; Whereas more than 78 percent of the locks and dams operated by the Corps of Engineers on the system are well beyond their 50-year design life, and nearly half of vessels experience delays; Whereas the Mississippi River contributes the largest percentage into the Inland Waterways Trust Fund to contribute in the construction and rehabilitation of locks and dams, yet has received limited investment return to its infrastructure; and Whereas proportional investment in the inland waterway system infrastructure would directly result in efficiency and productivity gains across sectors and significantly impact the competitiveness of American commodities in international markets: Now, therefore, be it