EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
HON. ELISE M. STEFANIK
OF NEW YORK
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Ms. Stefanik. Madam Speaker, on January 4, 2021, I missed the procedural vote Roll Call No. 5, the motion to table the motion to refer H. Res. 8, due to a Presidential Medal of Honor ceremony in the Oval Office. Had I been present, I would have voted nay on Roll Call No. 5.
CONGRATULATING GILPIN COUNTY COMMISSIONER GAIL WATSON ON HER RETIREMENT
HON. JOE NEGUSE
OF COLORADO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Mr. Neguse. Madam Speaker, today I wish to recognize the accomplishments of an incredible public servant. Since 2012, Gail Watson has served as a County Commissioner for Gilpin County. During her time in office she has proven that hard work and determination are the cornerstones of implementing change.
As a County Commissioner, Gail has been a huge proponent of environmental protection. She has spent endless hours ensuring that Gilpin County’s public lands remained free of invasive plant species and protected from development. Commissioner Watson has been a huge asset to her community and her work has positively impacted the people she has been so proud to serve.
She has shown a passion for maintaining the safety and wellbeing of her constituents. During her time as a County Commissioner, Gail prioritized access to broadband internet and phone service in Gilpin County, emphasizing that access to broadband service is a necessity in cases of emergency and for education. She also ensured that Gilpin County was well prepared for any natural disaster that might hit and focused on bolstering Gilpin’s emergency preparedness.
I am grateful for Gail’s dedicated service as a Gilpin County Commissioner, and I know that the impact of her work will continue to be felt for many years to come. I wish her a restful and well-deserved retirement.
HONORING FORMER PHOENIX CITY COUNCILMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER CALVIN C. GOODE
HON. GREG STANTON
OF ARIZONA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Mr. Stanton. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of a civil rights icon and progressive giant, former Phoenix City Councilman Calvin C. Goode, who passed away on December 23, 2020 at the age of 93. Calvin spoke softly but carried with him the moral authority of having fought—and won—many civil rights battles throughout his long career.
Calvin was just 10 months old when his family moved from Oklahoma to Gila Bend, Arizona. The family relocated again to Prescott when the local school refused to enroll Calvin because of the color of his skin. He went on to attend Carver High School in Phoenix, Arizona’s only high school built for Black students. After growing up attending segregated schools, Calvin devoted his life to improving education access in our community alongside his beloved late wife Georgie. He earned degrees in business and education from Phoenix College and Arizona State University, and served as an accountant for Carver and other Phoenix Union High School District schools for 30 years.
First elected in 1971, Calvin served a record 22 years on the Phoenix City Council. During his time at City Hall, Calvin continued to be guided by his deeply held belief in the equality of all people. Known as the “Conscience of the Council,” his legacy of creating opportunity for all endures in Phoenix—from the early childhood education and jobs programs he championed to the anti-discrimination ordinance he helped broker. He was instrumental in pushing the City to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day, paving the way for the holiday to be observed statewide.
Even after his time on the Council, Calvin remained one of the most impactful leaders in the Phoenix community. He fought to protect the history of his beloved Eastlake Park neighborhood where he lived for most of his life—an area shaped by segregation and redlining that became a gathering place for civil rights leaders. In his later years, he was instrumental in turning his alma mater, the formerly segregated Carver High School, into a museum and worked to ensure the institution would survive and thrive to hold African American Arizonans’ history for future generations.
He was above all a man of quiet courage and unshakeable conviction, and we are all better because of his lifetime of service. Godspeed, Calvin.
INTRODUCTION OF THE BUILD AMERICA ACT OF 2021
HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS
OF FLORIDA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Mr. Hastings. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Build America Act of 2021, legislation that will provide $10 billion annually for merit-based infrastructure grants across the country. For years, House Democrats have called for a dramatic investment in infrastructure, and for years, these calls have gone unanswered. I am hopeful that this will be the year that we finally make the investments we need. I am proud to introduce my legislation today—not for a massive, all-encompassing infrastructure package—but rather, for a commonsense expansion of successful programs based on need and merit that will ensure we put money towards the greatest infrastructure needs regardless of any additional package passed in the House.
My legislation will significantly increase the size and scope of two existing infrastructure grant programs, the Capital Investment Grant Program (CIG), also known as New Starts/Small Starts, and the BUILD Grant Program, formerly known as the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery Grant Program, or TIGER Grants. These programs have been immensely successful in the past, assisting rural and urban communities prioritize their own needs. Each program requires matching funds from those seeking assistance, making them smart and effective avenues for leveraging federal funding to make a real impact across the country.
My bill takes these programs out of the annual appropriations process. Instead, it establishes them as mandatory programs with permanent and expanded funding streams totaling more than $10 billion annually.
This expansion will be welcome news to the thousands of communities like those I represent. Consider this, since 2009, Congress has dedicated more than $8 billion for multiple rounds of TIGER/BUILD funding. In FY2020 alone, the program received over $9 billion in applications. That is more than the total amount of funding over a 10-year period in just a single fiscal year. The process is competitive, and it allows the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to reward applicants that exceed eligibility criteria and demonstrate commitments to their projects.
By increasing these funding levels and removing the programs from the annual appropriations process, we will take the guesswork and uncertainty out of the programs. This in turn will allow communities around the country to submit funding requests for projects of national, regional, or metropolitan-area significance, including the construction and repair of roads, bridges, and tunnels, the installation of high-speed internet, revitalization of drinking water infrastructure, and the construction and expansion of fixed-guideway public transportation systems, including subways, light rail, commuter rail, and bus rapid transit (BRT).
Madam Speaker, we have talked about prioritizing a large-scale infrastructure package for years. Last Congress, the House passed H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, a $1.5 trillion plan to rebuild American infrastructure. However, like so many other bills passed during the 116th Congress, it was ignored by the Republican controlled Senate. We need to get serious.
Every four years, the American Society of Civil Engineers issues a “Report Card” for America’s Infrastructure. The report depicts the condition and performance of American infrastructure, assigning letter grades based on
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