Town Hall Meetings and the Highway Transportation Bill - While Rome Burns and Our Infrastructure Crumbles…

While on vacation in Wisconsin, I picked up the local newspaper and noticed that Rep. Tom Petri was hosting a Town Hall Meeting. So I went to see all those (according to the Democrats) angry “members of the mob” who have had the audacity to express their concerns about the things that are happening in Washington DC. With all this anger and dissension and people voicing their concerns, I wanted to stop all of them and ask:  “Where do you think you live, America?” But then I remembered that we actually do live in America where, at least for now, (much to the chagrin of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid) it is OK to express your displeasure.

Since Rep. Petri is a member of the Transportation Committee, I expected to get an update on the status of the Highway Transportation Bill. For those who are not familiar with this legislation, the current Transportation Bill (SAFETEA-LU) expires September 30, 2009. The Chairman of the Transportation Committee, Rep. Oberstar, has been pushing for the passage of a comprehensive transportation bill that addresses several critical issues, such as how much the Bill will cost and how it will be funded.

It was SRO at the event and the only topic discussed was the proposed health care legislation. Suffice it to say that probably 90% were vehemently against the proposed legislation and the few who spoke in favor of the health care reform were met with resounding boos. Unfortunately, the Transportation Bill was not on the Agenda.

After the meeting was over I met with Rep. Petri and asked him for an update on this matter. He told me that the Transportation Committee has been working very hard on this issue but since the Senate and Administration are in no hurry to pass a Transportation Bill, it is unlikely that there will be a new bill in place by September 30. Thus, Congress will have to continue passing resolutions to fund the Highway Trust Fund. And in fact the Senate has been working on a $27 Billion infusion tied to an 18-month extension of the current surface transportation law.

Apparently our Senators are too busy to do something that is actually constructive - like pass a Highway Bill that invests in our infrastructure and actually creates jobs. Instead they have been working on legislation such as the Stimulus Bill, Cap and Tax (I mean Trade) Bill, ENDA, and of course, the health care debacle. What’s the problem? In a word: Priorities!  Too many Senators are apparently not aware that America has an imminent crisis on its hands. This crisis is the continuing decay of our nation’s transportation infrastructure. And anybody remotely familiar with the issue acknowledges that $27 Billion over 18 months is woefully insufficient to even put a dent in this problem.

Unfortunately, the infrastructure problem isn’t going to go away anytime soon and will only continue to get worse until our leaders put forth legislation to address the issue. Fixing the problem will require some tough decisions, especially when it comes to figuring out how to finance the Bill.

To his credit, Rep. Oberstar understands that our nation’s infrastructure is in dire shape and it is long past time to do something about it. So while contemporaries like Reps. Waxman and Markey push the disastrous Cap and Trade Bill, Rep. Oberstar has stated that he will defy the Administration and get a Highway Bill to the floor for a vote this fall. According to Oberstar, the ‘yes-we-can/change-you-can-believe-in’ White House has run for cover, which is why he has thrown down the gauntlet: "If the White House staff isn’t able to keep up with this pace, leave it to us. We know how to do it."

Shippers need to support Rep. Oberstar and members of the Transportation Committee in pushing for this legislation. An 18 month extension to the current Highway Bill (SAFETEA-LU) does nothing to address the fact that the Highway Trust Fund is broke. Further, the funding mechanisms to pay for improving our infrastructure are wholly inadequate.

While the estimated cost of the new Highway Bill (projected to be between $450 - $500 billion) is a significant increase from the current bill which was funded at $286 million, this country needs to invest in its transportation infrastructure. And that is why Rep. Oberstar deserves our support. The Congress should take advantage of this opportunity to pass genuinely bi-partisan legislation that provides long-term funding solutions for transportation, instead of cobbling together temporary measures that make it difficult to enact these infrastructure investments in a timely and effective manner. Our country needs a solid transportation infrastructure – now more than ever before.

TranzAct Technologies, Inc.