Contact Your Senators & Ask Them to Support the FAST Act This afternoon by a vote of 359-65 passed the conference report to HR. 22, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which is the first long-term transportation bill in more than a decade. The Senate is now expected to take up the FAST Act and, if they are successful in clearing potential procedural votes, they will vote on final passage later this evening. Please visit Hardhats for Highways and urge them to support the FAST Act when it comes to the Senate floor for a vote. Please also take a moment to thank your Representative for their support of the bill. If the Senate is able to pass the bill this evening, it appears the president will sign it prior to the expiration of the current extension tomorrow.

Contact your Congressmen and Tell Them to Support a Long-Term Bill This week, select members of the House and Senate –called conferees – began negotiations on resolving the differences between the two chambers’ long-term highway & transit bills. However, with funding levels and duration yet to be agreed upon, negotiations are off to a slow start, which could result in yet another short-term extension if Congress does not reach a deal by November 20. AGC – along with our members and chapters – has been a leader in the reauthorization process and advocated for the construction industry’s priorities in a letter to all conferees, detailing which provisions and policies should be included in a final transportation bill. Please visit Hardhats for Highways and send a letter to your members of Congress, urging them to support a long-term highway & transit bill.

Save the Date! Nov. 3-5, 2016 | Phoenix, Arizona Last week, over 100 construction company owners, suppliers and industry partners who perform work in the highway & transit markets attended the 2015 AGC Highway Contractors Conference. The two-day meeting featured presentations and discussions on drones, workforce issues, transportation funding, technology updates and project delivery.

Extension Through Nov. 20 This week saw significant progress in moving a multi-year highway & transit bill. Following passage of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015 (STRRA) in the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee last week, the full House is expected to consider the bill next week.

Visit AGC’s Action Center at www.agc.org/TakeAction One of the numerous issues AGC is working on in the highway & transit bill is to provide some relief from hours of service restrictions on construction industry drivers. For the past 20 years, current law has provided a limited construction industry exemption which has had no negative impact on driver safety. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently provided an additional similar exemption for certain construction material deliveries. AGC is seeking to modernize the existing exemption to meet the challenges of construction material and equipment delivery.

Meet with Reps. Next Week This week there were encouraging reports out of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee that they plan to finalize and move their long-term highway & transit bill before the end of October. Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) and Ranking Democrat Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) met today to continue negotiations with the goal of announcing a mark-up the week of Oct. 26. It is unclear what funding levels the House bill will provide, due in large part to the breakdown in negotiations last week between Ways & Means Chairman Paul Ryan and Senator Charles Schumer, who had been negotiating a bipartisan compromise on how U.S. corporations are taxed on their overseas assets and using that revenue to fund a transportation bill.

If You Haven’t Contacted Your Rep, There is Still Time! Throughout the month of August, AGC chapters and members have been visiting with their Congressmen, urging them to pass a long-term, fully funded transportation bill when they return to Washington in September. If you have not yet contacted your Congressman, now is the time to do so.

AGC Members Must Continue to Press House of Representatives for Action The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee could meet as early as next week to mark up their version of a multiyear highway & transit bill. However, they have yet to make any formal announcement or release the bill. Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) said this week that the committee is working to finalize the bill and determine a markup date.

Projecting the cash flow in and out of the Highway Trust Fund is a difficult task for the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Department just released new estimates that indicate there may be a sufficient balance to allow highway and transit funding to continue without interruption until June 2016, six months beyond the previous estimate.

Take Advantage Before It’s Too Late! Get up-to-date information on a variety of issues that will impact the highway and transportation construction markets over the next year. The 2015 AGC Highway Contractors Conference will be held Nov. 5-7, 2015, at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa.