Michael Bennet: “Earlier this year Congress passed funding for Federal Highway Administration emergency relief. States such as Colorado…”

“Earlier this year Congress passed funding for Federal Highway Administration emergency relief. States such as Colorado that have been hit with significant natural disasters are eligible for funding. Our State will be in desperate need of these funds, as New Jersey and New York were in desperate need. The scale of the damage far exceeds what our States and local governments can cover. As my senior Senator said, there is a catch. There is a cap of $100 million per incident, per State, on this Federal highway assistance. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter from Gov. Hickenlooper urging Congress to raise the current cap on emergency funding and explaining why this is something Colorado desperately needs to have done. State of Colorado, Office of the Governor, Denver, CO, September 23, 2013. Hon. John Boehner, Speaker, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Nancy Pelosi, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Harry Reid, Majority Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Hon. Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader Reid, Minority Leader Pelosi, and Minority Leader McConnell: As you may know, this month massive rains and heavy flooding left over a dozen Colorado counties in devastation. With the rains, highways, bridges, and culverts were washed away. As a result, even now many communities still are cut off and isolated from the rest of the state. Colorado is in dire need of help.…”