Highway Bill Delay Seen Stretching into 2011 (The Journal Of Commerce)
New multi-year bill may not pass until spring, Rep. Mica warns
It may be 2011 before Congress passes a surface transportation bill, says Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., ranking Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
“I think we’re looking at spring, though I haven’t given up” on December, Mica told transportation attorneys at Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott yesterday.
Debate over how to fund a bill that is likely to cost $500 billion has stalled progress on legislation in the House and Senate as both parties in Congress and the White House wrestle over the direction of federal transportation policy. An agreement is seen as unlikely before the November election.
The chances that Congress will pass a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill this year are “50/50,” Mica said. When an FAA bill does pass, “The FedEx provision” changing that company’s status under labor law “will not be in a final bill,” he said.
“We need the funding in place to keep aviation moving forward,” Mica said. “We need a comprehensive plan” for aviation, he said, that includes high-speed passenger rail connections at U.S. airports.
Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com
William B. Cassidy | May 5, 2010 11:50AM GMT
