May 13, 2019: Legislative Updates

From the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation:

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene an executive session on Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in Dirksen Senate Office Building G50 to consider legislative measures, including (but not limited to):

S. ____, Maritime Administration Authorization and Enhancement Act for Fiscal Year 2020, Sponsor: Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)

A live video of the markup and additional information will be available at www.commerce.senate.gov.

 

From the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works:

If you missed the recent hearing, held on May 8th, titled Oversight Hearing on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works Program, you can view that here: https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/hearings?ID=34DF38E4-B361-4E29-A3B0-05EA80ACCC1D

 

From the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee:

Upcoming Hearings:

May 21 at 2:00 pm Eastern: Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Hearing: “Review of Fiscal Year 2020 Budget for the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Programs”

May 22 at 10:00am Eastern: Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Hearing: “Policies, Recommendations, and Impacts of the President’s Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request”

All hearings can be watched live at: https://transportation.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings

In New Bipartisan Letter, Committee Leaders Urge Congressional Leaders to Address Key Infrastructure Priorities in Budget Talks

On May 8th, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO); Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Chair Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Ranking Member Rodney Davis (R-IL); and Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Chair Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) and Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-AR) sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy requesting two Committee-related priorities be included in any upcoming budget agreement.

First, the Members requested a repeal of the $7.6 billion rescission contained in the most recent surface transportation law, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act; P.L. 114-94). The rescission, if carried out, would mean that highway funding provided by Congress would be taken back, impacting all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The members wrote: “…the rescission will significantly limit the flexibility of all states and impact the ability to plan and execute highway and bridge projects. These projects are necessary in order to grow the U.S. economy, create jobs, and ensure the Nation’s global competitiveness. We therefore request that the rescission be repealed as part of any budget agreement.”

The Members also requested that a mechanism to ensure full utilization of annual Harbor Maintenance Tax collections for harbor maintenance and access to the remaining balance in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund be included in the budget agreement. Enacting such a mechanism would make sure our Nation’s ports and harbors are fully maintained with the fees collected for this very purpose.

Both requests will ensure our country is able to save and create jobs, grow businesses, and keep our nation globally competitive.