House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced his support for a five-year surface transportation authorization bill on Nov. 17. He was joined by a number of Republican House members including Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Chairman John Mica (R-FL) and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA).

The bill is framed as a jobs bill encompassing energy as well as public transportation and highways. Details as to when this bill may be debated in the T&I Committee are unknown, although many reports indicate that House Republicans aim to have the bill on the House floor before the end of the year. Details on the spending levels and revenues are also not available.

Republican leaders have indicated that the bill would use energy revenues from a variety of domestic production initiatives to support the Highway Trust Fund. Uncertainty remains concerning the political prospects of attaching infrastructure to oil and gas drilling.

For more information, refer to the APTA Legislative Alert available here.

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