Federal Highway Debate Restarts Tuesday

The long and winding road that is the federal highway bill heads to the Senate Tuesday, as officials close to home look at the issue, what will drive the funding and if there are any detours planned.

The U.S. Senate is expected to take up to two weeks’ worth of debate on the bill, which has already passed the House.

The House voted 312-119 Wednesday to approve a short-term bill, which would fund highway spending through Dec. 18, 2015.

However, according to published reports, senators have supported a long-term approach to funding projects.

“Three (years) would be good. Four would be better,” Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, told Washington, D.C. publication Roll Call on Friday.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, told Roll Call that a long-term approach could receive support from Senate Democrats, especially with specifics.

“The bottom line is we’ve pushed Republicans for a long-term plan and increase in funding. They’re on that path. That’s very good,” Schumer said. “Now we’ll see how many bumps in the road are in the path as we move forward.”

Locally, Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., said Monday that he is in favor of the long-term approach.

“Every time we pay at the gas pump, a little of that money goes into the highway trust fund. This bill sets priorities and gets these taxpayer dollars flowing back to Arkansas so that we can build and maintain our roads and bridges,” said Boozman, who serves on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “I supported a 6-year bill in the Committee, and I hope we will can pass a long-term bill on the Senate floor to provide certainty and reliability.”

PERRIN’S PERSPECTIVE
Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin said that one thing was certain as of Monday.

“We know at the end of the month, it (the funding) is over,” Perrin said of the July 31 deadline to get a short-term or long-term bill approved. “I hope that they can make a decision. But from what I hear, it looks like they will kick the can. (The short term approach) is not going to help in Arkansas, can’t generate the jobs.”

Perrin said while he understands that highway money is tight, he supports a 4-year to a 6-year bill and is hopeful that the House and Senate can work out their differences.

Perrin, a member of the Working Group for Highway Funding, plans to be in Little Rock Tuesday and Wednesday to attend a state workforce training committee meeting as well as a meeting of the Arkansas Highway Commission.

The commission will deal with bid lettings Tuesday and will hold its meeting Wednesday.

One of the bids expected to be let out involves the Ark. 351/Aggie Road project to build a roundabout. Jonesboro council members voted July 14 to transfer federal funding to the project, which could cost nearly $1.4 million to complete.

The working group has been meeting to discuss a long-term approach to the state funding issue, Perrin said.

When the committee was established, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he supported allowing the group to come up with creative solutions on the issue.

“I want you to really look at what’s happening in other states. I want to look at public-private partnerships. I want to look at vehicle miles traveled as a means versus simply per gallon excise taxes,” Hutchinson said earlier this year. “We’ve got to take in the where we’re going to be not just today, but where we’re going to be 10 years from now. How many cars on the road will be electric cars 10 years from now?”