House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) invited key transportation groups to a meeting to discuss a strategy for moving forward with a multiyear SAFETEA-LU reauthorization measure this year.
Oberstar intends to announce at the meeting that he will introduce legislation to provide a three-month extension of highway and transit program spending authorization through the end of the year to allow time for negotiations on a multiyear bill to continue. SAFETEA-LU expires on Sept. 30 and Congress must take action to allow the programs to continue uninterrupted.
Just prior to its summer recess Congress passed legislation to transfer $7 billion into the Highway Trust Fund to ensure that there would be no slow down in reimbursements to states for ongoing construction projects. Congressional Budget Office projections indicate that Highway Trust Fund revenue, coupled with the general fund transfer, is sufficient to keep the trust fund solvent for several more months. Oberstar intends to schedule a markup of his six-year authorization bill, the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009, as early as next week.
The Senate is expected to bring up legislation just prior to the summer recess to extend highway and transit authorization for 18 months until March 2011. The Senate intends to include in the authorization extension an addition general fund transfer to ensure the Highway Trust Fund remains solvent through March 2011.
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) indicated that she intends to continue drafting a multiyear bill during this extension. An amendment to limit the extension in the Senate to less than 18 months is expected.
The Obama administration has called for an 18-month extension of authorization for the program coupled with an additional infusion of general fund revenue to keep the programs at a steady funding level and does not appear to be ready to address a long-term program authorization at this time.
