The U.S. House of Representatives voted to extend highway and transit funding through December 18, in contrast with Senate Republicans who want a longer extension.
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The House voted 312 to 119 in favor of the bill, which will extend the Highway Trust Fund through the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the short-term, $8.1 billion fix would be funded by continuing higher Transportation Security Administration fees, which lawmakers said will bring in $3.2 billion over the next 10 years. Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan said Friday that he wants to pass a five-month extension to allow time to put together a longer-term transportation bill that also changes the global tax code. As a outcome, revenues from the USA gas tax and tolls pay for only about a third of state and local spending on roads, despite these funds being exclusively dedicated to funding transportation projects.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he understands the Republican offsets include changes in federal employee pensions. “This is the right approach, and the Senate should move quickly to adopt this extension-without any unrelated measures-so that we can provide some certainty and get to work on a multiyear plan”.
So Congress likely will pass its 35th stop-gap transportation bill, proving yet again that it is a policy dead end. Oregon Democrat Earl Blumenauer spoke with the transcript of remarks that he gave a year ago today when another extension was voted upon, asking why this issue wasn’t fixed last fall or this spring, when extensions were also approved. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who promised to end the constant cycle of legislative cliffs, is making a last-ditch effort to avoid another punt, as well as another round of election-year votes on expensive highway bills. The Senate Appropriations Committee, and its counterpart in the House, must determine a funding mechanism, whether it be a fuel tax increase or some other measure, such as a repatriation tax – the odds on favorite at this point.
In a roundtable discussion with reporters Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx noted that his agency has sought to lift the maximum penalties for failure to disclose defects to $300 million.
While transportation supporters have pushed for a gas tax increase of as much as 15 cents per gallon to pay for a long-term infrastructure funding bill, Republican leadership has ruled out a tax hike.
The White House and lawmakers in both parties say a six-year bill would relieve states of the almost constant uncertainty over whether they can count on federal aid.
The Senate Commerce Committee selected as 13overvallen11 along occasion shape to broadcast the “Comprehensive Transportation and Consumer Protection Act of 2015″ towards the floors along the Senate, through which it is undoubtedly predicted to kind portion of new a long time facilities expense law.
Arkansas and other states continue to prepare for either reductions or delays in highway funding and projects for some time.
Stay on topic – This helps keep the thread focused on the discussion at hand. “So if there’s another, more immediate proposal that would be long-term and have a robust funding increase, it’s something I’d look at”.
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