Yesterday, the House of Representatives began consideration of a six-year highway and transit reauthorization bill. It combines the House bill that came out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Oct. 29 and certain provisions from the bill passed by the Senate on July 30. The swift passage of a final version of the bill that satisfies the interests of both chambers of Congress is necessary due to the impending deadline of Nov. 20 when the short-term extension expires and reimbursements to states and public agencies for much-needed infrastructure improvements will slow down and potentially threaten construction of projects in the spring.

Overall, the bill being considered would authorize projects for six years; however, there is only three years of guaranteed funding. For fiscal years 2019-2021, the current bill requires that lawmakers pass new legislation to provide additional funding after the initial three years, instead of guaranteeing it in advance.

Whether or not a final bill is passed, and what that final bill looks like, will largely depend on how the significant number of proposed amendments are dealt with. A total of 283 amendments were submitted for consideration. However, only 126 amendments were approved for debate — 45 were considered yesterday and 81 are being debated today. These amendments cover a wide range of issues, including improving timelines associated with permitting reviews for projects, developing a comprehensive strategy to address aging bridges, approving a study to look at the accuracy and impact of traffic enforcement cameras on public safety and improving the safety of legacy tanker cars. A review of the amendments produces the following common themes: safety, innovation and efficient use of public dollars.

The consideration of a Transportation Bill by Congress is an important first step in addressing the needs of our nation’s aging transportation infrastructure and we are eagerly monitoring its progress through the legislative process.