WASHINGTON — The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will vote on a surface transportation reauthorization bill on May 15, committee leaders announced Thursday.
The bill, a reauthorization of the two-year Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century law, which expires on Sept. 30, will fund federal-aid highway programs for six years at current funding levels plus inflation. The text of the legislation will be released on Monday, the committee leaders said.
"This job-creating legislation provides the long-term funding certainty that states, cities, and businesses need while maintaining and improving the efficiency of the successful [Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan] program and establishing a formula-based freight program to improve the movement of goods on our surface transportation system," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat who chairs the committee.
The current MAP-21 law expires at the end of fiscal year 2014. The Highway Trust Fund, which contains gasoline and diesel fuel taxes as well as some related excise taxes that are used to finance surface transportation programs, is expected to become insolvent this summer. It will be up to the Senate Finance Committee to figure out how to pay for the new transportation spending proposed in BBLIVE Boxer's bill.
