H. Res. 313 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
May 5, 2009. 
Whereas public works infrastructure, facilities, and services 
have far-reaching effects on the United States economy 
and the Nation’s competitiveness in the world market-
place; 
Whereas public works infrastructure, facilities, and services 
play a pivotal role in the health, safety, and quality of 
life of communities throughout the United States; 
Whereas public works infrastructure, facilities, and services 
could not be provided without the skill and dedication of 
public works professionals, including engineers and ad-
ministrators, representing State and local governments 
throughout the United States; 
Whereas public works professionals design, build, operate, 
maintain, and protect the transportation systems, water 
supply infrastructure, sewage and refuse disposal sys-
tems, public buildings, and other structures and facilities 
that are vital to the citizens, communities, and commerce 
of the United States; 
Whereas the Corps of Engineers, in partnership with public 
port authorities, provides navigational improvements that 
link United States producers and customers with national 
and international markets;
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Whereas the public waterways, including locks and dams con-
structed, operated, and maintained by the Corps of Engi-
neers, provide a safe, energy efficient, and cost effective 
means of transporting goods and services; 
Whereas the Corps of Engineers, in partnership with local 
public entities, provides levees, reservoirs, and other 
structural and nonstructural flood damage reduction 
measures that protect millions of families, homes, and 
businesses; 
Whereas a recent analysis of the state of the United States 
infrastructure garnered an overall grade of ‘‘D’’; 
Whereas every $1 invested in public transportation generates 
as much as $6 in economic returns to the Nation’s econ-
omy; 
Whereas the Nation’s public transportation systems experi-
enced 
record 
ridership 
levels 
in 
2008 
with 
10,680,000,000 passenger trips taken; 
Whereas infrastructure investment from all levels of govern-
ment and the private sector is currently $85,000,000,000 
annually; 
Whereas the capital asset program of the General Services 
Administration is authorized annually to provide Federal 
employees with necessary office space, courts of law, and 
other special purpose facilities; 
Whereas since 1972 the Nation has invested more than 
$250,000,000,000 in wastewater infrastructure facilities 
to establish a system that includes 16,000 publicly owned 
wastewater treatment plants, 100,000 major pumping 
stations, 600,000 miles of sanitary sewers, and 200,000 
miles of storm sewers;
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Whereas the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Ad-
ministration is charged with the safe and secure move-
ment of almost 1,200,000 daily shipments of hazardous 
materials by all modes of transportation and oversees the 
safety and security of 2,300,000 miles of gas and haz-
ardous liquid pipelines, which account for 64 percent of 
the energy commodities consumed in the United States; 
Whereas the National Railroad Passenger Corporation annu-
ally provides more than 28,000,000 people with intercity 
rail service; 
Whereas 15 new runways, 2 end-around taxiways, and 1 
reconfigured runway have opened at the Nation’s busiest 
airports since 2001; 
Whereas 3 of the Nation’s busiest airports currently have air-
field projects (1 new runway, 1 taxiway, and a reconfig-
uration) under construction to provide an additional 
110,900 annual operations and to decrease average 
delays by approximately 1.5 minutes per operation; 
Whereas in the report of the Department of Transportation 
entitled ‘‘2006 Status of the Nation’s Highways, Bridges, 
and Transit: Conditions & Performance’’, the Depart-
ment confirms that investment in the Nation’s highway, 
bridge, and transit infrastructure has not kept up with 
growing demands on the system; 
Whereas the National Surface Transportation Policy and 
Revenue Study Commission report estimates that the 
United States needs to invest up to $340,000,000,000 
annually for the next 50 years to upgrade the Nation’s 
existing transportation network to a good state of repair 
and to build the more advanced facilities the Nation will 
require to remain competitive;
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Whereas the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure 
Financing Commission report estimates that, without 
changes to current policy, revenues raised by all levels of 
government for capital investment will total only 36 per-
cent of the $200,000,000,000 necessary each year to 
maintain and improve United States highways and tran-
sit systems; 
Whereas the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure 
Financing Commission report also finds that there is a 
growing investment gap in the Nation’s infrastructure 
that will total nearly $400,000,000,000 in the years 2010 
through 2015 and $2,300,000,000,000 in the years 2010 
through 2035; and 
Whereas public works professionals are observing National 
Public Works Week from May 17 through 23, 2009: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the goals and ideals of National Public 
Works Week; 
(2) recognizes and celebrates the important con-
tributions that public works professionals make every 
day to improve the public infrastructure of the United 
States and the communities that those professionals 
serve; and 
(3) urges citizens and communities throughout the 
United States to join with representatives of the Federal 
Government in activities and ceremonies that are de-
signed to pay tribute to the public works professionals
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of the Nation and to recognize the substantial contribu-
tions that public works professionals make to the Na-
tion. 
Attest: 
Clerk.