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.

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 don’t.

The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in response to the release of the final version of the joint House-Senate conference committee’s Water Resources Reform & Development Act: "The release of this water resources bill is yet another sign that investing in infrastructure is something members of both parties in both houses of Congress can and do support. Republicans and Democrats alike understand and appreciate the economic wisdom of improving our aging system of inland waterways, harbors, ports, locks and dams.

This afternoon, the Senate Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee announced that they will mark up their reauthorization of MAP-21 on May 15 and will release the draft text of the bill on May 12. 

On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing examining the pending insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund.  At the hearing, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reaffirmed previous projections that the Highway Trust Fund will face insolvency this summer and will be in need of nearly $100 billion over the next six years.  The committee is currently looking at both short- and long-term transportation funding options to fill the CBO projected revenue gaps in the Highway Trust Fund.