Michael Burgess: “we will transition from the part of the infrastructure in our communities that is responsible for education to the part…”

“we will transition from the part of the infrastructure in our communities that is responsible for education to the part of the infrastructure in our communities that allows us to get to schools. I am talking about our transportation infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, in regards to transportation, we are at a crossroads in this country. We are at the intersection of the demands for creating the type of infrastructure that will facilitate commerce and move our citizenry and trying to achieve some type of rational spending limit within our Federal budget. Back home in my area of north Texas, we face a silent crisis. This crisis is largely unrecognized by residents until they find themselves in an unbearable commute to work, or unable to make the necessary connections between home, work and other activities in their daily lives. My area of north Texas has experienced an increase in traffic over the past 3 decades which is the result of unprecedented population and employment growth. Added to this is the underinvestment of Federal transportation dollars to my area. Mr. Speaker, the time is now to make the necessary investments in our transportation infrastructure. In Texas, our transportation needs outstrip available funding three to one, and these are not trivial funding needs, these relate to supporting international trade, streamlining the environmental process, and expanding innovative financing techniques.”