{"id":711,"date":"2009-06-18T17:52:46","date_gmt":"2009-06-18T21:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pbs-wnet-preprod.digi-producers.pbs.org\/wnet\/blueprintamerica\/?p=711"},"modified":"2009-10-16T17:50:30","modified_gmt":"2009-10-16T21:50:30","slug":"the-dig-transportation-bill-faces-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pbs-wnet-preprod.digi-producers.pbs.org\/wnet\/blueprintamerica\/blogs\/the-dig-transportation-bill-faces-reality\/711\/","title":{"rendered":"Transportation Bill faces ‘reality’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tom McNamara, Blueprint America<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Rep. Jim Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Expiring on October 1, the law authorizing federal highway and transit programs was expected to be renewed sometime this legislative session. This past Wednesday, however, Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood<\/a>, under instruction from the Obama Administration, asked for an 18 month extension of the now four year old transportation law that would delay the planned reauthorization past the 2010 congressional midterm elections.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Bloomberg<\/a>, Sec. LaHood describes his decision as one to “face reality” instead of “stringing Congress along with three-month or six-month extensions.”<\/p>\n

Still, Sec. LaHood\u2019s request came just one day before Rep. Jim Oberstar, a Minnesota Democrat and Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, planned to announce the outline of the Transportation Reauthorization Bill.<\/p>\n

Rep. Oberstar\u2019s bill, released on Thursday, would not only replenish the nation’s highway trust fund \u2013 expected to become insolvent sometime in August \u2013 but would also overhaul all federal transportation programs \u2013 from funding to practices.<\/p>\n

[CLICK FOR AN OUTLINE OF THE BILL]<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

[CLICK FOR VIDEO OF REP. OBERSTAR INTRODUCING THE BILL]<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

As Sec. LaHood told senior lawmakers on Wednesday of the Obama Administration\u2019s request, Rep. Oberstar called extending the existing law, passed under President George W. Bush, “unacceptable.”<\/p>\n

Regardless, the proposed Transportation Bill calls for $450 billion in federal funding, which is a 57 percent increase over<\/a> the $286.5 billion bill approved in 2005.<\/p>\n