AGC, along with other industry allies in the construction, materials, mining, and agriculture sectors, briefed several House of Representatives staff members as part of a panel discussion focused on Clean Water Act permitting issues facing the industry.
As the conference committee on the budget continues to debate a path forward for fiscal year 2014 and possibly 2015, AGC and other transportation stakeholders continue advocate for addressing the pending insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund in our outreach to the members of the House and Senate serving on the budget conference committee.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) announced his intention to sponsor legislation to raise the federal gasoline tax by 15 cents per gallon. The increases would be phased in over three years and would be indexed for inflation. The increase would be in place until 2024, at which time it would revert back to current levels. During this ten-year period, the intent would be to transition to a mileage-based user fee.
No public meetings are currently scheduled for the budget conference committee, but informal talks continue between House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) on a top-line number for a 2014 budget. There are indications that the two leaders are close to a short-term deal, as the panel seeks to come up with an accord on FY 2014 spending between the two parties’ figures of $967 billion and $1.058 trillion. The conferees will have 10 legislative days remaining when they return from Thanksgiving recess to formalize an agreement before a Dec. 13 deadline.
On Nov. 19 the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on reauthorizing the Perkins Act, the primary federal funding vehicle for career and technical education programs. The panelist highlighted that CTE programs should not be viewed as a second-tier pathway for students and explored ways for programs to actually prepare students for the workforce now and in the future.
This week, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) released three “staff discussion” drafts for reforming the international tax system, administering the tax code, and cost recovery provisions. Chairman Baucus suggested that the outlines were intended to be a starting point rather than a final draft. The changes proposed in the cost recovery draft would generate about as much money during the next decade as repealing accelerated depreciation, according to Finance Committee staff.
On Nov. 13, AGC sent a letter opposing the possible use of a project labor agreement (PLA) mandate posted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District for ”) for the Distributed Common Ground Station Operations Facility construction project at Beale Air Force Base, California.
This week, AGC submitted a statement to the House Small Business Subcommittee asking for construction industry drivers to be exempted from new hours of service restrictions that require a 30-minute break during an eight-hour on-duty period and a requirement that those who do not meet the construction driver definition can only restart the weekly on-duty clock following a 34-hour off duty period that includes at least two periods between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. The new regulations went into effect on July 1, 2013, and have caused problems for certain segments of the industry. New Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rules continue the construction exemption which allows a reset of the on-duty clock after a 24-hour off duty period for drivers delivering construction materials within a 50 air mile radius of their work reporting office. However, in circumstances where drivers travel greater distances or are required to work 12-hour shifts, more stringent rules apply.
A new national political paradigm may have begun this weekend in northeast Louisiana. There, businessman Vance McAllister (R), who ran as a political outsider but not an overt Tea Party Republican, easily overcame and defeated the GOP establishment candidate, state Sen. Neil Riser.
On Nov. 13, the 29 budget conferees congregated for their second public meeting to debate the fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget top-line numbers and query the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Douglas Elmendorf regarding policy changes to spur economic growth and restrain expanding federal deficits.