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For Immediate Release |
Contact: Michael Eagle |
Congresswoman Richardson Introduces the MOVEMENT ActBill would establish much needed funding revenue for impacted port cities like Long Beach, Los Angeles, Carson and Signal Hill |
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WASHINGTON — May 12-Today Congresswoman Laura Richardson introduced legislation that would raise approximately $2.7 billion per year in much needed revenue for land and sea port cities around the country. "The MOVEMENT Act, Making Opportunity via Efficient and More Effective National Transportation Act of 2009, (HR2355) will provide crucial funding for infrastructure projects that will improve the movement of goods, mitigate environmental damage caused by the movement of goods, and enhance the security of transported goods," Congresswoman Richardson said. Further, Congresswoman Richardson explained, "100% of the revenue generated by a land or sea port will go directly back to the community’s roads and highways which the goods traveled on which for communities like ours, could be in excess of over $1 billion dollars per year." "After committee hearings, meetings with Transportation and Infrastructure committee staff, business leaders and stakeholders, the bill was developed to utilize the preexisting process of Harbor Maintenance Fee structure, instead of a container fee, as the most equitable way to generate and distribute revenue," Congresswoman Richardson said. Congresswoman Richardson noted, "In these increasingly dire economic times where ports are considering individual fee systems from California, to Washington, to New York; it is in the best interest of the Congress to ensure that America develops a nationwide strategy that will protect our competitiveness at home and abroad while maintaining the ability to invest in a coordinated nationwide freight strategy." "The bi-partisan MOVEMENT Act, co-sponsored by my colleague Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), will benefit both American businesses and consumers by investing in goods movement projects that will stimulate the national economy by getting goods to market faster, cheaper and safer," Congresswoman Richardson added. Despite the $64.1 billion in the economic stimulus, the bipartisan National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission found that $338 billion is needed annually for the next 45 years to meet the needs of our aging and deteriorating infrastructure. "Given the on-going growth and traffic of our nation’s goods movement, our crumbling bridges and roads and shrinking revenues from the gas tax, the surface transportation reauthorization and economic stimulus together cannot meet the needs of our country’s roads, bridges and highways," Richardson said. The MOVEMENT Act has the early endorsement of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Chairman, Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD, Port of Baltimore) and other members who represent ports, including Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA, Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach), Congresswoman Lee (D-TX, Port of Oakland) and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA, Port of Norfolk), as well as two members on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, Congressman Kendrick Meek and Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA, Port of Seattle), that will review the utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Fee. Finally, Congresswoman Richardson said, "the legislation has a provision to ensure that U.S. ports do not lose economic competitiveness to Canada or Mexico as a result of the infrastructure fee. This provision ensures that the businesses contributing to the MOVEMENT Act have the commitment that funds will be spent on goods movement infrastructure and not to fund or balance other programs. Lastly, funding from the MOVEMENT Act would include provisions to help avoid delay or transfer of transportation dollars; thereby, increasing the availability of jobs and establishing a high quality transportation infrastructure for future generations to come." Congresswoman Richardson is a member of the House Committees on Transportation & Infrastructure and Homeland Security. Her district includes the port city of Long Beach, Compton, Carson, Watts, Willowbrooke and Signal Hill.
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