In Albany Thursday the State Assembly Transportation Committee held a hearing on a state program providing $7.5-billion dollars in state funds for local roads, bridges, rail and aviation systems.
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The 359-65 House vote and 83-16 Senate approval was a bipartisan compromise coming one day before today’s funding cutoff.
The bill moves to the White House for President Barack Obama’s signature.
The American Road and Transportation Builders Association said Congress and the Obama administration “again sidestepped a golden opportunity to put the federal highway and transit investment program back on solid financial footing for the long term”. “Hundreds of Arkansas projects were at risk of cancellation or further delays if a long-term bill was not passed”, Boozman said. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara; Julia Brownley, D-Westlake Village; and Steve Knight, R-Lancaster – all supported it. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, and Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, voted against the bill.
The bill will provide California $181 million more in the current fiscal year that began October 1 than in the previous 12-month period, according to documents circulated Wednesday.
Additionally, the legislation included $95 million in grants for states to experiment with new funding mechanisms to replace the gas tax, which has funded highways for decades but has resulted in ever-declining revenue as vehicles become more fuel-efficient.
Brooks said: “This transportation bill worsens America’s five-year deficit by at least $33.1 billion”.
The highway funding bill also includes a provision to reauthorize the controversial Export-Import Bank, which provides federal lending to businesses.
Maudlin, who has worked for years on Indiana’s effort to get a greater share of the pie, said she’s encouraged by the overall increase.
Among the bill’s losers are large banks, which would receive lower dividends from the Federal Reserve, with the savings used for transportation programs. “In four years, state transportation departments will again be staring at a looming funding abyss”.
A big shortcoming, though, is how it’s all financed.
The main revenue stream for transportation comes from the trust fund, which is made up mostly of the 18.4-cents-a-gallon gasoline tax.
Still, he expressed disappointment the gas tax went unchanged; it hasn’t been raised since 1993. Because of that, the bill requires a supplement of $70 billion in offsets from other areas of the federal budget.
Rivera said the federal funds are for capital improvements only, and won’t help with the city’s maintenance issues.
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The FAST Act also provides funding for public transit programs and transportation alternative programs, which support a variety of pedestrian, bicycling and environmental activities.
