Prior to first term of the Obama Administration, every previous President dating back to 1955 had formally submitted a proposed highway/surface authorization bill to Congress at least five months before the expiration of the previously enacted authorization law. Once Congress receives the formal proposal, it is customary for the bipartisan leaders of the committee of jurisdiction to introduce the President’s text as a bill “by request” so GPO can print copies that can be made available to all members, but this has not always happened.

A list of those formal legislative proposals is below.

(Note on numbering: When a Cabinet Secretary or other Administration official sends a letter to Congress, it is recorded as an Executive Communication and given a sequential number for that Congress by the House and (separately) by the Senate. When the President himself sends a letter to Congress, it is printed as a House or Senate Document. The House numbering is used below except for two instances where only Senate communications can be found in the Congressional Record, and those are marked with an asterisk.)