House leader given ok to raise transportation funding levels

Congressman John Mica, Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has been given the go-ahead by House Republican leadership to seek $15 billion in additional revenues per year to fund a new transportation reauthorization bill.

Sources indicate that House Republicans might use the transportation bill as a centerpiece of their alternative agenda to the President's proposed jobs bill. Recall that Speaker Boehner initially commented that there were some pieces of the jobs bill they could live with.

Adding $15 billion a year to each of the six years of Mica's original proposal could allow for spending totals above current baseline of $41.6 billion for highways and $8.4 billion for transit in FY2012.

This is still short of the Senate proposal and given anti-tax sentiments remains a challenge to accomplish, but the action represents a significant shift in thinking and could jump start negotiations between the House, Senate and administration on a new long term transportation bill. Members should continue to stay in touch with their congressional representatives to urge them to support such efforts.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiative and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.