continuing our work on these ef efforts. Thank you, mr. Chairman. F thank you, ms. Edwards. And to mr. Farenthold. Opening statement. Ing in t thank you for investing and t modernizing in this countrys r. Infrastructure should be a top priority for congress. Em as a member of the house transportation and infrastructure committee, i was delighted to work on and support the passage of a maintear transpo