The U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 28 passed a bipartisan bill cosponsored by U.S. Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Sam Graves (R-MO) that would provide a discretionary spending limit adjustment for full utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to ensure that funds are used to support navigation and maintain federally authorized harbors.
“The House passed good bipartisan legislation today that will improve our ports and harbors, strengthen aviation safety, help communities recover from disasters more effectively, and make government more transparent,” said Rep. Graves, ranking member of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “Working together has always been this committee’s recipe for success in accomplishing our shared goal of improving America’s infrastructure.”
“From the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast, our ports are in disrepair. By passing the Full Utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Act today, the House took a giant step toward building 21st century ports and harbors for the 21st century economy,” said Rep. Kelly, who coauthored the bill. “This will help America stay competitive on the world stage and create more opportunity for American workers.”
Reps. Graves and Kelly are original cosponsors of the Full Utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Act, H.R. 2440, with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) to require that money in the fund be used for its intended purpose of dredging and maintaining America’s aging ports and harbors.
The House on Monday voted 296-109 to approve the bill, which the U.S. Senate received on Tuesday, referring the measure to the U.S. Senate Budget Committee for consideration.
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force, also praised House passage of the bill, noting that more than $9 billion currently sits in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund waiting to be allocated to rebuild the nation’s water infrastructure.
“This legislation is a responsible and bipartisan way to more effectively utilize the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund without raising one more dime in taxes,” Rep. Huizenga said, adding that the funds would permit the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reduce the $550 million backlog of harbor dredging, channel maintenance, and breakwater repair that currently is needed across the Great Lakes region.
“I hope my friends in the Senate will act quickly to make this bipartisan legislation a priority,” he added.