Senate Continuing Resolution Provides MAP-21 Funding Levels

This week, Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) unveiled their FY 2013 appropriations bill, H.R. 933 – the Consolidated and Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013.  The bill includes five individual appropriations bills for spending in the following agencies: Defense, Military Construction/Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Homeland Security, and Commerce/Justice/State. The bill is currently being debated on the Senate floor.   Both the House and Senate versions of H.R. 933 leave the $85 billion March 1 budget sequester in place, but by changing the account-level priorities within each agency in those two (House) or five (Senate) bills, they can lessen some of the more disruptive effects of the sequester. For the other bills not included in either version of the package, H.R. 933 simply extends the existing continuing resolution (CR) (Public Law 112-175) through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2013, in both versions.  Unfortunately, the prohibition on new starts for federal construction projects continues for those agencies not included in the five individual appropriations bills. AGC scored a huge victory with the Senate bill providing increased levels of funding for Highway Trust Fund programs compared to what was included in the current CR and the recently passed House bill.  AGC and our transportation stakeholders have been very active in lobbying and sending letters securing the higher funding levels that were authorized and paid for in MAP-21.  AGC urges all members to visit the Legislative Action Center and contact their Senators to urge their support for H.R. 933, which may be voted on as early as tomorrow, March 14.