Senate Returns From Recess, Still Doesn’t Bring Up FAA Bill
August 17, 2018 – The U.S. Senate came back to Washington this week but did not take any steps to move the FAA reauthorization bill forward.
Guest Op-Ed: Investing in the Transportation Workforce of Tomorrow
August 15, 2018 – With the Transportation School, LA Metro has the opportunity to address our needs and, equally important, give back to the community by educating youth and providing them with the kind of good paying and quality jobs that sustain families and communities.
Could a Federal Revolving Fund Help Transportation Infrastructure?
August 17, 2018 – Part of both the Trump and Shuster infrastructure plans is a new federal funding mechanism for large real estate acquisitions that could also be applied to certain federal transportation infrastructure programs.
Federal Freight Focus Shifts Inland – and Zeroes In on Complex Policy Questions
August 16, 2018 – Five years after labor disputes out West grinded operations at 29 ports to a halt, federal focus on freight transportation seems to be moving toward intermodal connectors and the infrastructure that moves freight out of the port and across the country.
Field Hearing on California HSR Addresses Management Controls, Continued Commitment
August 16, 2018 – On August 9, the House Railroads Subcommittee went to Sacramento for a field hearing on the California high-speed rail project.
Chart of the Week – HTF Highway Account Spending Rates
August 17, 2018 – This chart visualizes the annual cycle of payments from the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund.
Capitol Hill Events – Week of August 20, 2018
Thursday, August 23 – Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation – full committee hearing to examine pending nominations including Joel Szabat to be Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Aviation and International Affairs (full agenda here) – 10:15 a.m., SR-253 Russell.
An Open Letter to the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform
When looking at budget process reform, remember that through a series of historical accidents, 99 percent of the spending from the Highway Trust Fund is exempt from both statutory systems of budget discipline – the PAYGO process for mandatory spending, and the Budget Control Act spending caps for discretionary spending. Thus, Highway Trust Fund spending is also exempt from sequestration – because sequestration is only a tool used to enforce the statutory systems of budget discipline. Andthe real dollar amount of permissible Trust Fund spending, set in the annual appropriations bills, is also exempt from the 1974 Budget Act’s system of spending allocations to Congressional committees.
Senate Action on FAA Bill Still Possible in Late August
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Guest Op-Ed: Usage Time (UT) – A Road Pricing Concept Overlooked?
Instead of levying a vehicle miles traveled fee (VMT), which would charge drivers based on the mileage they drive, policymakers should explore and consider a different revenue mechanism that appears to have several advantages over VMT. A usage time (UT) fee would be based on time the vehicle is in use; fees start accruing when the engine starts and stop when the engine shuts down.