Reauthorization
Senate Amendments Promote Local (Not State) Control, Bridge Repair
The Senate is voting right now on the final amendments to the transportation bill and will consider the full bill later today. Transportation for America has put out a handy amendment tracker, reproduced below, with descriptions of each one and the final outcomes of the votes that happened yesterday. Senate leaders had already tossed out many amendments that had been introduced and agreed to consider the 30 below.
March 14, 2012
Don’t Count Out HR 7 Yet: House GOP Could Revive Their Bill This Week
Last week, when House Speaker John Boehner indicated his willingness to bring up the Senate transportation bill, it seemed like an admission of defeat for the brazenly partisan approach and insanely destructive policies the Republicans have been promoting. But it’s not over yet.
March 12, 2012
LaHood to House: “Get on the Bus” With a Bipartisan Transportation Bill
This morning, at the American Public Transportation Association's annual legislative conference, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said he was recently asked by the House Appropriations Committee if he prefers a two-year transportation bill or a five-year transportation bill. Neither, he said: "I prefer a bipartisan bill."
March 12, 2012
Despite Nods to Transit, House GOP Still All About Highways
In its annual “Views and Estimates” document [PDF], the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee indicates that when it comes to transportation policy, despite a few nods to transit, House Republicans still want to cut spending and let highway-centric state DOTs sort out the details. While the House transportation bill could be on its last legs, the document shows that the House GOP hasn't given up on its quest to eliminate street safety programs for walking and biking while giving a free hand to states to build more sprawl projects.
March 12, 2012
Trio of Experts Urge Passage of Bipartisan Transportation Bill
The Senate is finally making progress towards passing their two-year transportation bill, but the big question seems to be what's to come in the House -- and not even the House knows.
March 9, 2012
Day One of Votes: Senate OKs Two Amendments, Rejects Keystone Pipeline
After two consecutive failed attempts, floor votes are finally proceeding on the Senate's two-year, $109 billion transportation bill. The votes come on the heels of an agreement between party leaders Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, which will allow certain non-transportation-related amendments to be voted on. As part of the deal, those amendments will require 60 votes for passage instead of the customary simple majority.
March 9, 2012
Advocates: Private Transit Giant Lobbied House to Weaken Public Transit
The threat of service reductions and fare increases always loomed large over the transfer of Long Island Bus service to a private operator. After Nassau County refused to assume its share of costs for the service, international private transit provider Veolia Transport was brought on to take over from the New York MTA at the beginning of the year.
March 9, 2012
Senate Leaders Reach Deal on Transpo Bill, Setting Up Slew of Votes Today
The leaders of each political party in the Senate have reached a deal on their two-year, $109 billion transportation bill, clearing the way for as many as 10 votes on amendments to the bill later today.
March 8, 2012
Experts See No New Transportation Bill Before Election
Last May, Streetsblog ran an article with the headline "Experts Agree: Six-Year Transportation Bill Won't Pass This Year." A lot has happened since then, but we're still right where we started, butting up against a deadline with more than enough gridlock to give even optimistic experts pause.
March 7, 2012
Tomorrow’s Key Vote on Senate Transpo Bill Could Go Either Way
In interviewing a number of experts for an upcoming article about the prospects of passing a transportation bill, I've found a surprising amount of disagreement about whether the Senate bill will clear a key milestone tomorrow.
March 5, 2012