Duncan Hunter: “This bipartisan amendment is only a technical change to a pilot program that is already included in the underlying bill.…”

“This bipartisan amendment is only a technical change to a pilot program that is already included in the underlying bill. I would like to thank the chairman and the ranking member for including the base language in the bill. This legislative language in our proposed amendment is a means for State Departments of Transportation to increase their revenues without additional burden on the taxpayer. Everybody knows that every State is hurting for transportation dollars. This helps them. By acknowledging contributions of third parties to a State DOT's roadside maintenance through a corporate logo made of live plant materials rather than conventional metallic material, State Departments of Transportation will have innovative new means for funding highway maintenance needs. This will free up funds for other highway projects. I support this program because Caltrans, my State DOT, and six other State DOTs asked for the authority to operate this kind of innovative program. The pilot program does not cost the State or Federal Government a penny to operate. Estimates are that my State of California could conservatively save millions of dollars annually in roadside maintenance costs from this program. Other States would enjoy other similar tangible benefits. The legislative language for the pilot program, as it appears in the underlying bill, does not specifically permit acknowledgment through live plant materials and places no limitations on what guidelines the U.S.…”