The publication is reproduced in full below:
FURTHER SURFACE TRANSPORTATION EXTENSION ACT OF 2021
Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5763) to provide an extension of Federal-aid highway, highway safety, and transit programs, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5763
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Further Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO THE EXTENSION END DATE.
Section 2(2) of the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-44) is amended by striking ``October 31, 2021'' and inserting ``December 3, 2021''.
SEC. 3. AMENDMENT FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION FOLLOWING
HIGHWAY TRUST FUND EXPIRATION.
Section 108(b) of the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-44) is amended by striking ``that begins'' and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting the following: ``that begins on--
``(1) October 1, 2021, and ends on or before the date of enactment of this Act; or
``(2) November 1, 2021, and ends on or before the date of enactment of the Further Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021.''.
SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF EXPENDITURE AUTHORITY FOR THE HIGHWAY
TRUST FUND, SPORT FISH RESTORATION AND BOATING
TRUST FUND, AND LEAKING UNDERGROUND STORAGE
TANK TRUST FUND.
(a) Highway Trust Fund.--Section 9503 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended--
(1) in subsections (b)(6)(B), (c)(1), and (e)(3) by striking ``November 1, 2021'' and inserting ``December 4, 2021''; and
(2) by striking ``Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021'' each place it appears and inserting ``Further Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021''.
(b) Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund.--Section 9504 of such Code is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(2) by striking ``Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021'' each place it appears and inserting ``Further Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021''; and
(2) in subsection (d)(2) by striking ``November 1, 2021'' and inserting ``December 4, 2021''.
(c) Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund.--Section 9508(e)(2) of such Code is amended by striking ``November 1, 2021'' and inserting ``December 4, 2021''.
(d) Special Rule for Amendments.--On the date of enactment of H.R. 3684 (117th Congress)--
(1) subsections (a), (b), and (c), the amendments made by such subsections, section 201 of the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-44), and the amendments made by such section shall cease to be effective;
(2) the text of the laws amended by subsections (a), (b), and (c) of this section and section 201 of the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-44) shall revert back so as to read as the text read on September 30, 2021; and
(3) the amendments made by H.R. 3684 (117th Congress) shall be executed as if this section and section 201 of the Surface Transportation Extension Act had not been enacted.
(e) Conforming Amendment.--Section 201 of the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-44) is amended by striking subsection (d).
SEC. 5. PRIOR ENACTED AUTHORIZATION.
If H.R. 3684 (117th Congress) is enacted before the date of enactment of this Act, this Act shall not take effect and the provisions of this Act shall not be executed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oregon.
General Leave
Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5763.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Oregon?
There was no objection.
Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5763, the Further Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021.
Here we are again, calling up yet another short-term extension of Federal highway, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, and transportation financing programs.
As I stated when the House took up the first extension on October 1, the House of Representatives did its work last summer, which included a 5-year authorization of surface programs, well in advance of the need for any extensions. And the Senate did later pass a 5-year authorization.
We haven't yet found a path forward for both Chambers to pass the same version of the bill, but we need to act immediately to be certain we don't have a lapse in authorization. There are adequate funds in the highway trust fund to cover this extension. No additional funds will be necessary.
If we don't, on October 31, 3,700 employees will again receive furlough notices that they cannot report to work on November 1, or have to work without pay, with a temporary shutdown of those programs.
The Federal Highway Administration won't be able to provide any new funding to States, the District, or territories. They will be able to continue reimbursing, but a lot of States are beginning--they have initiatives and applications pending for new programs, and all those would be set aside and delayed.
The Federal Transit Administration won't be able to issue new funding to 1,300 transit grantees that rely on Federal grants to fund construction; buy vehicles and equipment, an ongoing process; and, in some cases, pay for operating costs. The FTA can continue to make payments for grants issued before October 1--again, not adequate looking at future needs.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cannot award new grants, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration must stop issuing new motor carrier safety grants.
And the Office of the Secretary will not be able to make any further TIFIA loans.
The Further Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021 will allow the Department of Transportation to restart operations of programs funded by the highway trust fund through December 3, 2021, which will be a momentous day around here. It also authorizes DOT to provide backpay for employees in the event of a temporary shutdown.
I urge my colleagues to support this extension which will help provide additional time to work through the final resolution of a long-
term surface transportation bill.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, reluctantly, I am going to support yet another short-
term extension of the highway program. Unfortunately, this simply continues to put our State departments of transportation and transportation stakeholders in a very tough position, and they really deserve more than this.
Let me be clear: The Speaker's partisan process is what has led us to this point, and this predicament highlights more than ever the need for us to be working across the aisle--and across the building, for that matter.
Nearly a month ago, we were here in virtually the same position, having the same conversations about the need for a highway extension because the Speaker is holding the infrastructure bill hostage for her real priority. And we all know what that is. It is a massive, multitrillion-dollar tax-and-spend wish list.
This should not be how it is, tying the hands of an entire Congress to pass a socialist agenda that folks in America just simply don't support. Infrastructure has never been this way. Bipartisanship has always been the formula for success on infrastructure, and that hasn't changed. It hasn't changed any at all.
While this process may have started out as a bipartisan piece of legislation in the Senate, the Speaker made darn sure that as soon as the bill was sent across the Capitol, it immediately was tainted with her ultraliberal, partisan agenda.
In my 20 years in Congress, I have supported all three highway bills that have been signed into law. All of them were bipartisan, all of them under Republican chairmen, all of them signed into law by both Democrat and Republican Presidents.
House Republicans have stood ready and committed to participate in a truly bipartisan process that involves input from both the House and the Senate, not just one Chamber, and both parties. We were ready to come to the negotiation table.
Earlier this year, House Republicans warned that a partisan path would put us in a position like this, and here we are.
The chairman is absolutely right. Passing this extension is the right thing to do. The last thing we need, though, is a series of short-term extensions. A longer extension is a much-preferred path because it allows our States to plan with certainty.
Multiple short-term extensions are extremely detrimental to the States. They are detrimental to the stakeholders and the jobs that support these critical projects and programs.
Extensions mean leaving the States with uncertainty to fix, to maintain, to upgrade roads and bridges. And you can't plan multiyear infrastructure and highway projects with the guarantee of only a few weeks of funding at any one time.
So it is time to get back to what works, and that is bipartisanship on both sides of this building. That is the key to success when it comes to infrastructure.
I urge my colleagues to support this short-term extension and support our States' transportation programs. However, next time around, we really need to consider a longer term extension. It is what is best for the States.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and if the gentleman is prepared to close, I would be prepared to close.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Again, it is unfortunate that we are here today as Democrats continue negotiating their partisan reconciliation proposal while an infrastructure bill sits. It sits idly and serves nothing more than those partisan programs.
This is nothing more than a Trojan horse, Madam Speaker, and it is being used for its popularity to get votes for the progressive wish list. I believe our State DOTs and our State transportation stakeholders, every one of them deserve better.
I hardly think that this short-term extension gives certainty to those folks, and I recognize that what is even worse is the fact that there is no certainty whatsoever.
Given that, reluctantly, I do urge support of this short-term extension with the expectation that a longer term extension will be needed the next time that we are here doing this once again.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, just to reiterate for colleagues that may be listening, this extension goes till December 3. There are adequate funds in the highway trust fund to fund all the regular programs. This will be at current authorization levels.
It will allow States to move forward and propose new highway and bridge projects. It will allow transit agencies to go ahead and acquire new equipment and make other necessary repairs or improvements to their systems.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be at full operating and full funding, so there will be no lapse should we pass this now. I urge an ``aye'' vote.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5763.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 358, nays 59, not voting 14, as follows:
YEAS--358
Adams Aderholt Aguilar Allen Allred Amodei Armstrong Arrington Auchincloss Axne Babin Bacon Balderson Banks Barragan Bass Beatty Bentz Bera Bergman Beyer Bice (OK) Bishop (GA) Blumenauer Blunt Rochester Bonamici Bost Bourdeaux Bowman Boyle, Brendan F. Brady Brooks Brown Brownley Buchanan Bucshon Budd Burgess Bush Bustos Butterfield Calvert Carbajal Cardenas Carl Carson Carter (GA) Carter (LA) Carter (TX) Cartwright Casten Castor (FL) Castro (TX) Chabot Cheney Chu Cicilline Clark (MA) Clarke (NY) Cleaver Cloud Clyburn Cohen Cole Connolly Cooper Correa Costa Courtney Craig Crawford Crenshaw Crist Crow Cuellar Curtis Davids (KS) Davidson Davis, Danny K. Davis, Rodney Dean DeFazio DeGette DeLauro DelBene Delgado Demings DeSaulnier Deutch Diaz-Balart Dingell Doggett Donalds Doyle, Michael F. Duncan Dunn Ellzey Emmer Escobar Eshoo Espaillat Estes Evans Feenstra Ferguson Fischbach Fitzpatrick Fleischmann Fletcher Fortenberry Foster Foxx Frankel, Lois Franklin, C. Scott Gallego Garamendi Garbarino Garcia (CA) Garcia (IL) Garcia (TX) Gimenez Golden Gomez Gonzales, Tony Gonzalez (OH) Gonzalez, Vicente Gottheimer Granger Graves (LA) Graves (MO) Green, Al (TX) Griffith Grijalva Grothman Guthrie Hagedorn Harder (CA) Hartzler Hayes Herrell Herrera Beutler Higgins (LA) Higgins (NY) Hill Himes Hinson Houlahan Hoyer Hudson Huffman Huizenga Issa Jackson Lee Jacobs (CA) Jacobs (NY) Jayapal Jeffries Johnson (GA) Johnson (LA) Johnson (OH) Johnson (SD) Johnson (TX) Jones Joyce (OH) Joyce (PA) Kahele Kaptur Katko Keating Keller Kelly (IL) Kelly (PA) Khanna Kildee Kilmer Kim (CA) Kim (NJ) Kinzinger Kirkpatrick Krishnamoorthi Kuster Kustoff LaHood LaMalfa Lamb Langevin Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Latta LaTurner Lawrence Lawson (FL) Lee (CA) Lee (NV) Leger Fernandez Letlow Levin (CA) Levin (MI) Lieu Lofgren Long Lowenthal Lucas Luetkemeyer Luria Lynch Mace Malliotakis Maloney, Carolyn B. Maloney, Sean Mann Manning Matsui McBath McCarthy McCaul McCollum McEachin McGovern McNerney Meeks Meijer Meng Meuser Mfume Miller (WV) Miller-Meeks Moolenaar Mooney Moore (UT) Moore (WI) Morelle Moulton Mrvan Murphy (FL) Murphy (NC) Nadler Napolitano Neal Neguse Newhouse Newman Norcross Nunes O'Halleran Obernolte Ocasio-Cortez Omar Owens Pallone Palmer Panetta Pappas Pascrell Payne Pence Perlmutter Perry Peters Pfluger Pingree Pocan Porter Pressley Price (NC) Quigley Raskin Reschenthaler Rice (NY) Rice (SC) Rodgers (WA) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rose Ross Rouzer Ruiz Ruppersberger Rush Rutherford Ryan Salazar Sanchez Sarbanes Scalise Scanlon Schakowsky Schiff Schneider Schrader Schrier Scott (VA) Scott, David Sewell Sherman Sherrill Sires Slotkin Smith (MO) Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smith (WA) Smucker Soto Spanberger Speier Stansbury Stanton Stauber Steel Stefanik Steil Stevens Stewart Strickland Suozzi Swalwell Takano Tenney Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Thompson (PA) Titus Tlaib Tonko Torres (CA) Torres (NY) Trahan Trone Underwood Upton Valadao Van Drew Van Duyne Vargas Veasey Vela Velazquez Wagner Walberg Walorski Waltz Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Coleman Webster (FL) Welch Westerman Wexton Wild Williams (GA) Williams (TX) Wilson (FL) Wittman Womack Yarmuth Young Zeldin
NAYS--59
Baird Biggs Bilirakis Bishop (NC) Boebert Buck Burchett Cammack Case Cawthorn Cline Clyde Comer DesJarlais Fallon Fitzgerald Fulcher Gaetz Gallagher Gibbs Gohmert Gooden (TX) Gosar Green (TN) Greene (GA) Guest Harshbarger Hern Hollingsworth Horsford Jackson Jordan Kelly (MS) Lamborn Loudermilk Malinowski Massie Mast McClain McClintock McHenry Miller (IL) Moore (AL) Mullin Nehls Norman Palazzo Phillips Posey Reed Schweikert Scott, Austin Sessions Spartz Steube Taylor Timmons Weber (TX) Wilson (SC)
NOT VOTING--14
Barr Good (VA) Harris Hice (GA) Kind Lesko McKinley Rosendale Roy Roybal-Allard Simpson Tiffany Turner Wenstrup
{time} 1911
Ms. HERRELL and Messrs. GROTHMAN, ARRINGTON, and CLOUD changed their vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress
Armstrong (Resch enthaler) Baird (Resch enthaler) Barragan (Clarke (NY)) Boebert (Cammack) Bowman (Ocasio-Cortez) Buchanan (Bilirakis) Calvert (Garcia (CA)) Cardenas (Gomez) Cohen (Beyer) Cuellar (Costa) Curtis (Owens) DeSaulnier (Beyer) Deutch (Rice (NY)) Doggett (Raskin) Doyle, Michael F. (Cartwright) Duncan (Rice (SC)) Evans (Mfume) Fleischmann (Bilirakis) Frankel, Lois (Clark (MA)) Fulcher (Johnson (OH)) Garbarino (Joyce (OH)) Gimenez (Waltz) Gosar (Greene (GA)) Green (TN) (Resch enthaler) Hagedorn (Carl) Harshbarger (Owens) Hartzler (Bucshon) Houlahan (Crow) Hudson (McHenry) Issa (Garcia (CA)) Jacobs (NY) (Resch enthaler)
Johnson (SD) (Resch enthaler) Joyce (PA) (Keller) Kaptur (Dingell) Kinzinger (Fitzpatrick) Kirkpatrick (Stanton) LaHood (Gonzalez (OH)) Lawson (FL) (Soto) Lieu (Beyer) Luetkemeyer (Long) McEachin (Wexton) Meng (Jeffries) Miller (WV) (Resch enthaler) Moore (UT) (Owens) Norman (Rice (SC)) Nunes (Garcia (CA)) Obernolte (Pfluger) Pascrell (Pallone) Payne (Pallone) Porter (Wexton) Reed (Upton) Rogers (KY) (Resch enthaler) Rush (Underwood) Schakowsky (Garcia (IL)) Sires (Pallone) Smith (WA) (Courtney) Smucker (Keller) Speier (Scanlon) Steube (Franklin, C. Scott) Stewart (Owens) Swalwell (Allred) Takano (Cicilline) Thompson (Resch enthaler) Timmons (Resch enthaler) Valadao (Meijer) Wagner (McHenry) Walorski (Banks) Watson Coleman (Pallone) Wilson (FL) (Hayes) Wilson (SC) (Rice (SC))
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 190
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