House approves 3-month highway bill extension

House approves 3-month highway bill extension    The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a three-month extension of federal surface transportation programs that were set to expire on Sept. 30 under legislation passed in 2005.
   The extension of the so-called highway bill is a stopgap measure as Congress debates a longer-term solution.
   Rep. James Oberstar, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has led the charge for the immediate passage of a six-year authorization bill worth $500 billion to improve investment in transportation infrastructure and safety programs. The Obama administration and key Senate and Republican leaders prefer an 18-month extension of the current programs to provide time to carefully formulate new policy directions and avoid raising fuel taxes during a recession.

Oberstar

   The House leadership suspended normal rules to allow the three-month extension bill to bypass the normal committee review process for a quick vote and prevent the attachment of any amendments.
   The bill, which now goes to the Senate, does not address an $8.7 billion cancellation in Department of Transportation budget authority mandated in previous laws.
   The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials said the loss of federal contract authority would devastate many state transportation departments that are having difficulty finding enough revenue during the recession to maintain and upgrade roads and bridges.
   Missouri, for example, would lose $202 million in contract authority, with the greatest impact on local bridges and metropolitan planning organizations, it said. Michigan stands to lose $263 million, about a quarter of what it received through the stimulus spending program. ' Eric Kulisch