"Call Your Republican Congressman" - - Road-Builders Beg For Insider Handout Help

This email alert went out today to its members from the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association (WTBA). Sounds like it's aimed at Tea Partiers in Congress.

Subject: Call Your Republican Congressman Now 

03 - January - 2011

Guaranteed Funding for Highways & Transit is Under Attack

WTBA has recently learned, through our national affiliate ARTBA, that

the incoming House Republican majority unveiled its proposed rules for

operating the chamber in 2011 and 2012.  Included in this proposed

package is a repeal of the guaranteed funding requirement for annual

highway investment.

According to a press release from the House Rules Committee

Republicans under this change: "Highway funding, with some exceptions,

will now be treated as other general spending and therefore be subject

to any member attempts to reduce the spending."

BACKGROUND

Under a current House rule, members may not offer a bill, joint

resolution, amendment or conference report that reduces spending

levels for highway, highway safety, and public transportation below

the guaranteed funding amounts that are specified in authorization law

(in this case, extensions of SAFETEA-LU). This rule holds regardless

of the source of the revenues that support those spending levels.

In the House Rules package for the 112th Congress, Republicans propose

to change the current rule. The change would eliminate guaranteed

funding for highways. Call your Republican Congressman or

Congresswoman immediately and ask them to stop this change that will

put more people out of work and make American products less

competitive. They are scheduled to approve these rules tomorrow,

Tuesday, January 4th.

THE MESSAGE

The proposed change to Rule XXI (21), Clause 3 is bad policy, bad for

jobs and bad for the economy. This change should not be made in the

Rules Package for the 112th Congress.

1.  The change is bad policy. The proposed change it opens the

door to breaking faith with the users that pay into the HTF.

*   HTF receipts could be used for non-highway and transit purposes;

*   Highway and transit contract authority (created based on the user

fee principle) could be reduced and the “savings” used for deficit

reduction or other purposes; and

*   As a result, the federal aid highway program would really be

general funded programs relying on annual appropriations rather than

multi-year funding.

2.  The change creates create substantial uncertainty for

states, communities, businesses and their employees from year-to-year

and at a time that the nation -- in particular in the construction

industry-- can hardly afford it.

*   Construction unemployment is at 18.8%. Introducing uncertainty

into federal investment, which accounts for about 45% of total highway

investment nationally, will put more people out of work.

*   Uncertain federal funding undermines state and local

transportation planning processes. In fact, this rule change

contradicts existing requirements for state and metropolitan

multi-year planning and matching fund commitments.

*   As a result, states and communities can't make commitments to

major multi-year capital investments like critical bridge replacement,

Interstate Highway System reconstruction, highway and transit capacity

expansion, and technologies that make transportation systems work

better.

*   Investments in safety and economic infrastructure will be set aside.

*   This rule promotes cutting already insufficient federal resources

for projects critical to U.S. exports competitiveness, economic

development, safety and quality of life.

*   The short-sightedness of this change will hamper long-run economic growth.

You can reach the Capitol Hill office of current Members of Congress

by calling ARTBA's Action Hotline at 1-888-448-2782.