U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has proposed a 18-month highway reauthorization delay in an effort to replenish the Highway Trust Fund which is slated to run out of money as soon as late August. In his announcment, the Secretary cited the current fiscal environment and the desire to not rush legislation. However, the very next day, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders put out a blueprint for a $500 billion, six-year reauthorization bill that they'd like to bring to the floor before August. The blueprint includes condensing the current 108 program categories down to 4 and for the first time has a section solely for high speed rail. As for the shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund, Committee Chairman James Oberstar and Subcommittee Chairman Peter DeFazio have suggested taking money from the Transit Trust Fund to keep the Highway Trust Fund whole for now. There is about $1 billion left in the Highway Fund, which needs about four times that amount through the fiscal year. The transit fund has $4 billion and only needs about a quarter of that until October. The Senate is much further behind the House in preparing its own bill and the Senate Chairwoman, Barbara Boxer went so far as to praise Mr. LaHood's call for an extension.
Oberstar.SurfaceTransAuth_short_summary.pdf (570.20 kb)
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