Transportation Reauthorization Update

Senate As the Senate Banking and Science, Commerce and Transportation Committees aim to markup their respective provisions of the surface transportation reauthorization bill next week, the Senate Finance Committee is not moving any closer to marking up their revenue provisions of the bill.  However, Republican members of the Finance Committee shared their proposed options for funding the legislation – also known as MAP-21 – in a letter sent to Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.). The letter, which was signed by seven of the 12 Republican members of the Finance Committee proposes the following options to achieve the $12 billion necessary to finance the two-year reauthorization:  $3.5 billion by rescinding funds for the Advanced Vehicle Technology Manufacturing Loan Program, a $3 billion transfer from the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund, reclaiming transfers from the Highway Trust Fund to the Land and Water Conservation Fund ($2.5 billion over 10 years), expanded oil and gas production in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the Outer Continental Shelf ($5.2 billion over 10 years) and rescinding unspent federal funds (a $30 billion rescission would be required to net the needed $12 billion). Although many of the suggested options are non-starters, the letter is seen as a positive development that Republicans on the committee are willing to work with Chairman Baucus in securing the money necessary to fund the Senate surface transportation reauthorization bill.  AGC will continue to press all members of the Senate Finance Committee to take action on the revenue title of the bill and will monitor the actions of the Banking and Commerce, Science and Transportation Committees. House On the heels of the disappointing news last week that the House will not move forward with a surface transportation reauthorization bill this year, a bipartisan group of House Members, led by Congressmen Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), Pat Meehan (R-PA) ,  Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) and John  Carney (D-Del.), sent a letter to President Obama expressing their support for a six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill.  The AGC-supported letter, calls for a fully-funded bill “with investments above current levels” and was signed by over 111 members of Congress (62 Democrats and 49 Republicans).  This effort, along with the AGC-led letter from Republican House members to Republican Leadership, show a broad base of support for the House to take swift action on moving a transportation reauthorization bill when they return in January. For more information, please contact Sean O’Neill at (202) 547-8892 or oneills@agc.org.