Washington, DC- (Thursday, March 29, 2012) – Congresswoman Johnson released the following statement:

“I oppose the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012, because it represents a 3 month extension to the bill as opposed to a long-term reauthorization.  States and municipalities need time to adequately plan their transportation projects, and these piecemeal extensions will not offer the certainty to see these projects through.

It has been more than a month since House Republicans reported their seriously flawed bill, and they do not have the votes to pass it.  I have served on the Transportation Committee for 20 years, and up until now, the committee has worked in a bipartisan fashion to produce a sound and commonsense transportation policy. 

Instead of voting on another extension, we should be considering the bipartisan Senate transportation bill.   While I would prefer a longer reauthorization, the 2-year bipartisan Senate bill will provide the kind of investment in infrastructure and job creation that is desperately needed.”

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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which, includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Turtle Creek,Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.