Transportation Conference Committee Continues Deliberations

Speaker Boehner Hints at 6-Month Extension Negotiations between the House and Senate over their separate versions of a transportation authorization bill accelerated somewhat this week when Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), together with Ranking Committee Republican Jim Inhofe (Okla.), personally delivered an offer of compromise language on provisions to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.). The “offer” was received by the House as a positive gesture. Chairman Mica said the House conferees would begin making "sequential counteroffers" today. The Senate offer addressed issues directly related to transportation and did not address funding, Keystone pipeline or coal ash, but nevertheless was viewed as an important step in the negotiation process. Senator Boxer, who also serves as the chair of the conference committee, continues to press for a compromise measure to be negotiated before the current extension expires on June 30. While the House will be in recess next week, Chairman Mica indicated that committee staff would continue to meet and House conferees would remain engaged. Adding to pressure on House and Senate conferees, today Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) says he may press for a six-month extension of federal highway and transit programs if the House and Senate fail to reach a deal by the June 30 deadline.  This statement from the Speaker only reaffirms the need for AGC members to get involved and urge their Representatives and Senators to produce a final transportation reauthorization bill by June 30. For more information, please contact Brian Deery at (703) 837-5319 or deeryb@agc.org.