Yoho Votes To Bring Jobs To North Central Florida
Washington D.C. – Congressman Ted Yoho (R-FL-03) voted in favor of H.R. 3080 – the Water Resources Reform and Development Act – WRRDA. Congressman Yoho gave the following statement after the vote:
"Too often, we – the members of the House - let partisan politics divide our chamber. This division keeps us from doing the job that our constituents sent us to Washington to do. This year’s, WRRDA, while long overdue, is desperately needed to get this House and this economy moving again. This common sense legislation gives our Nation’s infrastructure the needed resources to upgrade our national water infrastructure and to stimulate the economy.
"In our state alone, Florida’s 15 ports (that have generated nearly $1 trillion to the State’s economy,) rely on the approval of this WRRDA. We have two inland ports planed in Ocala, and one in Lake City that are dependent on the success of this bill. Doing so will not only help drive our economy by encouraging more imports and exports, it will create thousands of jobs, and improve our National security. "The success of the WRRDA cannot solely be measured in numbers by jobs and economic growth. The success of this WRRDA means families prospering, schools improving, local businesses flourishing, and We, the Members of the House restoring the faith our fellow American’s have placed in us.
" The passage of this bill is a sign that we are serious about reinvesting in America. This bill is a sign to the American people that Congress is serious about creating jobs and getting folks back to work. Today’s vote shows that we can put aside our partisan differences and lead as a common body toward a common cause to get our country back on track. But most of all, it means that we - the members of the People’s House, are on a path to restore – and rebuild – America.”
To ensure greater fiscal responsibility,WRRDA:
• De-authorizes $18 billion of old, inactive projects: Fiscal responsibility is a top priority. It is vital that Congress sets priorities for the Corps of Engineers and takes old, inactive projects off the books. WRRDA establishes a process that will de-authorize old, inactive projects authorized prior to the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 that have not begun construction, or if they have begun construction, have not received any funds (federal or non- federal) in the last six years. Additionally, this process prioritizes deauthorization of the oldest projects that have been inactive for the longest.
• More than fully offsets authorizations with de-authorizations: All authorizations in WRRDA are more than fully offset by de-authorizations. Specifically, WRRDA de-authorizes approximately $6 billion more than it authorizes.
• Sunsets new authorizations to prevent project backlogs: In order to prevent the accumulation of future backlogs, WRRDA terminates the authorization for any project authorized by the legislation after seven years unless construction has been initiated.
• Reduces the inventory of properties that are not needed for the missions of the Corps of Engineers: To save taxpayer dollars and allow the Corps of Engineers to focus on core missions, WRRDA requires an assessment of all properties under the control of the Corps of Engineers and the development of an inventory of properties that are not needed for the missions of the Corps, and provides an opportunity for non-federal interests to take over those properties.
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Congressman Ted Yoho serves on the Foreign Affairs and Agriculture Committees. He represents North Florida’s 3rd Congressional District