President Obama: We Need A Highway Bill!

During the last 19 months, we have seen the passage of significant legislation. The Stimulus Bill, Obamacare and the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill have kept the Congress very busy.

However, now that Vice President Biden has declared that the “heavy lifting” is over, perhaps the Democratic Leadership can find the time to pass legislation that would actually create a meaningful number of jobs and lower the unemployment rate from its current level of 9.5%. If you are looking for a great place to start, the President can pick up the phone and call Representative Jim Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

If the press reports are accurate, Rep. Oberstar would love to work with the Administration in getting a new highway transportation bill passed and signed into law. Since SAFETEA-LU expired on September 30, 2009, funding for transportation infrastructure projects has been based on continuing appropriations. We all know that this is not a smart or strategic way to maintain and build our Nation’s transportation infrastructure.

Some of our readers may be asking: “What’s the Problem? Why has the Congress failed to take action on this critically important issue?” The big issue is finding the money to pay for this Bill, which has an estimated price tag of $450 to $500 Billion. Perhaps it is time for the President to use the Bully Pulpit and help the Citizens understand the importance of investing in this Nation’s transportation infrastructure by passing a desperately needed Highway Bill. 

In order to pass this Bill, it’s obvious that Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is going to have to get up to speed on the facts. Hopefully, this will keep him from making mistakes like going before groups such as AASHTO and ruling out an increase in the Federal Gas Tax. We know that President Clinton, years ago, stated that increasing the gas tax by five cents hurt the Democrats in 1994, so the Democrats may be waiting until after the 2010 Mid-Term elections before taking action on this matter. But the Secretary does a real disservice by ruling out any potential funding option. The citizens of this country need to know the truth about our failing infrastructure and the challenges we face. If we want drive on safe roads, travel over safe bridges, and utilize a transportation infrastructure that addresses the needs of the ports, airports and the railroads, then we need to invest in the transportation infrastructure.

Going forward, the truth is that investing in our infrastructure may result in higher costs for vehicular transportation. Obviously, this isn’t popular, which may explain why some experts believe that we will not have a Highway Bill until after the 2012 elections. With all due respect Mr. President, the Country can not wait that long. The decisions will not get any easier after 2012; they will just become more costly.

That is why we need to have the discussion about options for funding this Bill. And everything, whether it is a consumption based tax (such as a Vehicle Mileage Tax), the increased use of tolls, or the increased use of private-public partnerships, needs to be on the table. There will undoubtedly be different opinions, but one thing that everyone can agree on is this: We need a new Highway Bill and we need it now!

TranzAct Technologies, Inc.

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