After moving swiftly through preliminary hearings in the Senate last week, that body's supposedly bipartisan transportation bill has been stopped in its tracks according to its sponsor Sen. Barbara Boxer, reports Keith Laing.
In today's highly charged congressional environment, made even more so by the looming presidential election, it should surprise no one to learn that the Senate's transportation bill, commonly referred to as MAP 21, has succumbed to the same partisan fighting that has stalled similar efforts in the House. As recently as last week, however, the prospects in the Senate looked much better.
So, with Boxer declaring yesterday that, "Right now, there is no path forward," what changed? According to Laing, "in a speech on the floor that Wednesday, Boxer said that the bill has been held up by 'ridiculously unrelated amendments.'" According to Boxer, "It's one of those things where people just say 'I don't care. We're not going to (approve) this bill."
Despite recent setbacks, Boxer declared emphatically, "that she would not allow the transportation bill to be permanently stopped during the amendment process," writes Laing.
Read the full story: Boxer sees 'no path forward' on $109B Senate transportation bill
House Overwhelmingly Passes Republican Highway Trust Fund Patch Bill
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What's Wrong with the Senate's MAP-21 Reauthorization Bill?
Plenty, according to Tanya Snyder, Streetsblog USA editor, who finds Obama's Grow America plan far superior. Outside of not including a gas tax to fill the Trust Fund gap, she finds the proposal "underfunded and highway centric." She is not alone.
Senate Committee Releases Six-Year Transportation Reauthorization Bill
The bill to reauthorize the current surface transportation law, "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century", a.k.a. MAP-21, was released on Monday and will be "marked up" on Thursday. Spending is kept at current levels of $50 billion a year.
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Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
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Officials claim feds 'rushed' Amtrak environmental review
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NYC breaks ground on anti-flooding infrastructure project
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Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
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