Senate and House propose 2-month highway program extension

With the May 31 highway program extension expiration drawing closer, the Senate and House of Representatives laid the groundwork for a two-month extension of the Highway Trust Fund contract authority and expenditure authority, reports the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA).

According to NSSGA, Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) proposed legislation S. 1350 in the Senate, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) put procedural motions in place so the Senate can take up the extension next week. In addition, the House Rules Committee plans to take up H.R. 2353, which is a similar House version, at a May 18 hearing.

Republican leaders on Capitol Hill would like a six-month extension through the end of the year, reports NSSGA, but the leaders do not know where the $10 to $11 billion needed to fund the program would come from. In addition, an extension to the end of the year may encourage December lawmakers to pass another temporary fix, rather than find a long-term solution, says NSSGA.

According to the latest estimates from the Department of Transportation, the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund will have about $3.6 billion in cash as of July 31 and the Mass Transit Account will have $1.6 billion. The same estimates, however, show the Highway Account running out sometime in August.

“Major infrastructure can’t be funded on a month to month basis,” says Pam Whitted, NSSGA senior vice president. “The progress in the Senate and House Senate is a positive step, but until states and localities can move forward without the fear of the federal government failing to meet its funding obligations, our roads, highways and bridges will continue to deteriorate.”