Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/86182
Election The Surface & Air Transportation AED Legislative Scorecard Senate Votes 1. Repeal the Job-Killing Health- care Law Act Amendment After substantial Republican gains in the 2010 elections, repeal of the Affordable Care Act was the Senate GOP's top priority for the 112th Congress. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) offered an amend- ment to the FAA Air Transportation Modernization & Safety Improvement Act to fully repeal President Obama's signature healthcare bill. Though the margin of Democrats to Republicans in the upper chamber was narrower than in the previous Congress, the GOP did not have the firepower to win such a divisive political battle. The amend- ment fell short, 47-51, preventing its inclusion in the bill. Senate Vote 112-1-9, Feb. 2, 2011. 2. The Comprehensive 1099 Taxpayer Protection & Repay- ment of Exchange Subsidy Overpayments Act (H.R. 4) See page 31, under House Vote 1. 3. Surface & Air Transportation Programs Extension (H.R. 2887) The absence of surface transportation and aviation authorizations over- lapped in the 112th Congress, necessi- tating several temporary extensions for both programs. Extension Act of 2011 extended surface transportation programs for six months (through March 31, 2012) and aviation and airport construction programs for four months (through Jan. 31, 2012). Approved by a voice vote on the floor of the House on Aug. 13, the Senate passed the measure on Aug. 15, 92-2. Senate Vote 92-6-2, Sept. 15, 2011. 4. Three Percent Withholding Tax Repeal (H.R. 674) See page 31, under House Vote 3. 5. FAA Air Transportation Modernization & Safety Improve- ment Act (H.R. 658) More than four years and 23 short- term extensions after the nation's last long-term Federal Aviation Administra- tion (FAA) authorization law expired, Congress finally completed work on a multiyear aviation law. The FAA Modernization & Reform Act (H.R. 658) provided $63.4 billion for the agency through 2015. In addition to setting agency policy and operations, the legislation set investment levels for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which awards grants for airport construc- tion. The bill authorized the AIP at flat funding levels, $3.35 billion annually, providing certainty to airport construction markets that have had to deal with more than four years of uncertainty and an FAA shutdown over in summer 2011 that halted projects across the country. Following a lengthy conference committee process, the House passed and the Senate followed suit, 75-20, approving H.R. 658. Senate Vote 112-2-15, Feb. 6, 2012. 6. Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Amendment Much to the dismay of AED and other advocates for job and energy security, the administration rejected approval for the Keystone XL pipeline on Jan. 18, 2012. As the Senate neared the completion of a surface transpor- tation reauthorization bill (MAP-21), Republicans saw the measure as a vehicle for ancillary provisions, includ- ing consent for the Keystone project. The pipeline is expected to create up to 13,000 construction jobs and bring 830,000 barrels of oil per day to U.S. refineries. Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), one of the leading advocates for the Keystone XL pipeline in the Senate, attempted to attach a provision to MAP-21 to give congressional approval to the project. While a majority of the Senate favored the amendment, 56-42, it fell four votes short of the necessary 60-vote threshold to be adopted, following intense lobbying of moderate Democratic senators by President Obama. Senate Vote 112-2-34, March 8, 2012. 7. Highway Program "Devolu- tion" Amendment Lawmakers advocating for the dismantlement of the federal highway program were not limited to the House. In fact, several Republican senators took the lead in pushing proposals to transfer to the states the primary responsibility of funding our nation's roads and bridges. De facto leader of the Tea Party caucus, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), attempted to attach an amendment to MAP-21 to devolve the federal high- way program to the authority of the individual states. DeMint and others assert that states are better suited than the federal government to address their local transportation needs. AED and its allies have been making the case that a strong federal role is necessary to ensure adequate infrastructure investment and avoid a nation with a patchwork of roads, highways, and bridges. Addition- ally, federal transportation policy, programs, and resources need to support U.S. global competitive- ness, international trade, interstate commerce, interstate passenger (continued on next page) October 2012 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 37