Byron Dorgan: “I want to talk about the highway bill that is in conference between the House and the Senate. It is now May 4, 1998. The…”

“I want to talk about the highway bill that is in conference between the House and the Senate. It is now May 4, 1998. The highway bill, or a piece of legislation people commonly refer to as ISTEA (the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act) was supposed to have been completed last year, but it was not. The highway bill was extended until May 1, and then the authorization for the highway bill expired. We are now on May 4 without highway legislation that is authorized, and the highway officials and Governors around the country are wondering, appropriately, what is going to happen to this highway bill? With what authority can I obligate money? What about the projects we have to do in our States to build roads and repair bridges? I don't blame State and local highway officials and others who are rightly furious with the Congress that it has not gotten its work done. It is a shame, in my judgment, that almost a year after the legislation should have been done, not only was the legislation not done, but we have already had an extension and that has expired. Now, here we are with no highway bill at all. I ask those who run this Congress and those who are convening the conference on the highway bill, let's decide to get this thing done. This isn't rocket science; it is building highways. We know how to do that.”