September 14, 2018

Water Resources Development

Yesterday the House passed S. 3021, America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 by voice vote. The legislation reauthorizes water development projects and initiatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency and other related agencies. It also reauthorizes the Safe Drinking Water Act – directing funds to states and municipalities so they can make improvements to water-related infrastructure. S. 3021 gives the Army Corps the authority to manage disaster response, protect shorelines, oversee waterway navigation, assess flood damage and much more. It creates a grant program that will help schools monitor and protect their students from lead and other dangerous contaminants. This legislation also contains a provision I authored to modify the Boston Harbor Improvement Project so that wider berths can be constructed to house ships. Boston harbor is being dredged with a $350 million federal investment so it can accommodate larger ships which will bring with it jobs and enhanced economic opportunity. The congressional delegation worked hard to secure that essential funding.

Appropriations

On Thursday the House considered the Conference Report to Accompany H.R. 5895, the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act. This legislation funds certain segments of the federal government for fiscal year 2019. The conference report includes funding for the Army Corps of Engineers, the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, renewable energy initiatives, environmental cleanup and energy research. I voted YES. The legislation passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

Positive Train Control (PTC)

This week I participated in a Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials hearing on Positive Train Control (PTC) Implementation in the United States, of which I am the Ranking Member. The hearing occurred one day after the 10th anniversary of the Chatsworth, California, train collision. In the aftermath of that tragedy, Congress required railroads to implement Positive Train Control. This technology is designed to prevent train to train collisions, situations in which trains may be traveling at a high rate of speed, incursions into work zones, and derailments due to misaligned track switches. Quite simply, this technology will save lives. We heard testimony from the Federal Railroad Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, Amtrak, Government Accountability Office, and representatives of the railroads and commuter railroads. I reiterated my strong belief that Congress should not, and will not, grant any more extensions of the statutory deadline, and I thanked those who are on track to meet the deadline.

Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism

The House voted yesterday, 393 to 2, to direct the Department of State to create a Special Envoy with the rank of Ambassador responsible for combating anti-Semitism and monitoring anti-Semitic incitements in foreign countries. No democratic country is immune from this persistent and abhorrent bigotry. I was proud to vote with almost 400 other Members of the House, Republican and Democrat, to take this principled stand.

What’s Up Next

A District Work Period has been scheduled. The next House votes will occur on Tuesday September 25th. At this writing a list of legislation to be considered is not available.