Kansas ranks third in the nation with more than 140,000 miles of highway, so maintaining strong transportation infrastructure is vital to the economic development of our great state. Located in the center of America’s heartland, Kansas plays an integral role in the transportation network that connects farmers and factories with communities around the globe.

Kansas has also become one of the leading rail and distribution centers in our country. Because constant maintenance is needed to keep our railroads in great condition, I have long fought for the Section 45G tax credit in Congress. Since the credit went into effect in 2005, short line track investment has risen dramatically. Over the past five years, the short line railroad tax credit has generated $1.5 billion in railroad infrastructure investment and created and preserved thousands of local jobs.

Unfortunately, the funding needed to improve and maintain our nation’s surface transportation is running out. Congress must come together to develop a long term, sustainable funding mechanism to meet our infrastructure demands and allow Kansans to continue the transport of our manufactured goods and agriculture commodities in a timely and cost-effective manner. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the U.S. Senate to find the resources necessary to meet the needs of Kansas’s transportation system.