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Hire More Heroes Act of 2015

Floor Speech

Date: Nov. 3, 2015
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Transportation Government Budget and Spending

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Mrs. HARTZLER. Mr. Chair, my amendment gets our priorities right in our highway funding by prohibiting Federal funds from being used for landscaping and scenic beautification on highway projects.

We should spend our Federal highway dollars to improve our roads and bridges, not plant flowers.

From 1992 to 2013, over $1.3 billion was spent on landscaping and scenic beautification. With data showing over 61,000 bridges classified as structurally deficient and 65 percent of the roads in the United States in less-than-good condition, this is outrageous.

I appreciate roadside landscaping, but given today's limited highway dollars, these initiatives are best left to volunteer organizations such as the popular Adopt-a-Highway program.

We must ensure that Federal funds are applied where they are needed most, and that is upgrading and improving our National infrastructure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mrs. HARTZLER. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the gentleman's concerns. I, too, share his concern. I want to make sure that rest areas are still allowed.

In fact, there is another provision in the code that does still allow and permit rest areas, for States to be able to build them. This amendment does not address that section. So there still would be that option.

My amendment simply wants to make sure our highway tax dollars go where they are needed. This picture points out where they are needed and that 65 percent of our road system in our country now is in failing or is in bad condition.

In fact, there are many, many deaths caused every year due to the crumbling of our highways. We also have 61,000 bridges that are considered structurally deficient.

So this makes sure that our dollars that the people spend every time they go fill up their car with gas--that those highway road dollars will go to roads and they are not going to go to highway beautification.

I ask for the support of my colleagues.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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