Washington, D.C. – Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace Napolitano (D-CA) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Dina Titus (D-NV) released the following statements after the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed 13 bills.
“Today we marked up several bipartisan measures that will improve the transparency and efficiency of our public buildings, support critical wastewater infrastructure projects, and streamline our disaster preparedness and response, including a Democratic amendment to fund pre-disaster home retrofits that I look forward to becoming law,” Ranking Member Larsen said.
“I thank the Committee for passing today two important bills that I have sponsored. H.R. 5903 removes government red tape by giving the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) contributed funds authority to receive funds from other federal agencies and non-federal entities, to do their critical work of flood control, water quality improvements, water supply, and environmental restoration. This authority exists in many other federal agencies, and my bill will give IBWC the same authority,” Ranking Member Napolitano said. “H.R. 5754 names the Los Angeles Courthouse after civil rights heroes Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez, who fought for the right for their daughter Sylvia, and all Latino and minority children, to attend their local public school. Their case ended segregation in the State of California and laid the groundwork for Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. The Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez U.S. Courthouse will serve as a reminder to future generations of the incredible courage of the Mendez family, as well the other invaluable contributions made by Latino Americans to this country.”
“As members of Congress, we have an obligation to spend taxpayer dollars responsibly and to ensure that all government agencies are operating with transparency and fairness and at their maximum capacity,” Ranking Member Titus said. “Today the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee demonstrated what is possible when we come together to make government work for the American people. We are making efforts to reduce wasteful spending and remove unnecessary bureaucratic processes, especially for individuals recovering from major disasters. That’s why I was proud to see my own legislation pass the full committee today to improve the disaster response from FEMA, reform outdated government policies, set expiration dates for federal agency projects, and increase transparency for the public. I look forward to seeing these bipartisan bills pass through Congress and become law.”
Below are the Democratic Bills That Advanced During Today’s Markup:
H.R. 5903, to authorize the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) to accept funds for activities relating to wastewater treatment and flood control works, introduced by Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Grace Napolitano (D-CA) with Subcommittee Chairman David Rouzer (R-NC)
H.R. 5754, designating the “Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez United States Courthouse” in Los Angeles, California, a bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) and 29 other Members.
H.R. 6316, to establish an expiration date of certain committee resolutions with respect to leases or projects, introduced by Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Ranking Member Dina Titus (D-NV) along with Subcommittee Chairman Scott Perry (R-PA)
H.R. 6317, to require the Administrator of the General Services Administration to submit a report describing a process for seeking public comment about proposed changes to mandatory design standards for public buildings, introduced by Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Ranking Member Dina Titus (D-NV)
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