HR 1908 — Investing In America: Unlocking the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Act

Summary

Investing In America: Unlocking the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Act This bill amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 and the Internal Revenue Code to make certain amounts in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund equivalent to port use tax receipts available for its statutorily prescribed purposes without further appropriation, including for expenditures to pay 100% of the eligible operations and maintenance costs of specified portions of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and up to 100% of the eligible operations and maintenance costs assigned to commercial navigation of all U.S. harbors and inland harbors.Trust fund receipts and disbursements shall: not be counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surplus for purposes of the federal budget, the congressional budget, the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, or the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010; be exempt from any general budget limitation imposed by statute on government expenditures and net lending (budget outlays); and be available only for the statutorily prescribed purposes of such fund.

Bill Text

• Introduced Introduced in House Current html April 05, 2017

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill modifies how funds from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund are appropriated and used, ensuring they directly support navigation activities.

• 33 U.S.C. 2238

  There are authorized to be appropriated out of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, established by section 9505 of title 26, for each fiscal year such sums as may be necessary to pay— → Amounts made available from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund in accordance with section 9505(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 shall be used to pay--

  This change clarifies that funds from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund must be used directly to support navigation.

• 33 U.S.C. 2238

  authorization of appropriations → funding for navigation

  The section heading is changed to emphasize the focus on direct funding for navigation.

• 26 U.S.C. 9505

  , as provided by appropriation Acts, → , in accordance with subsection (d),

  This change updates the text to reflect a new requirement for fund availability.

• 26 U.S.C. 9505

  amount of appropriations → expenditures

  This modification alters the terminology to focus on actual expenditures from the Trust Fund.

• 33 U.S.C. 2238a(2)

  amount of appropriations → expenditures

  This change aligns the terminology with the amendments regarding the use of funds.

• 33 U.S.C. 2238a

  Beginning on October 1, 2017, there shall be available from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for making expenditures under subsection (c)-- (1) without further appropriation, an amount equivalent to the taxes received in the Treasury under section 4461 for the previous fiscal year, as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury; and (2) such additional amounts as provided by appropriations Acts.

  This adds a provision to ensure a baseline availability of funds without needing further appropriation.

• Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the receipts and disbursements of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund-- (1) shall not be counted as new budget authority, outlays, receipts, or deficit or surplus for purposes of-- (A) the budget of the United States Government as submitted by the President; (B) the congressional budget (including allocations of budget authority and outlays provided therein); (C) the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985; or (D) the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010; (2) shall be exempt from any general budget limitation imposed by statute on expenditures and net lending (budget outlays) of the United States Government; and (3) shall be available only for the purposes specified in section 9505 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

  This provision ensures that the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund's activities are not constrained by budget caps.

• 26 U.S.C. 9505 note

  Public Works and Transportation → Transportation and Infrastructure

  Updates the name of the committee for annual reporting purposes.

• 26 U.S.C. 9505 note

  and annually thereafter, → and annually thereafter concurrent with the submission of the President's annual budget request to Congress,

  Adjusts the timing of the reporting requirement to align with the budget submission process.

• 26 U.S.C. 9505 note

  A description of the expected expenditures from the trust fund to meet the needs of navigation for the fiscal year of the budget request.

  This mandates that future reports include an overview of anticipated expenditures from the trust fund.

Action History

1. April 05, 2017

   Introduced in House

2. April 05, 2017

   Introduced in House

3. April 05, 2017

   Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

4. April 05, 2017

   Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

5. April 05, 2017

   Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

6. April 05, 2017

   Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

7. April 06, 2017

   Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Sponsors

• Mike Kelly · Primary

Subjects