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Last night, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi appointed Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) as a conferee to the Surface Transportation Conference Committee. The bipartisan, bicameral committee is tasked with reconciling differences between the House and Senate Highway Transportation bills before the looming Dec. 4 deadline.

The Surface Transportation Conference Committee held their first meeting today. In his testimony, Connolly said, “This conference committee on the reauthorization of federal highway, transit, and safety programs represents an important milestone for Congress. After 5 extensions of the most recent authorization, and the 36th short-term extension since 2009, we are close to realizing what our state and local partners have been demanding, a long-term transportation funding bill.”

Connolly added, “I represent Northern Virginia, which has the dubious honor of having the nation’s worst congestion. Across Virginia, nearly every mode of transportation will be negatively affected unless we take action.”

Connolly noted that more than half of next year’s road and transit projects in Virginia are to be funded in part with federal dollars. “Failure to replenish the Trust Fund could mean 149 bridge replacements would be put on hold, 175 aging buses and train cars would not be replaced, 350 other projects would grind to a halt, and more than 43,000 jobs in Virginia and other states that supply labor and materials would be lost,” he said.

Prior to this summer’s temporary extension, Virginia Gov. McAuliffe said that a lapse in the Highway Trust Fund would affect 350-400 projects in Virginia and cost the state more than $1 billion in funding.

“Many of us have supported efforts to advance innovative financing solutions, such as public private partnerships, but that is only a part of the solution,” said Connolly. “At the end of the day, what we really need is robust and reliable federal funding.”

“We have an opportunity to move forward in the conference to reverse that trend and make a significant down payment on America’s transportation system and the mobility of our communities.”

Connolly’s full testimony follows:

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

10 a.m.

2167 Rayburn

Congressman Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11^th)

Surface Transportation Conference Committee Meeting

Chairman Shuster, Chairman Inhofe, Ranking Member DeFazio, and Ranking Member Boxer,

This conference committee on the reauthorization of federal highway, transit, and safety programs represents an important milestone for Congress. After 5 extensions of the most recent authorization, and the 36^th short-term extension since 2009, we are close to realizing what our state and local partners have been demanding, a long-term transportation funding bill.

Coming from local government, I know firsthand how critical long-term federal investments are to building complex infrastructure projects. As everyone here knows, these are not short-term ventures. It takes years to plan, design, and build a major improvement, and you need to know funding will be there before you invest that kind of time and effort. Yet these are the types of visionary investments we should be making in every community.

The urgency for Congress to address the shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund grows with each passing day in all our states and districts. I represent Northern Virginia, just across the Potomac River, which has the dubious honor of having the nation’s worst congestion. Across Virginia, nearly every mode of transportation will be negatively affected unless we take action. More than half of next year’s road and transit projects are to be funded in part with federal dollars.

For example, if we don’t replenish the Trust Fund, 149 bridge replacements would be put on hold, 175 aging buses and train cars would not be replaced, 350 other projects would grind to a halt, and more than 43,000 jobs in Virginia and other states that supply labor and materials would be lost.

In addition, many states have advanced projects based solely on the federal government’s commitment to back the private activity bonds used to finance them. If that money dries up, states would have to put projects on hold or redirect other state revenue to cover the debt service to avoid the risk of default.

Many of us have supported efforts to advance innovative financing solutions, such as public private partnerships, but that is only a part of the solution. At the end of the day, what we really need is robust and reliable federal funding.

The federal government historically has been an equal partner in funding our nation’s infrastructure, but that level of investment has eroded over time. Public spending on infrastructure as a share of GDP has declined by half since the 1960s when it was roughly 3%.

However, we know that every dollar invested in public transportation translates into four dollars of economic growth. As the backbone of our economy, it’s only a matter of time before the growing decay in our transportation network begins to negatively affect our communities and their economic competitiveness.

We’ve delayed this important debate for too long already. We have an opportunity to move forward in the conference to reverse that trend and make a significant down payment on America’s transportation system and the mobility of our communities.