Senators, House GOP Work Separately to Devise Transportation Spending Plans

A bipartisan group of four key U.S. senators last week set a date to begin working on a two-year surface transportation spending measure to replace the one that expired in 2009.

At the same time, however, House leaders said they are drafting their own six-year bill, and leaders in both bodies are still trying to figure out how to pay for their plans.

The senators’ $109-billion measure would be the first reauthorization bill introduced in Congress to replace the current spending law, known as SAFETEA-LU, which has been temporarily extended eight times since it expired.

Markup, the process of writing a new bill in committee, will be Nov. 9 in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee headed by Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who leads the bipartisan coalition ( 5-30, p. 5).

Transport officials praised the action.

“We think there is some positive momentum in both the Senate and House,” said Greg Cohen, president of the American Highway Users Alliance, “but the EPW committee actually coming to markup is a sign progress is being made.”

The other senators in the group are Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of EPA’s transportation and infrastructure subcommittee; James Inhofe (R-Okla.), EPW’s ranking minority member; and David Vitter (R-La.), ranking member on Baucus’ transportation panel. Baucus also is chairman of the Finance Committee, which must find funding for the bill.

Brian Turmail, spokesman for the Associated General Contractors of America, said AGC prefers a six-year bill but welcomes the markup as proof that reauthorization is a Senate priority.

“There’s a lot of positive developments, but are we there yet? Is anyone breaking out the champagne? Obviously, no,” Turmail said.

Reauthorization progress in the House is “a little more muddled,” Turmail said.

Contractors were heartened in September, he said, when House Republican leaders announced they would maintain current transportation spending levels of about $50 billion annually in a six-year bill (10-3, p. 1).

Republicans had threatened earlier to slash the spending more than 30%. However, House Republican leaders said they would maintain current spending levels in a six-year bill, Turmail said, but they have not announced where they will find revenue to fund it.

“We’ve heard different things and some rhetoric about tapping into future revenue from offshore drilling, but we’ve not seen anything tangible or even any strong indication,” he said.

At a press briefing Oct. 24, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, reiterated that the House leadership is holding fast to its promise to let his panel write a six-year reauthorization bill based on current spending levels.

“I think there’s quite a move in Congress, especially on the Republican side, to make this a primary jobs bill,” Mica said. “It has that potential, I believe.”

The Republican reversal on spending occurred shortly after President Obama on Sept. 8 unveiled a $447 billion jobs plan that includes $27 billion for roads and bridges (9-12, p. 1).

During the Oct. 24 press briefing, Mica strongly criticized Boxer’s two-year approach to reauthorization. Boxer has said the fiscal situation is such that a two-year bill has the best chance of passing.

Only a six-year bill can provide the financial “stability” needed for long-term transportation planning at federal and state levels, Mica said, and Boxer’s two-year approach “depletes the entire trust fund in two years.”

Mica also pointed out that Boxer does not have funding for her plan, whose annual spending levels exceed projected revenue for the Highway Trust Fund.

To fund a six-year bill at current spending levels, Mica said, Republican leaders must find $75 billion to $100 billion beyond projected trust fund revenue.

He said he is relying on House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to identify a revenue source.

“I don’t make that decision,” Mica said. “Their staffs have been working. . . . They haven’t come up with a solution yet. I don’t feel bad because Boxer’s been looking longer,” he said.