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Public Works, Energy & Utilities Transport funding stalls in Congress
U.S. House and Senate lawmakers are promoting differing solutions to the two-year impasse regarding a long-term surface transportation program, which would provide billions for state and local roadwork.
The nation’s surface transportation program, which expired on Sept. 30, 2009, has had eight short-term extensions. The current extension is due to expire in March.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has called on the president to push for a six-year bill.
Efforts to reauthorize the previous surface transportation bill (SAFETEA-LU) in 2011 ended when the chair of the House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, John Mica of Florida, announced that the legislative schedule would not permit the bill to move forward.
With revenue from the federal gas tax falling short of transportation spending levels, lawmakers are struggling to find additional revenue to fund a long-term transportation bill. Mica had proposed cutting federal highway funding by 34 percent, a reduction that would cost Massachusetts $216 million a year.
According to news reports, House leaders will propose legislation that would use tax revenue from increased energy production to fund a six-year bill, but they have delayed release of their legislation.
Senate Republicans have called for a combination of spending cuts, fund transfers from other programs, revenue from expanded oil and gas production, and the rescission of some unspent funds to fill a $12 billion per-year gap and maintain funding at current levels.
According to Politico’s Morning Transportation Report, Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus doesn’t want to comment on the Senate plan while negotiations are ongoing.
At the MMA Annual Meeting on Jan. 21, members will discuss a resolution calling on Congress and the president to “immediately reauthorize the federal surface transportation funding program to repair, maintain and build highways, bridges and transit systems, called SAFETEA-LU, at 2011 spending levels for at least two years, including reauthorization of the existing federal fuels taxes to pay for these infrastructure investments.”
Public Works, Energy & Utilities Transport funding stalls in Congress
Transport funding stalls in Congress
U.S. House and Senate lawmakers are promoting differing solutions to the two-year impasse regarding a long-term surface transportation program, which would provide billions for state and local roadwork.
The nation’s surface transportation program, which expired on Sept. 30, 2009, has had eight short-term extensions. The current extension is due to expire in March.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has called on the president to push for a six-year bill.
Efforts to reauthorize the previous surface transportation bill (SAFETEA-LU) in 2011 ended when the chair of the House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, John Mica of Florida, announced that the legislative schedule would not permit the bill to move forward.
With revenue from the federal gas tax falling short of transportation spending levels, lawmakers are struggling to find additional revenue to fund a long-term transportation bill. Mica had proposed cutting federal highway funding by 34 percent, a reduction that would cost Massachusetts $216 million a year.
According to news reports, House leaders will propose legislation that would use tax revenue from increased energy production to fund a six-year bill, but they have delayed release of their legislation.
Senate Republicans have called for a combination of spending cuts, fund transfers from other programs, revenue from expanded oil and gas production, and the rescission of some unspent funds to fill a $12 billion per-year gap and maintain funding at current levels.
According to Politico’s Morning Transportation Report, Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus doesn’t want to comment on the Senate plan while negotiations are ongoing.
At the MMA Annual Meeting on Jan. 21, members will discuss a resolution calling on Congress and the president to “immediately reauthorize the federal surface transportation funding program to repair, maintain and build highways, bridges and transit systems, called SAFETEA-LU, at 2011 spending levels for at least two years, including reauthorization of the existing federal fuels taxes to pay for these infrastructure investments.”
Written by MMA Senior Legislative Analyst Tom Philbin
