Senate Committee Moves Four-Month Highway Extension

This morning, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) unanimously passed out of their committee the Surface Transportation Act of 2012, a four-month extension of the surface transportation authorization.  The current extension is set to expire on Sept. 30, 2011. The AGC supported bill will extend federal aid highway programs through Jan. 31, 2012 at current authorized funding levels of $42 billion.  The bill also extends the authority to collect the federal motor fuels tax, also set to expire on Sept. 30, 2011 through Jan. 30, 2012. The next step for the extension is consideration by the entire Senate.  At this point it is not clear when it will come to the Senate floor for a vote.  The status of the extension in the House has yet to be determined.  Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica (R-FL) has two main options in moving an extension forward: extend the programs at current levels as the Senate did; or extend at the levels in the House passed budget resolution, which accounts for a 30 percent cut in current funding. AGC has been meeting with House Leadership and the Transportation Committee encouraging them to move an extension at current funding levels. At the EPW markup of the Surface Transportation Extension Act, Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ranking Member Jim Inhofe reaffirmed their efforts in finalizing a two-year $109 billion bill that would keep spending at current levels while providing many reform long advocated by AGC. One of the last hurdles to overcome prior to the EPW Committee proceeding with the two year reauthorization is how to fund the bill. The Senate Finance Committee - chaired by senior EPW member Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) -  is tasked with finding $12 billion to fill the gap between what the Boxer/Inhofe bill would authorize and what the Highway Trust Fund can support.  Both Boxer and Baucus have indicated that they are close to identifying where that money will come from but have not made that information public. AGC and our members have been very active over the August recess in contacting key Senators that sit on both the EPW and Finance Committees urging their support of and funding for the Boxer/Inhofe bill. We will continue to contact both the House and Senate to ensure that any extension of the surface transportation programs is done at current levels. For more information, please contact Sean O’Neill at (202) 547-8892 or oneills@agc.org.