House Poised to Move on Stopgap Highway Bill as Industry Applauds Long-Term Effort
The House is set to consider a stopgap surface transportation bill in the coming days after Transportation Committee leaders, alongside Ways and Means chief Paul Ryan, R-Wis., introduced that bill, HR-3819 (here), late on Oct. 23. The legislation would extend highway funding from Oct. 29, the current expiration date, through Nov. 20. House leadership is set to schedule a vote on the bill under suspended rules as early as Oct. 27, indicating it is likely to receive widespread support.
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The Transportation Committee, led by Bill Shuster, R-Pa., recently committed to moving forward simultaneously with the stopgap and a long-term measure. Shuster and Transportation ranking member Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., floated a six-year bill on Oct. 16, following Senate action on a six-year bill in late July (see 1510190020).
The committee approved the long-term bill, HR-3763 (here), on Oct. 22 with a number of non-trade-related amendments tacked on. The National Retail Federation, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) and other groups applauded that action. “Retailers are now in the final phases of their peak shipping season for holiday merchandise,” said NRF in an Oct. 22 release. “Any shutdown or slowdown of the freight rail system will have wide-ranging impacts on retailers and other freight rail customers.”
AAPA also praised the legislation’s emphasis on freight improvements. “The bill requires state freight plans, expands the National Highway Freight Network to include highway connections to critical facilities such as ports and intermodal facilities, and requires establishment of a national freight strategic plan—all of which address port needs in the planning process,” said the port groups in a release (here). Those provisions will help ease the flow of goods of U.S. ports, the release said.