Joe Barton: “We are probike, and we rise in full support of this amendment. It passed the House in essentially the same form last…”

“We are probike, and we rise in full support of this amendment. It passed the House in essentially the same form last year in H.R. 4. House and Senate conferees, however, did not reach resolution on this issue or other vehicle and Energy Policy Act issues. In assessing the program outlined by this amendment, both myself and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Tauzin), the full committee chairman, would note that the Federal Government has already made a very substantial investment in bicycling and walking. According to a 1999 Department of Transportation report, Federal spending on such activities rose from $6 million in 1990 to $238 million in 1997. I myself ride my bicycle back and forth to work in my hometown of Ennis, Texas, both to my congressional office and my campaign office. I would consider doing so here in Washington if we had a safe bicycle path between Arlington, Virginia, where I live, and the Nation's Capital. So we are in very strong support of the gentleman's amendment and hope that we can pass it by unanimous consent.”