California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 53

Introduced by Assembly Member Rendon

(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Lowenthal)

August 11, 2014

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 53—Relative to the National Freight Network Trust Fund Act of 2014.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AJR 53, as introduced, Rendon. National Freight Network Trust Fund Act of 2014.

This measure would memorialize the Congress and President of the United States to enact HR 5101, the National Freight Network Trust Fund Act of 2014.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, An estimated 1.15 billion tons of cargo, valued at
almost $2,000,000,000,000, moves through California annually,
providing the goods and services needed to sustain regional and
national industries and consumers on a daily basis; and

WHEREAS, The national supply chain, national economy, and
international standing of the United States benefit from and depend
on goods movement; and

WHEREAS, Given the fact that the goods movement economic
sector is experiencing increased competition both nationally and
internationally, it is important that infrastructure improvements
be made to remove bottlenecks and move freight efficiently and
safely with minimal environmental impacts; and

WHEREAS, The federal government has begun to establish a
comprehensive national freight policy to facilitate the measured
and planned growth of interstate and international trade among
and between the states, our foreign neighbors, and from our
international airports and international seaports to domestic points
of destination, but the federal government does not have a plan in
place to fund those policies; and

WHEREAS, The traditional source of transportation funding is
revenue collected from the federal fuel tax (26 U.S.C. Sec. 4081),
and other sources, but this main source of funds has been stagnant
since 1993 and has struggled to keep pace with infrastructure
expenses in recent years as cars have become more fuel efficient;
and

WHEREAS, The transportation funding gap is projected to be
$16,000,000,000 per year and the insolvency of the federal
Highway Trust Fund is projected to be imminent if immediate
action is not taken; and

WHEREAS, Given the large economic generator that goods
movement represents, freight movement should be funded from a
dedicated revenue stream; and

WHEREAS, A lack of significant investment in interstate and
international trade infrastructure in California has significant costs,
most notably the additional impacts of traffic congestion on our
local roads, highways, and railways and the emissions from
heavy-duty equipment, trains, trucks, and ships on air quality and
public health and the public financing burdens associated with
building and maintaining the transportation infrastructure necessary
to grow and facilitate interstate and international trade; and

WHEREAS, California taxpayers have recently committed
$3,100,000,000 of taxpayer funds to improve goods movement
infrastructure and reduce air pollution from goods movement in
California; and

WHEREAS, The significant costs, both direct and indirect, of
facilitating interstate and international trade should not rest
primarily with the state, its local governments, or its citizens; and

WHEREAS, If the United States wishes to remain globally
competitive, the movement of goods should be prioritized with
the creation of a dedicated funding stream for a multimodal national
freight system that will create efficiencies in the movement of
goods between our cities, ports, and markets, both here and abroad;
and

WHEREAS, On July 6, 2012, the President signed Public Law
112-141 which, as a two-year federal transportation reauthorization,
established the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century
surface transportation program (MAP-21), which recognized the
importance of a strong freight network to ensure competitiveness
in the global economy; and

WHEREAS, The overarching themes of MAP-21 include
strengthening America’s highways and public transportation
systems, creating jobs, supporting economic growth, accelerating
project delivery, and establishing performance-based federal
programming; and

WHEREAS, MAP-21 included a variety of freight-related
provisions, including establishing a national freight policy, plan,
and network, providing incentive funding for freight improvements,
encouraging states to form freight advisory committees, requiring
states to develop freight performance measures, requiring the
federal Department of Transportation to develop a Freight Strategic
Plan by October 2014, and maintaining the Projects of National
and Regional Significance Program funding for large
freight-oriented projects that provide long-term congestion relief
and safety improvements; and

WHEREAS, United States Customs and Border Protection
collects an estimated $38,000,000,000 annually; and

WHEREAS, The transfer of 5 percent of all import duties
collected by United States Customs and Border Protection would
generate nearly $1,900,000,000 annually; and

WHEREAS, It is necessary to create a dedicated funding source
to better serve our roads and railways that connect the freight
network to the ports of entry into this country; and

WHEREAS, A dedicated freight network trust fund would help
fund critical infrastructure projects, such as dedicated truck lanes
on highways, better bridges, and on-dock rail that would speed
goods movement, improve air quality, and reduce congestion on
our nation’s roadways; and

WHEREAS, A dedicated freight network trust fund, as proposed
to be created by HR 5101, would infuse nearly $2,000,000,000
back into the economy every year and create well-paying jobs here
in the United States while keeping our ports strong and globally
competitive; and

WHEREAS, All levels of government serve a vital role in freight
movement and a dedicated funding source is needed to facilitate
goods movement-related projects that will provide economic,
environmental, and quality of life benefits both nationally and
locally; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature memorializes the Congress
and President of the United States to enact HR 5101, the National
Freight Network Trust Fund Act of 2014, as introduced by
Representative Janice Hahn, to improve performance of the national
freight network; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Majority
Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and Representative
representing California in the Congress of the United States.