(Washington, DC)  – Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D. (R-South Louisiana), released the following statement today after adding the Boustany Amendment to H.R. 4348, The Highway Bill. The Boustany Amendment is a modified version of H.R. 104, the Realize America’s Maritime Promise (RAMP) Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Boustany:

“The Boustany Amendment ensures revenue coming into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) is used and spent for its designated purposes: harbor maintenance and dredging. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, America’s arteries of commerce and job creation are blocked: almost 30 percent of our nation’s ports are hindered because of inadequate channel depths attributed to a lack of proper dredging. This amendment guarantees the total amount available for spending from the HMTF each fiscal year is equal to the HMTF receipts as estimated by the President’s budget for that year.

“As Chairman of the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Oversight, I held a hearing on this egregious abuse and diversion of taxpayer dollars from the HMTF. Neglecting our nation’s infrastructure hurts American competitiveness and threatens the viability of our nation’s ports and harbors. Strengthened language included in the Boustany Amendment bolsters the House’s ability to negotiate with the Senate during a Conference Committee,” stated Boustany.

Bill Rase, Director of the Port of Lake Charles added, “Every year channel users pay more than enough money in federal Harbor Maintenance Taxes to pay for the dredging needs of our harbors, but every year the federal government fails to use those funds as they were intended.  As a result, our ports are less efficient. The increased shipping costs are passed on to consumers and our products are less competitive in overseas markets.  Rep. Boustany's leadership on this issue is critical to the success of the Port of Lake Charles and the 31,000 jobs that the Port provides.”

Boustany continued, “I applaud the passage of the RESTORE Act. As an original cosponsor of the legislation and as a member of the Gulf Coast Caucus, I am proud to see it included in this package. I remain committed to Gulf Coast restoration and completion of the Southwest Coastal Study to repair South Louisiana’s precious wetlands. 

“Another important provision supports the Keystone XL pipeline. American families and businesses including refineries on the Gulf Coast will benefit greatly from this pipeline.”

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The Boustany Amendment received broad bipartisan support from Members of Congress on the House floor. Notable groups including the National Association of Manufactures, the American Association of Port Authorities, the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce supported this Amendment. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce selected this Amendment as part of its notable “Key Vote Alert!”