Sep 24 2009
House Passes 3 Month Transportation Extension
Thanks to the quick action of ASCE Key Contacts who called their legislators urging support, the U.S. House of Representatives voted last night to approve a three month extension of the federal highway and transit program. The current law authorizing those programs, SAFETEA-LU, expires September 30. The final vote on the extension was passed with what seems like a by a vote of 335 to 85. The bill passed with a majority of Republican members voting in favor, despite the party’s opposition to the bill.
As Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the bill’s sponsor, made clear in his floor speech, transportation has traditionally been a bipartisan issue because everyone realized how integral a safe and efficient system is to the health and economic stability of our country. Just like the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed earlier this year, the surface transportation bill will be a tool for maintaining our competiveness and creating economic growth and jobs.
What seems to make the Republican leadership oppose efforts Oberstar’s proposals for the nation’s transportation system is the question of a gas tax increase. It’s no secret and it’s not surprising that Mr. Oberstar is in favor of a gas tax increase (as is ASCE and a number of Republicans including T&I Committee Ranking Member John Mica). The gas tax is a user fee: drivers pay it as the cost to use the roads, and that money goes directly to maintaining and building new roads. Unfortunately, the cost of building and maintaining roads and transit systems has gone up and the gas tax hasn’t increased since 1993 to meet those rising costs.
Raising taxes will always cause a stir, but when it comes to transportation - the means for getting to work, getting the goods and services we demand, and seeing our loved ones - let’s all pitch in to inform the public (and Members of Congress) how important new revenues are.
If you want all the details leading up to passage of the extension, the Congressional Record has the full transcript here.