Congress looks to another transportation extension

For the ninth time in less than three years, Congress is poised to issue a short-term extension of the expired transportation legislation that sets forth federal highway and transit policy and provides a corresponding financing mechanism.

The extension of the legislation – 2005’s Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) – will allow for the continued funding of previously enacted programs, and the governmental authority to collect the federal gas tax, until new transportation legislation is enacted.

Until a multi-year transportation bill is enacted, states and municipalities remain unable to make long-term plans for critical transportation projects.

With bipartisan support, the Senate passed the two-year, $109 billion Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) bill on March 14. The legislation would restructure several major highway and formula programs into five core components: the National Highway Performance Program, the Transportation Mobility Program, the National Freight Network Program, the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, and the Highway Safety Improvement Program.

While streamlining programs, the bill would maintain the current structures of major transportation initiatives and would give states increased flexibility to set priorities.

As The Beacon went to press, however, the House had not yet brought its transportation package to a vote. The $262 billion, five-year proposal includes three component parts covering energy, transportation, and financing.

Rep. John Mica of Florida, chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, indicated that the House would not take up the Senate’s bill, but would instead pass another short-term extension of SAFETEA-LU prior to the expiration of the current extension on March 31.

The White House had urged the House to take up the Senate’s bill, indicating that the president would sign the legislation. Earlier, the president had threatened to veto the House transportation plan, which includes plans for expanded domestic oil drilling as a transportation financing mechanism. In February, the president had included in his budget request a six-year, $476 billion transportation proposal.