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�鶹��Ƶ joined forces with Reps. Reid Ribble (R-Wis.) and Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) to circulate a letter to Republicans in the House of Representatives calling on Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to take action on a multiyear surface transportation reauthorization bill.

This week, the Senate approved the fiscal year 2012 transportation appropriations legislation that would fund the highway program in FY 2012 at the same level as FY 2011 and boost transit funds. The transportation funding was bundled together with two other appropriations bills, called a minibus, in an attempt to expedite completion of some of the funding measures necessary to keep the federal government operating. A continuing resolution is currently in place until Nov. 18 to keep government programs operating at last year’s funding levels.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) said this week in several public statements that his committee will produce a transportation reauthorization bill of $285 billion over six years and that he expects the House to pass the legislation before the latest authorization extension expires in March. He pointed out that there is growing sentiment within the House that the transportation legislation is an important part of an economic recovery and jobs package.

The bipartisan leadership of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee; Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee Max Baucus (D-Mont.), and subcommittee Ranking member David Vitter (R-La.) announced today that they will markup a two-year surface transportation bill on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 10:00 a.m.  According to the announcement, the bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), maintains spending at current levels plus inflation, greatly increases leveraging of federal dollars, and reforms the programs’ administration.

The Senate began consideration this week of the FY 2012 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations legislation. Congress has failed to enact any of the appropriations bills necessary to fund the federal government in FY 2012, and the stop gap continuing resolution currently in place expires on Nov. 18. The transportation appropriations bill has been consolidated with two other appropriations bills in an attempt to expedite the process. A final vote on the legislation is expected late tonight or tomorrow.

The General Accountability Office (GAO) released a report this week reporting that from 2005 to 2009 states received more from the Highway Trust Fund than they contributed in proceeds of the 18.4 cents per gallon gas tax. “Every state received more funding for highway programs than they contributed to the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund,” the GAO report said. The report pointed out that Congress provided general fund revenue of almost $30 billion since fiscal 2008 to meet funding demands that once were covered by the Highway Trust Fund.

On Oct. 12, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on a key component of President Obama’s America’s Jobs Act – the creation of a national infrastructure bank.  The president’s infrastructure bank plan calls for a one-time appropriation to help finance transportation, water, and energy infrastructure projects.  �鶹��Ƶ has long supported the creation of a national infrastructure bank as a supplement to traditional funding. We also believe the priority should be to fully fund existing programs and utilize current financing tools available to finance transportation infrastructure projects.

Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) wrote to President Obama this week to urge him to keep the current Hours of Service rules for truck drivers in place. This action follows a similar letter sent last week by House T & I Chairman John Mica (R-Fla) and other members of the T&I Committee leadership expressing concern about the proposal to alter the existing rules.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has scheduled a hearing for next week to address the Obama administration's proposal to create a National Infrastructure Bank (NIB). T&I Committee Chairman John Mica, (R-Fla) has expressed skepticism in the past about the concept of a NIB and again reiterated his concern. President Obama included in his jobs proposal a request for $10 billion to create a National Infrastructure Bank.

Emissions from diesel construction equipment will be significantly reduced at major highway projects in the most polluted areas, thanks to the Clean Construction Act of 2011 introduced today by Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.) and Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.). �鶹��Ƶ and the non-profit Clean Air Task Force (CATF) signaled their strong support for the bipartisan legislation that would provide state transportation officials the authority and funding to incorporate the use of clean construction equipment on federally-funded transportation projects in PM2.5 Nonattainment and Maintenance areas.