Yesterday, the House, by a vote of 367 to 55, approved H.R. 5021, a $10.8 billion Highway Trust Fund patch which provides sufficient revenue to maintain current funding levels through May 2015. The bill also extends MAP-21 authorization for the highway and transit programs for those eight months. The bill received strong bipartisan support from 181 Republicans and 186 Democrats, while 45 Republicans and 10 Democrats voted against. Revenue needed to support the patch came from a general fund transfer which was off- set by a variety of tax code adjustments including extending customs fees on importers, taking money from the leaking underground storage tank fund (LUST) and changing rules on private pension contributions. 鶹Ƶand our coalition partners in the Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) and the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) urged the House to support H.R. 5021.
meetings.agc.org/highwayutilities
Get up to date information on a variety of Issues that will impact the highway, transportation and utility construction markets over the next year. The 2014 鶹ƵHighway and Utilities Contractors Conference will be held Nov. 13-15, 2014, at the Omni LaCosta in San Diego, Calif. Industry professionals from companies involved in building highway, bridge, utility and underground construction, transit, airport runway and rail projects will benefit from this conference. Presentation and discussions on major trends in highway and utility construction will be featured, including:
Both the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee moved legislation today to provide sufficient revenue to the Highway Trust Fund in order to keep highway and transit programs operational until May 31, 2015. The House bill included language extending MAP-21 authorization, at current levels, to May 31, while the Senate bill did not. However, the Senate provided sufficient revenue to carry the program until June 1 and is expected to add extension language at some point.
The chief executive officer of 鶹Ƶof America, Stephen E. Sandherr, released the following statement in response to a report on the condition of the nation's rural roads released by national transportation research group TRIP today.
House Ways & Means Committee to Release Plans in Early July
Today, the Senate Finance Committee had planned to hold a markup of Chairman Ron Wyden's (D-Ore.) $9 billion Highway Trust Fund patch. However, at the request of ranking Republican member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Chairman Wyden suspended the markup to allow Republicans more time to develop alternatives to his proposal. Republicans remained focused on finding spending cuts to offset the patch and would like more time to negotiate with Democrats to forge a bipartisan compromise. The second part of the markup may happen the week of July 7.
Report Meetings and Share Pictures at www.HardhatsforHighways.org
Your Senators and Representatives will be back working in your home districts next week, June 30 - July 1. Please take this opportunity to set up meetings with your members of Congress to discuss the importance federal highway funding has on your company and your job. Please continue to make contact with your Congressional offices by setting up in-person meetings and sending “e-Hardhat” letters. Encourage your employees to send “e-Hardhat” letters as well.
Finance Committee May Move Short-Term Patch; House Republicans Back Away from Postal Reform
The balance remaining in the Highway Trust Fund is projected to have insufficient revenue to pay states for ongoing construction activities within the next few weeks. Today, Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) introduced legislation that would raise the gas tax – currently at 18.4 cents per gallon – and the diesel tax – at 24.4 cents per gallon – by 12 cents each, and then index the taxes to keep pace with inflation and help mitigate the insolvency of the trust fund. The increase would be phased-in over two years, raising 6 cents per year. Their plan calls for offsetting the tax increases by permanently extending six federal tax breaks that expired this year.
The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in response to the release of a highway funding and tax reduction proposal released today by Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.):
“This proposal provides the kind of long-term funding solutions that virtually every independent, bipartisan commission has said are needed to repair and upgrade our aging transportation network. As important, by finding the courage to cross aisles and tackle difficult funding questions, the Senators are demonstrating the legislative process at its finest.
Your Legislators Need to Hear from You With a transportation bill beginning to move through the Senate, it is critical that you contact your legislators to educate them on the importance of supporting a highway bill and the affect it will have on your company and job if they do not.
Assumes a HTF Fix in Fiscal Year 2015 This week, by a vote of 28-21, the House Appropriations Committee passed the FY 2015 Transportation and Housing & Urban Development (THUD) spending bill. The bill, which is the fourth of 12 spending bills to be approved by the committee, would provide $52 billion in funding for highways, transit aviation, rail and housing programs. No date has been set for consideration of the bill by the full House.