59–006 

114TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 114–753 

TO DIRECT THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION TO PROVIDE TO THE 

APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS ADVANCE NOTICE OF CERTAIN ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. SHUSTER, from the Committee on Transportation and 

Infrastructure, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 5977] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 

was referred the bill (H.R. 5977) to direct the Secretary of Transportation to provide to the appropriate committees of Congress advance notice of certain announcements, and for other purposes, 

having considered the same, report favorably thereon without 

amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Purpose of Legislation ............................................................................................. 2 

Background and Need for Legislation .................................................................... 2 

Hearings ................................................................................................................... 2 

Legislative History and Consideration .................................................................. 2 

Committee Votes ...................................................................................................... 2 

Committee Oversight Findings ............................................................................... 2 

New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures ...................................................... 3 

Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate .......................................................... 3 

Performance Goals and Objectives ......................................................................... 4 

Advisory of Earmarks .............................................................................................. 4 

Duplication of Federal Programs ............................................................................ 4 

Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings ..................................................................... 4 

Federal Mandate Statement ................................................................................... 4 

Preemption Clarification ......................................................................................... 4 

Advisory Committee Statement .............................................................................. 4 

Applicability of Legislative Branch ........................................................................ 4 

Section-by-Section Analysis of Legislation ............................................................ 5 

Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported ..................................... 5 


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1Section 1531 of MAP–21 (P.L. 112–141) included a similar notification procedure, which has 

since expired. 

PURPOSE OF LEGISLATION

H.R. 5977 directs the Secretary of Transportation to provide to 

the appropriate committees of Congress advance notice of certain 

announcements. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

H.R. 5977 requires the Secretary of Transportation to provide the 

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Committee) and 

certain Senate committees with at least three days’ notice prior to 

announcing grant awards and credit assistance for certain transportation projects. The Secretary is further required to provide notification to the Committee and the Committee on Environment 

and Public Works of the Senate for any quick release of funds from 

the Emergency Relief program concurrent with such release. 

The Committee authorizes funding for federal transportation programs, which in turn provide funding and credit assistance for 

transportation projects across the country. However, the Committee does not consistently receive notice from the Secretary prior 

to the announcement of grant awards and credit assistance for 

transportation projects.1 H.R. 5977 improves transparency and enhances oversight of the Department of Transportation by ensuring 

that Congress is properly notified of such announcements. 

HEARINGS

No hearings were held on H.R. 5977. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND CONSIDERATION

On September 9, 2016, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R–PA) and Ranking Member 

Peter DeFazio (D–OR) introduced H.R. 5977, a bill to direct the 

Secretary of Transportation to provide to the appropriate committees of Congress advance notice of certain announcements. 

On September 14, 2016, the Committee on Transportation and 

Infrastructure met in open session to consider H.R. 5977. The Committee ordered the bill reported favorably to the House of Representatives by voice vote with a quorum present. 

COMMITTEE VOTES

Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives requires each committee report to include the total number of 

votes cast for and against on each record vote on a motion to report 

and on any amendment offered to the measure or matter, and the 

names of those members voting for and against. There were no 

record votes taken in connection with consideration of H.R. 5977. 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of 

the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee’s oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in this report. 


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NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY AND TAX EXPENDITURES

Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives does not apply where a cost estimate and comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 has been timely 

submitted prior to the filing of the report and is included in the report. Such a cost estimate is included in this report. 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of 

the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the 

Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received the 

enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5977 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office: 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2016. 

Hon. BILL SHUSTER, Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5977, a bill to direct the 

Secretary of Transportation to provide to the appropriate committees of Congress advance notice of certain announcements, and for 

other purposes. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Sarah Puro. 

Sincerely, 

KEITH HALL. 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 5977—A bill to direct the Secretary of Transportation to provide to the appropriate committees of Congress advance notice 

of certain announcements, and for other purposes 

H.R. 5977 would require the Department of Transportation 

(DOT) to notify certain Congressional committees at least three 

days before announcing the award of certain funds to grantees. 

Under current practice, DOT already informs other committees of 

Congress about such grants and awards. As a result, CBO estimates that any additional communications costs incurred by the 

department would not be significant. 

Enacting H.R. 5977 would not affect direct spending or revenues; 

therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. 

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5977 would not increase net 

direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 

10-year periods beginning in 2027. 

H.R. 5977 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Sarah Puro. The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 


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PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of 

the Rules of the House of Representatives, the performance goal 

and objective of this legislation is to enhance transparency and 

oversight of the Department of Transportation by improving its 

Congressional notification procedures. 

ADVISORY OF EARMARKS

Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of 

Representatives, the Committee is required to include a list of congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits 

as defined in clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of 

the House of Representatives. No provision in H.R. 5977 includes 

an earmark, limited tax benefit, or limited tariff benefit under 

clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of rule XXI. 

DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS

Pursuant to section 3(g) of H. Res. 5, 114th Cong. (2015), the 

Committee finds that no provision of H.R. 5977 establishes or reauthorizes a program of the federal government known to be duplicative of another federal program, a program that was included in 

any report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress 

pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111–139, or a program related 

to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. 

DISCLOSURE OF DIRECTED RULE MAKINGS

Pursuant to section 3(i) of H. Res. 5, 114th Cong. (2015), the 

Committee finds that enacting H.R. 5977 does not direct the completion of a specific rule making within the meaning of section 551 

of title 5, United States Code. 

FEDERAL MANDATE STATEMENT

The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of federal mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 

pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 

(Public Law 104–4). 

PREEMPTION CLARIFICATION

Section 423 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 requires the 

report of any Committee on a bill or joint resolution to include a 

statement on the extent to which the bill or joint resolution is intended to preempt state, local, or tribal law. The Committee states 

that H.R. 5977 does not preempt any state, local, or tribal law. 

ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act are created by this legislation. 

APPLICABILITY OF LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to the 

terms and conditions of employment or access to public services or 


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accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 104–1). 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF LEGISLATION, AS AMENDED

Section 1. Congressional notification requirements 

This section requires the Secretary of Transportation to provide 

the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 

of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public 

Works, the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, 

and the Committee on Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs of the Senate with at least three days’ notice prior to announcing grant 

awards and credit assistance for certain transportation projects. It 

also requires the Secretary to provide notification to the Committee 

on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of a quick release of funds from the 

Emergency Relief program concurrent with such release. Finally, 

the section ensures that notification procedures existing under current law are not affected by the requirements of this bill. 

Section 2. Definitions 

This section defines certain terms used in the bill. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

H.R. 5977 makes no changes in existing law. 

Æ 


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