American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

Media Coverage

REAUTHORIZATION
Federal transportation funding is crucial to states and must be continued at nothing less than current levels, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials President Susan Martinovich told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee during a Wednesday hearing on transportation's role in supporting the economy and job creation. View the full story in the January 28 AASHTO Journal

A 12-person panel of top U.S. Department of Transportation officials outlined an agenda of transportation policy reform centered on performance measures and transparency during a packed Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting session this week. View the full story in the January 28 AASHTO Journal

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told an audience in Atlanta on Tuesday that he is confident a multiyear bill to reauthorize the nation's surface transportation programs can be passed by Congress and signed into law before the congressional summer recess begins in August. View the full story in the January 21 AASHTO Journal

As a new Congress begins work on a surface transportation reauthorization bill, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials launched Wednesday a social-media campaign to generate public opinion about what priorities should be included. View the full story in the January 21 AASHTO Journal

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica said he intends to hold field hearings or "listening sessions" outside of Washington beginning in mid-February to get more input from local and regional officials on what should be in the next federal surface transportation reauthorization legislation. View the full story in the January 14 AASHTO Journal

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials President Susan Martinovich, Nevada transportation director, will testify Jan. 26 at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on surface transportation reauthorization. She will speak about the value of transportation to the economy. View the full story in the January 14 AASHTO Journal

The Northeastern Association of State Transportation Officials approved last week a revised statement of principles for the upcoming reauthorization of federal highway and transit programs. The organization, one of four regional affiliates of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, agreed to eight principles regarding federal policy changes that are needed to address globalization of the economy, climate change, and concerns with energy supplies and security. View the full story in the January 7 AASHTO Journal

TRANSPORTATION FUNDING
 The House of Representatives, assembling Wednesday for the first day of the 112th Congress, adopted a rule change that will make it easier to reduce highway and transit spending in legislation moving through the chamber. View the full story in the January 7 AASHTO Journal

2011 PRIORITIES
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has compiled a list of the top 10 distinct and pressing transportation issues that loom at the local, state, and federal levels as 2011 begins. Congressional enactment of a long-term surface transportation reauthorization measure tops the list. View the full story in the January 7 AASHTO Journal

DECEMBER 2010

The 111th Congress adjourned Dec. 22 after a final burst of legislative activity that included approval of a bill to extend until March 4 appropriations for the U.S. Department of Transportation and other government agencies as well as the authorization for federal highway and transit programs. View the full story in the December 30 AASHTO Journal

Senate leaders withdrew from floor consideration Thursday evening a year-end spending measure to finance government operations through the rest of this fiscal year, leaving appropriations for the U.S. Department of Transportation and other federal agencies unsettled today, one day before existing funding authority is slated to expire. Also unresolved is an extension of authority for federal highway, transit, and aviation programs -- all of which are scheduled to expire Dec. 31 -- which was included in the omnibus bill. View the full story in the December 17 AASHTO Journal

The House of Representatives approved Wednesday evening and sent to the Senate a continuing resolution funding the federal government for the remainder of this fiscal year (until Sept. 30). The measure would also extend for nine months -- from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 -- the authorizations for federal highway, mass transit, and aviation programs. View the full story in the December 10 AASHTO Journal

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood spoke to a national infrastructure forum Wednesday in Charleston, South Carolina, where he called for a front-loaded six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill to restore America's infrastructure and create jobs. View the full story in the December 17 AASHTO Journal

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials this week thanked President Barack Obama for continuing to shine a national spotlight on the critical issue of transportation investment after the president expressed his desire to see more federal investment in infrastructure during a Monday speech at Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. View the full story in the December 10 AASHTO Journal

Changes to House of Representatives rules proposed by the incoming Republican leadership could significantly alter the manner in which funds are appropriated for highway and transit programs, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials as well as 20 other transportation, construction, business, and labor organizations warned in a letter sent Tuesday to House leaders. View the full story in the December 30 AASHTO Journal

Continuing budget challenges for state and local governments, uncertainty surrounding a new long-term federal surface transportation bill, and winding down of infrastructure investment under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will cause a 4.4% contraction in the U.S. highway and bridge construction market in 2011, according to a forecast issued Monday by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. View the full story in the December 10 AASHTO Journal

Members of the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission and the Bipartisan Policy Center's National Transportation Policy Project called Wednesday on the Obama administration and Congress to implement an accountable, targeted, fiscally responsible, and performance-driven national transportation policy. The diverse group called for new revenues to provide adequate investment in the nation's transportation infrastructure to advance specific national transportation goals. View the full story in the December 10 AASHTO Journal

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials this week praised the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform on the release of its final deficit-reduction proposal that includes a recommendation to gradually increase the federal gasoline tax by 15 cents per gallon between 2013 and 2015 to support essential transportation infrastructure improvements. View the full story in the December 3 AASHTO Journal


NOVEMBER 2010
Congress reconvened this week to begin a post-election "lame duck" session that could last well into December. Four significant transportation issues remain to be addressed as this year closes out: surface transportation extension, U.S. Department of Transportation Fiscal Year 2011 appropriations, Build America Bonds extension, and Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization. View the full story in the November 19 AASHTO Journal

During what was billed as his final interview with transportation reporters Tuesday in Washington, outgoing House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar called not completing a federal surface transportation reauthorization bill during this Congress "a big hole in the legislative agenda" and said he recommends the lame-duck Congress extend existing surface transportation programs by one year as their current Dec. 31 expiration date quickly approaches. View the full story in the November 19 AASHTO Journal

OCTOBER 2010
President Barack Obama called on lawmakers Monday to support a $50 billion infusion to the nation's transportation programs that he said would rebuild the nation's infrastructure while also creating jobs. View the full story in the Oct. 15 AASHTO Journal

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has outlined for congressional staff an option that would convert the federal tax on gasoline and diesel fuel from a cents-per-gallon basis to a percentage basis, a mechanism that could raise revenues to pay for greater highway and transit investment if the price of fuel rises in future years. View the full story in the Oct. 15 AASHTO Journal

Drastic changes need to be made to the current gas tax and the way the Highway Trust Fund gets its money, John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said during a panel discussion Thursday. View the full story in the Oct. 15 AASHTO Journal

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, D-Minnesota, has started a fresh round of talks with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood about sources of new revenue to finance the next surface transportation reauthorization bill. View the full story in the Oct. 8 AASHTO Journal

Without new ways to fund America's ailing transportation system, the nation will not be able to continue to compete economically with the rest of the world, according to a report released Wednesday by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. View the full story in the Oct. 8 AASHTO Journal

The Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, as well as other federal loan programs, should be extended to include larger and more diverse projects in stand-alone legislation or as part of the next long-term surface transportation reauthorization bill, senators and witnesses said Tuesday during a hearing held by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. View the full story in the Oct. 1 AASHTO Journal

A report released Thursday by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association highlights the importance of President Barack Obama's recent call for congressional action on a front-loaded, six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill and the economic risk if one is not passed soon. View the full story in the Oct. 1 AASHTO Journal

SEPTEMBER 2010
The Obama administration plans to release detailed proposals for a surface transportation reauthorization bill and national infrastructure bank with the Fiscal Year 2012 budget in February 2011, a top U.S. Department of Transportation official told reporters Tuesday after a Senate hearing. View the full story in the Sept. 24 AASHTO Journal   

Congress returned this week to Washington after its summer recess concluded, reconvening for a few weeks before adjourning Oct. 8 so members can campaign until the Nov. 2 midterm election. Several important transportation issues remain unresolved this session, including a multiyear surface transportation reauthorization bill. View the full story in the Sept. 17 AASHTO Journal

President Barack Obama's goals for the upcoming multiyear reauthorization of federal surface transportation policy would be beneficial to the country and are items that Congress should be seriously considering to improve the way transportation projects are financed, according to experts who spoke at a Brookings Institution forum held Thursday in Washington. View the full story in the Sept. 17 AASHTO Journal

President Barack Obama laid out a plan Monday during a Labor Day address in Milwaukee to jumpstart job creation with a $50 billion investment in highway, bridge, transit, high-speed rail, and aviation infrastructure that would be added to the first year of a six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill. View the full story in the Sept. 10 AASHTO Journal

A national campaign to push for passage of a long-delayed federal surface transportation reauthorization bill arrived Wednesday in Iowa with the unveiling of new bus, print, and radio advertisements in Des Moines. View the full story in the Sept. 10 AASHTO Journal

AUGUST 2010
Congress needs to act quickly when it returns from recess next month to pass a key multiyear surface transportation reauthorization bill aimed at creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, a leading House Democrat said Monday. View the full story in the Aug. 20 AASHTO Journal

A new national effort by the construction industry and other private-sector businesses to push for congressional passage of the long-delayed federal surface transportation reauthorization bill kicked off Tuesday with the unveiling of billboard, radio, and print advertisements in Rapid City, South Dakota. The effort, which will cover dozens of states during the coming weeks, is designed to educate the public about why passing a federal transportation bill is essential to improving road conditions in states such as South Dakota. View the full story in the Aug. 20 AASHTO Journal

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association urged President Barack Obama in a letter sent last Friday to make a six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill a post-election legislative priority. View the full story in the Aug. 6 AASHTO Journal

JULY 2010
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told attendees at an American Road & Transportation Builders Association conference that while the Highway Trust Fund is receiving insufficient revenue to fund necessary infrastructure improvements, increasing the gas tax is not the answer. He proposed a combination of three programs that the administration believes could help fill the revenue shortfall the reauthorization bill is facing: increased highway tolling, developing more public/private partnerships, and creating a national infrastructure bank. View the full story in the July 30 AASHTO Journal

Five national organizations representing pavement and aggregate suppliers wrote President Barack Obama on Wednesday urging his administration to work promptly to enact a multiyear surface transportation reauthorization bill that contains increased funding for highways by raising the federal tax on gasoline and diesel fuel, which last went up in 1993. View the full story in the July 23 AASHTO Journal

Representatives from eight state transportation departments presented their needs for the next federal multiyear surface transportation reauthorization bill to the U.S. Department of Transportation leadership as part of a public forum held Wednesday at DOT headquarters in Washington. View the full story in the July 16 AASHTO Journal

Creation of a national infrastructure bank is a critical first step to improve financing for America's underfunded and deteriorating transportation infrastructure. However, a bank would not be a final solution, only the first stepping stone, advocates said Thursday at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce panel discussion in Washington. View the full story in the July 16 AASHTO Journal

Democratic leaders in Congress met with President Barack Obama at the White House this week to hammer out the legislative agenda for the weeks leading up to lawmakers' summer recess, vowing to continue to emphasize job creation and economic recovery. Passing a second stimulus with transportation funding or moving the long-stalled multiyear surface transportation reauthorization legislation were not among priorities mentioned, however. View the full story in the July 16 AASHTO Journal

MAY 2010
The ranking minority member of the Senate transportation appropriations subcommittee expressed concerns during a hearing Thursday that money channeled toward sustainability initiatives undercuts financial support for highways and might "reflect a view that we want to get rid of auto transportation." View the full story in the May 7 AASHTO Journal

APRIL 2010
State transportation leaders have identified their most urgently needed capacity expansion projects that are critical to rebuilding the economy and keeping a competitive edge worldwide in a series of new reports by the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials, the first of which was released Monday in Fort Worth, Texas. View the full story in the April 30 AASHTO Journal

Any proceeds from a "carbon tax" on gasoline purchases should go directly toward improving the nation's highway and public transportation systems, according to a group of organizations representing everything from bicyclists and construction unions to state transportation departments. View the full story in the April 9 AASHTO Journal

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, in preparation for drafting a multiyear surface transportation reauthorization bill later this year, held a pair of hearings recently on traffic congestion and environmental issues. View the full story in the April 9 AASHTO Journal

House Transportation and infrastructure Committee James Oberstar, D-MN, is considering a plan that calls for loaning $130 billion in U.S. Treasury Department bonds to the Highway Trust Fund to increase spending on highway and transit projects over the next few years. The money would be paid back to the Treasury from an increased gas tax or other transportation-specific revenue source beginning after four years. View the full story in the April 2 AASHTO Journal

A U.S. Department of Transportation program that lends money to states to help finance big projects has received nine times as many requests for loans this year as it has funding available. View the full story in the April 2 AASHTO Journal



MARCH 2010
President Barack Obama signed into law Thursday morning a bill known as the "HIRE Act" containing several transportation provisions including an extension of authorization for federal highway and transit programs through Dec. 31 as well as providing $19.5 billion to the Highway Trust Fund. View the full story in the March 19 AASHTO Journal

The House of Representatives approved a measure by voice vote Wednesday that would make two funding distribution changes to the HIRE Act signed Thursday by President Barack Obama. View the full story in the March 19 AASHTO Journal

With an extension of the 2005 surface transportation law known as "SAFETEA-LU" now in place through Dec. 31, the transportation community is emphasizing the importance of enacting a full six-year reauthorization before this Congress adjourns. View the full story in the March 19 AASHTO Journal

A Senate vote is possible as early as next Wednesday on final passage of a nine-month extension of federal highway and transit authorization. View the full story in the March 12 AASHTO Journal

Sen. Tom Carper said this week he will be a leading proponent of raising and indexing the gas tax when the Senate takes up a multiyear surface transportation reauthorization bill later this year. View the full story in the March 12 AASHTO Journal

Highway Trust Fund payments shut down this week for the first time in the fund's 54-year history after spending authority expired Sunday, resulting in a two-day suspension of federal highway and transit reimbursements to state transportation departments and transit authorities as well as the two-day furlough of some 2,000 U.S. Department of Transportation employees. The shutdown was short lived, however, as the Senate approved a 28-day authorization extension Tuesday night, putting the trust fund back in operation and U.S. DOT workers back on the job first thing Wednesday. The House of Representatives then voted Thursday to approve a 10-month authorization extension, which now returns to the Senate for further consideration. View the full story in the March 5 AASHTO Journal

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing Wednesday to examine the ways that transportation investment creates and sustains jobs and how it also strengthens the nation's economic competitiveness. Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer characterized the hearing as "the kickoff" for the Senate's drafting of a six-year surface transportation authorization bill. View the full story in the March 5 AASHTO Journal

Addressing AASHTO's Washington Briefing on Tuesday, House Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Peter DeFazio had some harsh words about this week's Highway Trust Fund shutdown and U.S. Department of Transportation furloughs. View the full story in the March 5 AASHTO Journal

During a Monday afternoon panel at AASHTO's Washington Briefing, House and Senate staff pointed to the same dilemma as the source of delay for enactment of a multiyear surface transportation bill -- finding the money. View the full story in the March 5 AASHTO Journal

State DOT executives and staff attending this week's AASHTO Washington Briefing heard from an array of fellow transportation associations on what each group is looking for in the upcoming six-year surface transportation authorization bill. View the full story in the March 5 AASHTO Journal

FEBRUARY 2010
The federal Highway Trust Fund will shut down first thing Monday, suspending all payments to state transportation departments, and four U.S. Department of Transportation agencies are expected to furlough employees beginning Tuesday after Congress was unable to reach an agreement this week on legislation to extend surface transportation authorization past its Sunday expiration date. View the full story in the Feb. 26 AASHTO Journal

The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee implored U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at a hearing Wednesday to come forward with a proposal for a long-term authorization of surface transportation programs. View the full story in the Feb. 26 AASHTO Journal

AASHTO Executive Director John Horsley joined Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-CA, in a conference call with reporters Wednesday to stress the importance of the Senate passing a job-creation bill this month that contains an extension of surface transportation authorization through Dec. 31 and a deposit of about $20 billion into the Highway Trust Fund to keep it solvent. View the full story in the Feb. 19 AASHTO Journal

JANUARY 2010
Two influential transportation policymakers presented a united front during a public meeting Monday in Minneapolis on the importance of getting a long-term surface transportation authorization bill enacted. The current law expired Sept. 30 of last year. View the full story in the Jan. 29 AASHTO Journal

Senate leaders are considering a finance bill that would extend highway and transit program authorization until Dec. 31 and a job-creation bill that could include transportation infrastructure funds. View the full story in the Jan. 29 AASHTO Journal

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is holding the second in a series of public meetings regarding the next long-term surface transportation authorization bill Jan. 25 in Minneapolis. View the full story in the Jan. 15 AASHTO Journal

The Obama administration issued a report Tuesday stating the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has saved or created 1.5 million to 2 million jobs in its first 11 months of spending. View the full story in the Jan. 15 AASHTO Journal

Weaker-than-expected December employment figures released last Friday are giving President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress more ammunition to push for enactment of a job-creation bill after the Senate returns to Washington next week. View the full story in the Jan. 15 AASHTO Journal

Two national transportation organizations called this week on the Senate to make its top priority passage of a job-creation bill containing money for transportation projects when the chamber begins its 2010 session Jan. 19. View the full story in the Jan. 8 AASHTO Journal

2010 PRIORITIES
Top transportation policy priorities for the new year include job creation/preservation, improving America's intercity passenger rail system, and passing a multi-year surface transportation authorization measure, AASHTO's executive director wrote this week in a National Journal blog posting. View the full story in the Jan. 8 AASHTO Journal

YEAR IN REVIEW: TOP TRANSPORTATION STORIES OF 2009
The AASHTO Journal reviews the top transportation stories of 2009. View the full story in the Dec. 30 AASHTO Journal

DECEMBER 2009
 President Barack Obama signed into law last week a Department of Defense appropriations bill that includes an extension of highway and transit authorization through February -- the fourth short-term extension since the 2005 transportation law known as "SAFETEA-LU" expired Sept. 30. View the full story in the Dec. 30 AASHTO Journal

The House of Representatives approved a trio of bills Wednesday that would extend surface transportation authorization until Dec. 23, Feb. 28, and Sept. 30. A continuing resolution providing authority for federal surface transportation programs expires today, creating this complex series of legislative maneuvers. View the full story in the Dec. 18 AASHTO Journal

Congress took no action this week to extend authorization of federal surface transportation programs, meaning only a week remains before highway and transit spending authority expires. View the full story in the Dec. 11 AASHTO Journal

AASHTO's president shared the stage with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Tuesday in New Orleans at the first public meeting held by the secretary regarding surface transportation authorization. View the full story in the Dec. 4 AASHTO Journal

The House of Representatives narrowly approved a job-creation package Wednesday that includes $37.3 billion for transportation projects. The legislation now goes to the Senate, which is expected to debate it next month. View the full story in the Dec. 18 AASHTO Journal

President Barack Obama this week called on Congress to include infrastructure spending in a job-creation bill. Although the president did not include specifics in his Tuesday speech on the economy to the Brookings Institution in Washington, aides told reporters that Obama supports an investment of about $50 billion. View the full story in the Dec. 11 AASHTO Journal

State transportation departments have identified more than 9,500 highway, bridge, transit, rail, port, aviation, and intermodal projects worth $69.55 billion that, if funded by Congress, could be used to create hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country. View the full story in the Dec. 4 AASHTO Journal

Washington state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond sat at a table with President Barack Obama on Thursday at the White House to talk about creating jobs by rebuilding infrastructure. View the full story in the Dec. 4 AASHTO Journal

NOVEMBER 2009
 House and Senate Democrats have started crafting a package of legislation aimed at creating jobs. Both chambers are strongly considering including investment in transportation infrastructure as part of the package, which congressional leaders said could be enacted by early next year. View the full story in the Nov. 20 AASHTO Journal

Seven Senate transportation leaders signed a letter Tuesday urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, to schedule floor debate on a measure to extend federal surface transportation authorization by six months. View the full story in the Nov. 20 AASHTO Journal

A report issued late last week emphasized that many transportation contractors have laid off employees this year and a lot more job cuts are likely to take place in 2010 unless Congress enacts a robust authorization bill for highways, bridges, transit, and safety projects. View the full story in the Nov. 20 AASHTO Journal

A targeted communication strategy that takes into account key audiences and how these audiences receive information is critical to any successful transportation project, according to several speakers who participated in a communications workshop at AASHTO's Annual Meeting last month in Palm Desert, CA. View the full story in the Nov. 20 AASHTO Journal

OCTOBER 2009
Congress acted Thursday to send President Barack Obama a second continuing resolution keeping federal highway and transit programs in operation for the next seven weeks. View the full story in the Oct. 30, 2009 AASHTO Journal

With Congress stymied on raising new revenue to support greater transportation spending levels in the midst of a recovering economy, state transportation officials have offered a solution: funding highway and transit programs on an interim basis to allow transportation investment to help lead economic recovery. The idea has now been endorsed by a key senator. View the full story in the Oct. 30, 2009 AASHTO Journal

Members of Americans for Transportation Mobility, a broad coalition of construction industry and business organizations, this week urged Congress to enact a six-month extension of federal highway and transit programs. View the full story in the Oct. 30, 2009 AASHTO Journal

With only one week remaining in the short-term continuation of authority for federal highway and transit programs, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee leaders are pushing for enactment of a six-month extension that would not require any additional revenue transfers to the Highway Trust Fund. View the full story in the Oct. 23 AASHTO Journal

A key senator said this week that he wants to see a transportation authorization bill completed by early next year and that raising the federal motor-fuels tax to pay for it must be considered by Congress.  View the full story in the Oct. 16 AASHTO Journal

Congress took no action this week to further extend a surface transportation authorization measure, leaving federal highway and transit programs operating under a one-month continuing resolution that expires Oct. 31. View the full story in the Oct. 9 AASHTO Journal

As job losses in the construction sector continue to mount, interest groups representing construction suppliers are trying to drum up support for congressional approval of a robust long-term transportation authorization measure to pump new money into the economy. View the full story in the Oct. 9 AASHTO Journal

President Barack Obama signed a continuing resolution Thursday that keeps federal highway programs operating through Oct. 31, but at a reduced level of contract authority. View the full story in the Oct. 2 AASHTO Journal

SEPTEMBER 2009
The House of Representatives voted 335-85 Wednesday evening to approve a bill that would extend federal highway and transit programs until the end of this year. But the legislation does not address a looming $8.7 billion rescission of existing contract authority set to hit state transportation departments next week. View the full story in the Sept. 25 AASHTO Journal

Three major business organizations joined with the nation's largest motorist association this week to call on Congress to swiftly enact a multiyear surface transportation authorization measure and to fully fund it by increasing the gasoline and diesel taxes that support the Highway Trust Fund. View the full story in the Sept. 25 AASHTO Journal

Congress has taken no action this week to repeal an $8.7 billion rescission of federal highway funds set to hit the states next Wednesday, setting up devastating consequences for several states who will lose hundreds of millions of dollars in transportation spending authority. View the full story in the Sept. 25 AASHTO Journal

The chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee indicated Wednesday that he will move next week a three-month temporary extension of federal surface transportation programs, which are slated to expire Sept. 30. View the full story in the Sept. 18 AASHTO Journal

The National Governors Association urged congressional leaders in a letter sent Tuesday to repeal an $8.7 billion rescission of federal contract authority for state transportation programs that is scheduled to take effect Sept. 30. View the full story in the Sept. 18 AASHTO Journal

Concluding a week of debate, the Senate on Thursday voted 73-25 to approve a $122 billion bill appropriating funds for the U.S. Transportation and Housing & Urban Development departments for Fiscal Year 2010, which begins Oct. 1. View the full story in the Sept. 18 AASHTO Journal

The chairman of the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee indicated this week he favors a temporary extension of federal surface transportation programs until the end of this calendar year to give Congress more time to agree on a six-year spending blueprint. View the full story in the Sept. 11 AASHTO Journal

Addressing a meeting in Chicago last week, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood called for the development of regional transportation plans by counties and cities, which would be implemented with direct federal funding. View the full story in the Sept. 11 AASHTO Journal

As Congress considers how to fund transportation programs in the future, a Transportation Research Board report released this week examines the pros and cons of a series of strategies for a system of user fees based on vehicle miles traveled. View the full story in the Sept. 11 AASHTO Journal

AUGUST 2009
The Federal Highway Administration issued a notice to states Tuesday regarding the upcoming rescission of unobligated balances of Highway Trust Fund contract authority required by the 2005 transportation authorization law known as "SAFETEA-LU" and the 2007 energy law. States are required to identify their proposed program reductions no later than Sept. 4. View the full story in the Aug. 28 AASHTO Journal

State transportation officials said this week that uncertainty about future federal funding is forcing them to limit planning for large new projects in favor of simple, less-costly maintenance and repairs. View the full story from the Aug. 21 AASHTO Journal

With the current federal-aid highway and transit authorization law expiring only three weeks after Congress returns from its summer recess Sept. 8, action to sustain federal funding is critical, according to AASHTO officials. View the full story from the Aug. 14 AASHTO Journal

South Dakota Transportation Secretary Darin Bergquist told the U.S. Senate Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security Subcommittee on Monday that rural states must receive a significant increase in federal transportation funding and participate at least proportionately in future growth of the federal highway and surface transportation programs. View the full story from the Aug. 14 AASHTO Journal

The White House announced today that President Barack Obama has signed into law a House bill that directs the U.S. Treasury Department to deposit $7 billion into the Highway Trust Fund from the federal government's General Fund to ensure state transportation departments will continue receiving full reimbursements for federal-aid highway projects through September, the end of the current federal fiscal year. View the full story from the Aug. 7 AASHTO Journal

Appearing at an economic recovery news conference Wednesday in Minnesota, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar said he will hold a full committee mark-up of a $500 billion, six-year federal surface transportation authorization the week of Labor Day, when Congress returns from its summer recess. View the full story from the Aug. 7 AASHTO Journal

James Owens, chairman and CEO of Caterpillar, said Tuesday that Congress should expand the upcoming federal surface transportation authorization measure to supplement the infrastructure spending contained in this year's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. View the full story from the Aug. 7 AASHTO Journal

JULY 2009
The Senate voted 79-17 Thursday evening to pass a bill that would deposit $7 billion into the Highway Trust Fund from the federal government's General Fund to ensure state transportation departments will continue receiving full reimbursements for federal-aid highway projects through September, the end of the current federal fiscal year. View the full story from the July 31 AASHTO Journal and the July 30 AASHTO Journal news alert

The House of Representatives voted 363-68 late this afternoon to pass a bill that would deposit $7 billion into the Highway Trust Fund from the federal government's General Fund to ensure state transportation departments will continue receiving full reimbursements for federal-aid highway projects through September, the end of the current federal fiscal year. View the full story from the July 29 AASHTO Journal news alert

With the House of Representatives scheduled to recess next Friday to begin its five-week-long summer break, only one week remains for Congress to put more money in the Highway Trust Fund or states could begin seeing reduced reimbursements around Aug. 31. View the full story from the July 24 AASHTO Journal

Eleven Midwestern governors wrote to House and Senate leaders last Friday to urge swift action to address the shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund. View the full story from the July 24 AASHTO Journal

A proposal to extend federal surface transportation programs from their current Sept. 30 expiration date to March 2011 received approval from two additional Senate committees this week, moving the bill to the Senate Finance Committee for funding. View the full story from the July 24 AASHTO Journal

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar said Thursday he will strive to gain congressional approval this month to transfer $7.3 billion from the federal government’s General Fund to the Highway Trust Fund to ensure there is enough money available to reimburse states for obligated highway projects. Oberstar also said his six-year surface transportation authorization measure, which he had hoped to mark up in committee this month, might have to be pushed back until the fall. View the full story from the July 10 AASHTO Journal

Nearly five months after Congress enacted the American and Recovery and Reinvestment Act to pump $787 billion into the nation’s sagging economy, the steadily increasing unemployment rate has sparked discussion in Washington of the need for a second stimulus bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Thursday that a $500 billion surface transportation authorization measure could be just the right remedy, but House Ways and Means Committee members and key senators have shown little desire to move forward with ideas to raise revenue to pay for the bill. View the full story from the July 10 AASHTO Journal

The U.S. Department of Transportation yesterday sent to congressional committees a two-page memorandum outlining the administration’s proposal for a temporary 1½-year authorization of federal surface transportation programs, which would last from Oct. 1 of this year to March 2011. View the full story from the July 2 AASHTO Journal

Despite the Obama administration’s preference that surface transportation authorization legislation be postponed for 18 months, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, D-MN, plans a full committee mark-up of the 775-page bill in late July. AASHTO held a conference call yesterday with state transportation department chief executives to begin analyzing major sections of the legislation. View the full story from the July 2 AASHTO Journal

JUNE 2009
Voicing strong objections to the White House’s call to push back authorization of federal surface transportation programs by 18 months, the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee voted Wednesday to send a draft 775-page measure to the full committee. View the full story from the June 26 AASHTO Journal

Leading members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee yesterday released a proposal to authorize half a trillion dollars in federal spending on surface transportation over the next six years, strongly criticizing the Obama administration’s announcement Wednesday that it wants Congress to push back authorization for 18 months to focus on an immediate fix to the Highway Trust Fund that would last through December 2010, the end of the current congressional session. View the full story from the June 19 AASHTO Journal

With the prospect that House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders will release their blueprint for the next six-year surface transportation authorization legislation as soon as next week, numerous members are stepping up their efforts to ensure that strict environmental protection provisions are included in the draft language. View the full story from the June 12 AASHTO Journal

The Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Transportation Policy Project released Tuesday a framework for comprehensive reform of the federal surface transportation funding system, becoming the latest in a growing stack of reports to call for transforming policy in the next six-year authorization bill. View the full story from the June 12 AASHTO Journal