Providing Authority to Maintain and Operate A Toll Bridge Across the Rio Grande

Floor Speech

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Mr. CUELLAR. I thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank Chairman Ed Royce for his leadership and for the help of his staff on this particular bill.

Also, I thank my friend, the ranking member, Mr. Eliot Engel, and his staff also for supporting and helping us on this particular bill.

As the lead sponsor of this bill, I rise in support of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, this bill will provide equity in the law and removes a level of uncertainty.

In 1962, Congress authorized the Starr-Camargo International Bridge Company to construct, operate, and maintain the private toll bridge between the United States and Mexico near Rio Grande City, which is a city in my district.

Congress, in drafting this original authorization, included a sunset clause of 66 years. In doing so, Congress left a level of uncertainty in the law, as it did not state what should happen to the bridge once the 66 years went by.

Congress has authorized private toll bridges or other bridges along the U.S.-Mexico border before, yet previously had not included this sunset on the authorization. This sunset clause, while still a number of years away, has already begun to create issues for the owner and operator of the Starr-Camargo Bridge bill.

Due to this uncertainty around what should happen to this bridge should the authorization lapse, they are unable to get much-needed long-term financing to make improvements and finance the long-term maintenance and operations of the bridge. This bill will give the Starr-Camargo Bridge permanent status.

The Starr-Camargo Bridge plays an important role in our Nation's commerce and the economy of south Texas. The bridge supports 200 to 300 commercial trucks per day, consisting of construction materials as well as fresh fruits and vegetables coming north and machinery, oil, and recyclable products going south. The bridge further supports the crossing of around 4,000 cars a day.

Today the United States trades an estimated $531 billion in goods and services with Mexico, our Nation's third largest trading partner, and this trade is only expected to grow in the future. In order for our Nation to take full advantage of this trade, we must be clear in these sorts of uncertainties in the law.

This bill, by ending the authorization's sunset, will afford the bridge greater opportunities to pursue and finance projects that will enhance and expand the capacity of the bridge and supporting facilities and further improve trade between the United States and Mexico.

I would like to thank Senator Cornyn for working with me on this legislation and for taking that lead and, as I said a few minutes ago, Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for their support as well as their staffs.

I also would like to thank local leaders, Starr County Judge Eloy Vera and State Representative Ryan Guillen, for their support of this legislation.

I ask my colleagues to support this important bill.

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