Transportation Bill Reauthorization Drama Continues
by Leslie Wollack
Late-night maneuvering on the Senate floor failed to avert a cancellation of $8.7 billion in federal contract authority for
state highway dollars before the September 30 expiration of SAFETEA-LU, the
nation’s transportation law. Earlier, the
House and Senate voted on a one-month extension of the current transportation
program, leaving state transportation departments without authority to contract
for new road, bridge and transit programs.
The one-month stopgap will mean that Congress will need to
go back quickly to resolve differences between the House and Senate over how
long to extend the current transportation program. House Transportation Committee Chair James
Oberstar (D-Minn.), after earlier insisting that Congress agree to a long-term reauthorization,
agreed last week to a three month extension to force lawmakers to deal with
transportation funding and keep the current program going. The reauthorization debate was a major point of discussion for NLC's Transportation, Infrastructure and Services Policy and Advocacy Steering Committee, which met in Washington, D.C., last week. See story below for more information.
Three committees in the Senate adopted an 18-month extension of the current program, supported by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, but Senate leaders could not resolve the issue of the $8.7 billion rescission issue in time.
Pay-as-you-go financing rules in the House prevented the House from averting the $8.7 billion cancellation of state contract authority.
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara
Boxer (D-Calif.) had worked out an agreement with Committee Republican
leader Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) to use funds from the bank TARP bailout fund to avoid
the cancellation of the funds for states. That was rejected on the Senate floor by Republicans seeking to use
stimulus money, rather than bailout funds to avert the rescission.
Congress now has one month to see if it can work out some
of these differences and get to work on the larger issue of renewing the nation’s
transportation laws.
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