Van Hollen Statement on Conference Report on Transportation, Student Loans, and Flood Insurance
Washington,
Jun 29, 2012 -
Mr. Speaker, today’s bill is not a perfect bill, but it is an important bill. It will fund our nation’s infrastructure needs for two years, allowing states and localities to put millions of Americans to work rebuilding roads and bridges and improving transit options. It will prevent the interest rate on student loans from doubling, keeping loans more affordable for students and families. And it reauthorizes the federal flood insurance program on a sustainable basis for the next five years.
While the bill makes important and necessary investments, it contains a number of problematic provisions and missed opportunities. It reduces funding and erodes the mandate for low-cost, high-reward biking and pedestrian projects. Additionally, I would have liked the Conference Committee to retain provisions in the Senate bill to create parity between transit and parking benefits and provide funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund to protect outdoor spaces for public use.
This legislation is the culmination of many months of debate and compromise, but we are not at the end of the road. I will continue to advocate for a 21st century transportation system that reduces congestion, repairs our existing infrastructure, and provides communities with more options for safe walking and biking. And I call on my colleagues to pass the President’s American Jobs Act, which would put more workers back on the job modernizing roads, rail, and airports, repairing schools, and rehabilitating homes and neighborhoods.
Mr. Speaker, no one in this House is perfectly happy with every provision of today’s legislation. However, we must make this investment today to put Americans to work repairing and rebuilding our infrastructure right here at home.
Congressman Chris Van Hollen
