Transportation Funding Reduced in Continuing Resolution

The House is expected to approve a continuing resolution (CR) for FY 2013 today that would fund federal government programs for six months at the same level as FY 2012 with a slight increase of .612 percent. This action is necessary because Congress has failed to pass any of the 12 appropriations bills for FY 2013 whci begins on Oct. 1, 2012. The Senate is expected to take up and pass the CR later this week. Because the funding is based on FY 2012 levels, highway and transit programs will not receive the funding increase that was included in the MAP-21 authorization legislation passed earlier this summer. A drafting quirk in MAP-21 legislation and the continuing resolution also prevents the federal-aid highway program from receiving the .612 percent increase. While this is viewed as a temporary problem that can be corrected when either Congress returns after the election, or when the new Congress meets and takes action on the remainder of the FY 2013 funding, it will nevertheless impact funding over the next six months. AGC and the AGC Co-Chaired Transportation Construction Coalition sent letters to the House and Senate expressing concern about this limit on transportation funding.