Main ContentTransportation Construction Industry Advocates Storm Capitol Hill
Over 300 transportation construction industry professionals from across the country converged on Capitol Hill today to advocate for increased federal surface transportation investment as part of the 2007 Transportation Construction Coalition Fly-In. Industry representatives met with their members of the House and Senate to urge full funding of the federal highway and transit programs and that steps be taken to ensure the short-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund.
The 2005 highway and transit reauthorization law, SAFETEA-LU, guarantees a $1.1 billion increase in federal highway investment in FY 2008 to $40.2 billion and a nearly $800 million boost for public transportation to $9.7 billion. Congress must still, however, approve these investment levels as part of the annual appropriations process. TCC Fly-In participants urged support for these investment levels to ensure continued surface transportation improvements.
The activists also delivered a unified message supporting the efforts of the congressional tax law writing committees to ensure revenues flowing into the Highway Trust Fund over the next several years sustain the investment commitments made in SAFETEA-LU. The trust fund's Highway Account is currently projected to have a $200 million to $700 million negative balance in FY 2009. Among the options under consideration to remedy this situation are: reform of current exemptions or refunds on gas tax payments granted to certain classes of highway users; and further efforts to crack down on illegal evasion of highway user fees.
The transportation construction industry advocates urged increased aviation infrastructure investment in this year's reauthorization of the federal aviation programs. Members also stressed the need to repeal the pending imposition of a three percent withholding by federal, state, and local governments on all payments to private sector contractors that is scheduled for implementation in 2011.
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