On the recordOctober 23, 2013
Mr. Chairman, today I rise in support of H.R. 3080, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013. I am proud to cosponsor this bill. Kentucky's Fourth District is home to 276 miles of the Ohio River and three locks and dams. As such, we are willing hosts to millions of tons of interstate commerce. Pursuant to our Constitution, there is a Federal role in transportation and infrastructure. Transportation is one of the few things that Congress actually should spend money on. In fact, the constitutionality of this issue was settled two centuries ago during our Nation's infancy, in 1824, with the landmark Supreme Court decision ruling in Gibbons v. Ogden. A congressional precedent for maintaining national infrastructure was established with the Rivers and Harbors Act of that same year. As long as our country has been in existence, transportation has been a priority, especially waterborne transportation. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this important bill.
