Senate Proceeding on Sep 16th, 2009 :: 3:34:25 to 3:38:05
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3:34:16 to 3:34:36( Edit History Discussion )

Judd Gregg: ms. landrieu: than you. mr. gregg: the presiding officer: the senator from new hampshire. mr. gregg: i would ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment and call up amendment 2361. the presiding officer: without objection. amendment. the clerk: the senator from new hampshire, mr. gregg, for himself and others, proposes an amendment numbered mr. gregg madam president, i ask the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

3:34:25 to 3:38:05( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Judd Gregg

3:34:37 to 3:34:59( Edit History Discussion )

Judd Gregg: the presiding officer: without objection. mr. gregg: madam president, this is an amendment that shouldn't have to be order, to be very ho today there are a lot of projects being pursued urn the -- under the stimulus package and every one of those projects that's a road project, unfortunately, finds itself having to put up a sign that that says this is a really good

3:35:00 to 3:35:21( Edit History Discussion )

Judd Gregg: project being paid for with tax dollars. these are self-congratulatory signs. they're political signs. they're so that lawmakers can say, "wow, look at this project we're doing." but these signs cost actually, when you add them all up, they cost a lot and they're a total waste of money.

3:35:22 to 3:35:42( Edit History Discussion )

Judd Gregg: there's no reason to have these gns by every project that occurs in america. it's projected there will be somewhere around 20,000 to 22,000 projects. the signs cost from about $400 in new hampshire, they cost as much as -- i think it was around $3,000 in new jersey.

3:35:43 to 3:36:03( Edit History Discussion )

Judd Gregg: for each sign. new hampshire is a little more efficient. i suspect north carolina, they don't cost probably much mo than $400. but you take that and you multiply that out, you're talking about a cost of somewhere between $6 million and $15 million being spent on signs. that's - that's an money. that money could be used for something valuable, for emple, rather than a sign.

3:36:04 to 3:36:26( Edit History Discussion )

Judd Gregg: but the practical effect of that is that the signs really should say, "wasting taxpayers dollars." project funded by future generations of americans, if they're going to be honest signs. but i'm not asking that there be any signs. there shouldn't be any signs. but, instead, the department -- the highway departments across this country are being basically

3:36:27 to 3:36:48( Edit History Discussion )

Judd Gregg: required to put these signs up as the projects are built out. in fact, there was o in new hampshire -- are lots of examples in new hampshire, but there was one community in new hampshire where the leadership that have community said we don't want to put the signs up because we think they're a waste and they were told if they didn't put the signs up, they wouldn't get and that's happening all across the country.

3:36:49 to 3:37:12( Edit History Discussion )

Judd Gregg: so, really, this -- this amendment is -- should be unnecessary. this should be obvious. obvious that we don't have to put these signs up. they shouldn't -- that we shouldn't be spending money in this way. if we're going to spen $6 million to $18 million to $20 million on something, let's spend it on something that actually produces some value

3:37:13 to 3:37:33( Edit History Discussion )

Judd Gregg: rather than creates a self-congratulatory event for the local for the -- and for the congress. you know, we -- we do enough self-con grasp laight around here. -- self-congratulating around here. they shouldn't make the taxpayers pay for it. instead, we should be a little more responsible with the taxpayers' money.

3:37:34 to 3:37:54( Edit History Discussion )

Judd Gregg: so it's a very that's why i'm not going to spend a lot of time on it because i think it's so obvious that it should be accepted and passed that it would -- it should just occur. i mean, you know, it's one of those amendments where you sort of scratch your head and say, why do we even have to offer this amendment? why should we have to offer an amendment to say you don't put signs up spending taxpayers' dollars to congratulate yourself

3:37:55 to 3:38:05( Edit History Discussion )

Judd Gregg: for a project that the taxpayer paid for? but we do, unfortunately, in this instance because the department has insisted on -- on these signs acrossmerica. so that's what the amendment