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.
The House Ways & Means Committee, which is charged with providing the revenue needed to pay for the transportation bill, has yet to indicate a timeframe for moving their portion of the bill. Ways & Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) is still determined to use some kind of international tax reform as a way to pay for the funding; however, he may not have enough time to move that type of complex proposal forward before the end of October.
A bill must pass the House, be finalized by the Senate, and then signed by the president by Oct. 29, or else Congress will have to draft another short-term extension. Considering the House is only in session 23 days before the end of October, it is imperative that representatives act as quickly as possible to bring a bill to the House floor.
AGC and our members need to continue to contact their House representative and urge them to take action now to avoid any further extensions. Please visit Hardhats for Highways to deliver that message to your representative.
For more information, please contact Sean O’Neill at oneills@agc.org or (202) 547-8892.