Senate Highway Bill Would Fully Fund Road Programs for Six Years

Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ranking Member David Vitter (R-LA), leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), released the text of a six-year, $262 billion highway bill Monday night. The committee will mark up the bill on Thursday, May 15. According to the committee's press release, the bill fully funds highway programs for six years; increases support for core formula programs; focuses on freight and goods movement; funds projects of national or regional significance; requires Highway Trust Fund transparency; improves the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan program; accelerates project delivery and increases flexibility; expands flexibility and opportunities for infrastructure investment in rural areas and maintains state and metropolitan transportation planning. The Finance Committee has started holding hearings on its piece of the highway bill: the financing and the Highway Trust Fund. The Commerce Committee is also starting work on the regulatory title within its jurisdiction.

The introduction and mark up comes in the middle of Infrastructure Week 2014. NRMCA is using this opportunity to let you write to Congress and urge senators and representatives to fix the Highway Trust Fund and set America on the path for long-term infrastructure stability and success. On Monday, NRMCA sent an Action Alert In support of fixing the Highway Trust Fund. Click Here to tell Congress that now is the time to fix our highways (please note that above link will only be available until Saturday, May 17; NRMCA has a goal of sending 100 letters to Congress this week. Help us reach our goal by forwarding this e-mail to your co-workers, friends and family).

Without action from Congress, the Highway Trust Fund that has kept  moving since 1956 will go bankrupt and the Federal Highway Administration will not be able to pay its bills at the height of the summer construction season. DOT is estimating 700,000 jobs are at risk, transportation projects could halt and, by 2020, businesses could lose $1 trillion a year in sales. The EPW Committee's actions are just the first step in addressing this problem. NRMCA will continue to work with our industry partners to stop the trust fund from going broke this summer and encourage long-term highway solvency.

For more information, contact NRMCA's Elizabeth Fox at efox@nrmca.org.