James M. Jeffords: “Mr. President, S. 1072 will send billions of dollars to the States. It provides the resources to maintain the…”

“Mr. President, S. 1072 will send billions of dollars to the States. It provides the resources to maintain the transportation infrastructure that we use and enjoy every day. Literally hundreds of thousands of jobs are at stake. It is imperative that we pass this bill this week. Our staff has worked diligently for many months to prepare this comprehensive proposal. They have addressed concerns raised by various Members. It is time for us to complete this bill and send it to the House. A consistent theme from those hearings was that the national transportation program has worked well over the last 12 years, following the principles set forth in ISTEA and enjoying the funding guarantees established in TEA-21. We therefore sought to refine rather than revise the program. A key reflection of that decision is the pattern of resource allocation in the bill. We grew each of the core programs--interstate maintenance, national highway system, bridge, surface transportation, and congestion mitigation and air quality improvement--in proportion to its funding in current law.”