Floor SpeechNeutral2025-04-09

INTRODUCTION OF THE UNION STATION REDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FUNDING ELIGIBILITY ACT

Foreign PolicyLaborInfrastructure

Context

On 2025-04-09, Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-0) delivered a floor speech titled "INTRODUCTION OF THE UNION STATION REDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FUNDING ELIGIBILITY ACT" in the House.

Full Text

INTRODUCTION OF THE UNION STATION REDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FUNDING ELIGIBILITY ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 64 (Wednesday, April 9, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 9, 2025)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E303] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] INTRODUCTION OF THE UNION STATION REDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FUNDING ELIGIBILITY ACT ______ HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON of the district of columbia in the house of representatives Wednesday, April 9, 2025 Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation Funding Eligibility Act, which would make the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC) eligible for funding under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP) Program, the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Program and the National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program, also known as the Mega Program. Funding under these transportation programs is essential to implement the planned expansion and modernization of Union Station in the District of Columbia, known as the Washington Union Station Expansion Project (USEP). Senator Chris Van Hollen has introduced this bill in the Senate. Union Station is owned by the federal government, and USRC, a nonprofit, manages and operates the station under a lease with the federal government. The members of USRC's board of directors are the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, the Federal City Council, the District of Columbia and the USRC President and CEO. USRC is the only entity exclusively dedicated to the management and operations of Union Station and therefore should be eligible for funding under the FSP Program, the CRISI Program, the BUILD Program and the Mega Program. Union Station is a vital local, regional and national intermodal transportation hub that, pre-pandemic, welcomed more than 100,000 travelers and visitors each day--more than either Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport or Washington Dulles International Airport. Located five blocks from the U.S. Capitol, Union Station serves as a gateway to the Nation's Capital, as well as the backbone that connects East Coast passenger rail lines to the north and south. People rely on Union Station every day to get to work and to visit the Nation's Capital. Despite the vital role Union Station plays in the Nation's Capital, it has not undergone major renovation since the 1980s. The USEP represents a historic transportation and economic development opportunity for the Nation's Capital and the national capital region, but billions of dollars are needed to carry it out. This bill would give USRC access to critical funding. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. ____________________

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INTRODUCTION OF THE UNION STATION REDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FUNDING ELIGIBILITY ACT Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 64 (Wednesday, April 9, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 9, 2025)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E303] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] INTRODUCTION OF THE UNION STATION REDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FUNDING ELIGIBILITY ACT ______ HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON of the district of columbia in the house of representatives Wednesday, April 9, 2025 Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation Funding Eligibility Act, which would make the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC) eligible for funding under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP) Program, the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Program and the National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program, also known as the Mega Program. Funding under these transportation programs is essential to implement the planned expansion and modernization of Union Station in the District of Columbia, known as the Washington Union Station Expansion Project (USEP). Senator Chris Van Hollen has introduced this bill in the Senate. Union Station is owned by the federal government, and USRC, a nonprofit, manages and operates the station under a lease with the federal government. The members of USRC's board of directors are the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, the Federal City Council, the District of Columbia and the USRC President and CEO. USRC is the only entity exclusively dedicated to the management and operations of Union Station and therefore should be eligible for funding under the FSP Program, the CRISI Program, the BUILD Program and the Mega Program. Union Station is a vital local, regional and national intermodal transportation hub that, pre-pandemic, welcomed more than 100,000 travelers and visitors each day--more than either Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport or Washington Dulles International Airport. Located five blocks from the U.S. Capitol, Union Station serves as a gateway to the Nation's Capital, as well as the backbone that connects East Coast passenger rail lines to the north and south. People rely on Union Station every day to get to work and to visit the Nation's Capital. Despite the vital role Union Station plays in the Nation's Capital, it has not undergone major renovation since the 1980s. The USEP represents a historic transportation and economic development opportunity for the Nation's Capital and the national capital region, but billions of dollars are needed to carry it out. This bill would give USRC access to critical funding. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. ____________________