Congress to Take Up 6-Month Highway Extension

Congress is considering a clean six-month extension of the federal highway program, which would fund the program at its current level until March 31, 2012.

The House bill, introduced by Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, will be taken up this week, according to a schedule posted by the Rules Committee.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has approved a four-month extension of the highway program, but yesterday EPW Chairman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said she welcomes the longer extension.

Boxer also said she is pleased that the House bill extends funding at current levels, a reference to the key transportation issue that Congress will have to resolve before the extension expires.

Still Need Reauthorization

Mica has been pushing a six-year reauthorization bill funded only by what the Highway Trust Fund produces, which amounts to a 36% cut in highway funding.

Mica has said that when it comes to funding his hands are tied, citing a House rule instituted by the Republican leadership that limits highway money to what is available from the trust fund. His argument is that since a fuel tax increase is off the table -- neither the House nor the White House supports an increase -- the program must survive on the revenues that are coming in. To do otherwise would run the trust fund into the red, he said.

Boxer has been pushing a two-year bill with the aim of preserving the current funding at $54.5 billion a year. This depends, however, on the Senate Finance Committee coming up with $12 billion over and above what will be generated by the Highway Trust Fund.

Boxer noted in her statement yesterday that she does have one concern about Mica's six-month extension proposal. It would cut the Department of Transportation's contract authority by $3 billion, she said, which would limit the Department of Transportation's flexibility in letting contracts.

"While this does not impact spending levels at this time, I intend to do everything to keep the next multi-year transportation bill at current levels of funding, because to do less would lead to more unemployment and raise serious safety issues as we face the challenge of deteriorating roads, bridges and other transportation systems," she said.

Mica has said that he will agree to only one more extension of the highway program. If the extension passes and if he stands firm on that, Congress will have until the end of March to pass a multi-year bill.

Battle Over Bike Lanes?

Meanwhile, Bloomberg is reporting that Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn will use "all procedural tools at his disposal to force a vote" to block the requirement that states set aside a portion of federal highway grants for so-called transportation enhancements, such as highway beautification and bike lanes.

Senate leaders told Bloomberg that "there's an active negotiation" to resolve the issue.