Capitol Agenda for the Week of Nov. 13

THE WEEK AHEAD (all times ET):

Nov. 14, 8 a.m.: The Hill presents a discussion on “Digitalizing Infrastructure: Building a Smart Future.” Participants include Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Kansas City, Mo. Chief Innovation Officer Bob Bennett, and Brian Pallasch, managing director of government relations and infrastructure initiatives at the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Hill’s Melanie Zanona is a moderator.

Nov. 14, 9:30 a.m.: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee meets to examine relief efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. T. Kenneth Mapp and Ricardo Rossello, the governors of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, respectively, will testify at the hearing.

Nov. 14, 9:30 a.m.: The National Transportation Safety Board holds a meeting on the Amtrak train collision with maintenance-of-way equipment in Pennsylvania last year.

Nov. 14, 6:30 p.m.: Fox News hosts a town hall on tax reform with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).

Nov. 15, 9 a.m.: The National Transportation Safety Board unveils its 2017-18 “Most Wanted” list.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

ATRI: The American Transportation Research Institute has determined that a federal fuel tax increase is the best option for achieving a large-scale infrastructure program. 

ACTIVITY BONDS: Tax breaks designed to help the private sector finance infrastructure projects were not included in a Republican tax overhaul bill President Donald Trump would consider by the end of the year.

ELDs: Drivers bracing for the upcoming electronic logging device rule should practice driving with the new units and old-fashioned paper logs, according to La Tonya Mimms, transportation specialist with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

BUZZ:

Trucking-centric proposals are expected to be outlined in NTSB’s most-wanted list.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

The vast majority of people are going to get a tax cut. And any time you really reform the tax code, there will be some outliers that may not get a tax cut. In this reform, any such outliers are likely to be pretty high income folks who also tend to have significant investment portfolios.

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), on NBC’s Meet The Press on Nov. 12

FAVORITE VIDEO:

The Democrats hear it from Saturday Night Live.

FAVORITE TWEET:

Virginia state Rep. Danica Roem (D), the first openly transgender elected official in the country, is focused on reducing traffic congestion.

Danica Roem gets to work on fulfilling her campaign pledge to reduce traffic congestion on Route 28 https://t.co/q0c8ZLbpAt pic.twitter.com/1ZeKpSaUxV — WTOP (@WTOP) November 13, 2017

Thank you for reading Capitol Agenda. We publish Tuesdays when Congress is in session. E-mail emulero@ttnews.com with tips. Follow @eugenemulero and @transporttopics on Twitter.