The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee announced that they plan to hold a markup hearing on a long-term transportation bill on Thursday, Oct. 22, a week earlier than anticipated, according to the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA).
Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), said the hearing will allow lawmakers to provide comments on a multi-year authorization of the nation’s surface transportation program.
“Our nation’s economy depends on a safe, efficient surface transportation system, and one of the Transportation Committee’s priorities is to address the needs of the system,” Shuster said in a statement announcing the bill markup. “Next week, the committee will move forward with the policy and authorization provisions of a bill to improve America’s surface transportation infrastructure, reform programs, refocus those programs on national priorities, provide more flexibility and certainty for state and local partners and welcome innovation.”
Congress is debating ways to pay for an infrastructure funding extension before the Oct. 29 deadline set by lawmakers in a temporary extension that was passed in July.
“We are encouraged to see that Congress is committed to a long-term solution for infrastructure investment,” said Pam Whitted, NSSGA senior vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs. “Short-term extensions of highway funds are not enough to rebuild our country’s roads, bridges and highways, which are essential to economic growth and prosperity.”
Whitted encouraged everyone in the aggregates industry to visit www.aggregatesinaction.org and weigh-in with Congress asking them to pass a long-term highway bill now.