Bipartisan Water Infrastructure Legislation Free of Earmarks (H.R. 3080)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is H.R. 3080?
(Updated July 18, 2017)
This bill was enacted on June 10, 2014
This Act is water infrastructure legislation that deals with ports, levees, and environmental protections, among other water infrastructure issues. New water infrastructure legislation has not been passed since 2007, and the House and Senate, in this bill, have agreed to legislation that is earmark-free. The original Senate version of the bill is here; it’s since been amended, and now the House and Senate have matching legislation. Notably, the bill de-authorizes $18 billion worth of projects that were greenlighted in the 2007 bill but never implemented.
The House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure offers a print overview and a ~2 ½ minute video explaining the bill here. The video is narrated by Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY). (No mention of whether or not he is also illustrating.)
Argument in favor
Bipartisan bill that is earmark-free. And that’s a rare thing to write, these days.
Argument opposed
That it took Congress seven years to pay their water bill.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would provide funding for a range of water infrastructure projects while at the same time removing old water infrastructure projects from the docket. This legislation would also shift project selection oversight away from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and to Congress.
Cost of H.R. 3080
The CBO "estimates that implementing [the Act] would cost about $3.5 billion over [the] 2014-2018 period. Spending would continue for authorized projects after 2018, and CBO estimates that such spending would total $4.7 billion over the 2019-2023 period."
Additional Info
-According to The Hill,
Transportation advocates have long sought a new round of investments in ports and waterways, arguing that additional funding is necessary to prepare the nation’s cargo facilities for larger ships that will pass through the Panama Canal, which is currently being deepened.
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