House committee to host hearing on transportation funding

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee plans to host a markup hearing on a long-term transportation bill Oct. 22.

The hearing will take place one week before the scheduled Oct. 29 expiration date of the current law that authorizes the federal government’s transportation spending. According to The Hill, the House of Representatives created a temporary three-month transportation funding extension that expires at the end of this month. The Hill adds that Congress has not passed an infrastructure measure that lasts longer than two years since 2005 because of a highway-funding shortfall that is estimated to cost $16 billion annually.

Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), the panel’s chairman, says the hearing will allow lawmakers to provide comments on a multi-year extension of the transportation funding measure.

“Our nation’s economy depends on a safe, efficient surface transportation system, and one of the [committee’s] priorities is to address the needs of the system,” Shuster says in a statement that announced the hearing.

The National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA) says it also hopes to see Congress pass a long-term solution for infrastructure investment soon. For now, NSSGA says aggregates industry representatives can share their opinions on the issue and ask Congress to pass a long-term highway bill online.