Creating Jobs by Rebuilding Our Highways & Bridges
On June 29, 2012, Congress approved a 2¼-year transportation bill to ensure states can carry out important infrastructure projects and ensure long-term jobs in the hard-hit construction industry. The bill was signed into law on July 6, 2012.
As the lead sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives, Committee Chairman John L. Mica and other House Republicans worked to include in this measure the most comprehensive transportation program reforms since the establishment of the Interstate Highway System under President Eisenhower.
This measure includes historic reforms to cut red tape, streamline the bureaucratic project approval process, consolidate or eliminate 2/3 of federal programs, and ensure that states have more flexibility to direct limited resources to high-priority needs.
Program reforms included in the bill will allow projects to move forward more efficiently and more according to local priorities – not according to federal mandates. Construction costs escalate with time, and this bill will also lower project costs by avoiding the cost increases brought about by lengthy delays.
The previous transportation law contained over 6,300 earmarks, but the new transportation measure contains no earmarks.
Furthermore, Mica and House conferees rejected problematic provisions that had been proposed by the Senate. Senate provisions that were eliminated by House Members during negotiations include: penalties for use of public-private partnerships, re-regulation of the railroad industry, and establishment of dozens of new federal programs.
In addition, the Congressional Budget Office scored the bill with $16.3 billion in savings over the next decade.
Passage of this key legislation was delayed nearly three years, during which time Democrats who controlled both Houses of Congress and the White House failed to pass a long-term bill to set the nation’s transportation policy. Instead, Democrats only passed six short-term, costly extensions.
This transportation reform bill is providing the necessary stability that allows states to plan and carry out more significant projects and put people back to work.
Click here to read the legislation (H.R. 4348, MAP-21)
State-by-State apportionment tables (Federal Highway Administration)
State-by-State apportionment tables (Federal Highway Administration)
State-by-State apportionment table (Federal Transit Administration)
More News and Information:
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July 6, 2012: Mica: Obama AWOL on Transportation Bill
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June 29, 2012: House Approves Major Transportation Reform Bill
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June 28, 2012: Transportation Bill Moves Forward
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June 27, 2012: Mica: Unprecedented Transportation Reform Bill
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June 21, 2012: Rep. Mica and Senator Boxer Issue Statement on Transportation Conference
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June 14, 2012: Mica Says House Republican Conferees Stand Ready to Complete Work on Reform-Minded Highway Conference Report
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June 13, 2012: Statement of Chairman John L. Mica on Status of Transportation Bill Conference
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May 8, 2012: Mica & Duncan Statements from Surface Transportation Bill Conference
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April 18, 2012: Mica & Duncan Statements on House Transportation Bill Passage
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March 29, 2012: Republicans Put American Jobs Above Politics
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March 21, 2011 Op-Ed: US Needs Long-term Transportation Bill to Create Jobs, Stimulate Economy (The Hill)
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March 21, 2011: Mica to Introduce 3-Month Transportation Extension
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March 7, 2012: House Leaders Focus on Mica's Transportation Bill
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February 15, 2012 Op-Ed: House Must Pass Transportation Bill
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February 3, 2012: American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act Approved by Committee
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January 31, 2012: Committee Leaders Unveil Major Transportation & Jobs Bill
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January 27, 2012: Committee to Consider Transportation Reauthorization -- "The American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act"
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November 17, 2011: Speaker Boehner, Chairman Mica, & GOP Leaders Move Forward on Jobs Plan
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September 15, 2011: Senate Approves Mica Transportation Extension
September 13, 2011: House Approves FAA and Surface Transportation Extension -
July 25, 2011: Mica Reauthorization Op-Ed in Roll Call
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July 11, 2011: Chairman Mica Statement on Democrat Attacks on Reauthorization Proposal
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June 7, 2011: Transportation Committee Leaders Roll Out Reauthorization Proposal
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May 23, 2011: Chairman Mica op-ed in Politico, "How to Fix American Transportation"
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March 29, 2011: Duncan Statement from Hearing on Transportation Bill to Streamline Programs, Cut Red Tape and Create Jobs
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March 3, 2011: Congress Clears Surface Transportation Extension
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February 15, 2011: Duncan: “We Simply Must Do Better” to Speed Up Projects
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February 11, 2011:Committee to Launch Major Transportation Bill Field Hearings & Forums in West Virginia
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February 11, 2011: Committee to Join Rep. Capito in Charleston, WV for Public Forum on Major Transportation Bill
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February 2, 2011: Mica Announces Major Transportation Bill Field Hearings & Public Forums
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Summary of the American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act (HR 7)
In order to gather innovative ideas and input for this transportation proposal, Chairman Mica and the Committee conducted a series of bipartisan hearings and public forums in Washington, DC and communities around the country. Click below for an interactive map with information on the Committee's field hearings and listening sessions:
Reauthorization Hearings:
- April 5, 2011: Policy Proposals from Members of Congress to Reform the Nation's Surface Transportation Programs
- March 30, 2011: Improving and Reforming the Nation's Surface Transportation Programs
- March 29, 2011: Improving and Reforming the Nation's Surface Transportation Programs
- March 14, 2011: Improving and Reforming our Nation’s Surface Transportation Programs: Central Florida Field Hearing
- February 24, 2011: Improving and Reforming our Nation’s Surface Transportation Programs: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Field Hearing
- February 23, 2011: Improving and Reforming our Nation’s Surface Transportation Programs to Support Job Creation and the Economy: Joint Field Hearing with the Senate
- February 19, 2011: Improving and Reforming our Nation's Surface Transportation Programs: Columbus, Ohio Field Hearing
- February 15, 2011: Accelerating the Project Delivery Process: Eliminating Bureaucratic Red Tape and Making Every Dollar Count
- February 14, 2011: Improving and Reforming our Nation's Surface Transportation Programs: Beckley, West Virginia Field Hearing
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