House of Representatives
Basics
House GOP Regroups While Senate Dems Tackle Amendments
Last week's big news -- that the House transportation bill faces a likely overhaul by its Republican authors -- rippled through Washington faster than you can say, "gas tax increases are off the table." Very little is known yet about the revised House bill, except that it will probably restore dedicated funding for mass transit, which is good but by no means a fix.
February 27, 2012
Americans Can’t Afford a Highway-Centric Transportation Bill
Gas prices, you may have heard, are on the rise again. And so is pandering about pain at the pump. Four years after $4 a gallon gas spawned "Drill, Baby, Drill" and insane political gimmickry on the presidential campaign trail (remember the "gas tax holiday" favored by John McCain and Hillary Clinton?), gas price populism is back with a vengeance.
February 27, 2012
Encouraging News on Transit, But Serious Flaws Remain in House Transpo Bill
Hold that victory lap: While it's true that House Republicans are revamping their transportation bill, it's time once again to wait and see just how bad the bill still is.
February 24, 2012
GOP Will “Revamp” H.R. 7 and Reportedly Restore Dedicated Transit Funding
While there is no official statement yet, sources on the Hill (and CQ for subscribers) are saying that House Republicans are revamping their 5-year, $260 billion transportation bill and will discard their proposal to eradicate the dedicated transit funding mechanism enacted by Ronald Reagan in 1983. The bill is unlikely to see floor debate next week.
February 23, 2012
House Bill Delayed, But Transit, Biking, and Walking Aren’t Safe Yet
Congress is in recess, and the House's atrocious transportation bill has been dismembered and delayed, but if you want to preserve funding for transit and active transportation, don't let your guard down yet. There's still plenty to watch out for as the House and Senate attempt to reauthorize federal transportation programs. As we've reported, there are some stark differences between the House and Senate bills. But what is scariest may be their similarities.
February 22, 2012
Transpo Bills Delayed in House and Senate as Congress Enters Recess
Both houses of Congress are in recess this week, putting off their mountain of unfinished transportation business until next Monday. The momentum carrying transportation bills forward in each chamber has eroded recently.
February 20, 2012
Blumenauer: Don’t Let American Streets Remain Unsafe Routes to School
Right now the House is debating the GOP leadership's oil drilling-with-a-side-of-highways bill, which may or may not survive the House floor.
February 15, 2012
House Speaker John Boehner Will Delay Vote on House Transpo Bill
First, John Boehner split his transportation bill into three smaller bills that deal with transportation, oil and gas drilling, and government employee pensions separately. Now, it looks like the transportation component won't be voted on until after the President's Day recess, according to Politico:
February 15, 2012
Obama Takes a Stand, Threatens to Veto House Transpo Bill
The White House issued a statement yesterday that spelled out President Obama's opposition to the House transportation bill, also known as H.R. 7. The administration's statement of policy, which coincided with the House Rules Committee hearing on H.R. 7, takes a stand in defense of transit, safety, and the environment:
February 15, 2012
House Committee Set to Vote Tonight on Slew of Transpo Bill Amendments
The House Rules Committee is now considering the GOP's transportation proposal, deciding how it will be debated on the House floor this week. That means they'll be sifting through the several hundred amendments to the bill that have already been proposed, and decide how many of them -- if any -- will be voted on.
February 14, 2012