ATA Chairman Hopeful Speaker Paul Ryan ‘Will Lead’ Passage of Highway Bill
American Trucking Associations Chairman Pat Thomas has a message for new Speaker Paul Ryan.
“We sincerely hope that newly elected Speaker Ryan will lead the House to passing a long-term [highway] bill quickly, so we can move a package to the president this year,” Thomas told Transport Topics on Oct. 29.
Ryan (R-Wis.), elected to be speaker the same day, had pledged a commitment to moving forward on a multiyear highway measure during his tenure as chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. Ways and Means has jurisdiction over the road-building Highway Trust Fund, an account used to support state infrastructure programs.
The Ways and Means panel has yet to unveil a funding structure that would keep the trust fund sustainable throughout the duration of a six-year highway bill, which was reported by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last week. It now appears likely the measure will reach the floor next week absent a funding structure.
Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.), a Ways and Means member, told TT on Oct. 27 that he thinks the panel will release in a few weeks a funding structure for the House bill. The committee was on track to present its funding plan sooner, but Ryan’s promotion to speaker delayed that process, Boustany said.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx also said he hopes Ryan will advance a long-term highway bill.
"I’ve had many conversations with Speaker Ryan in his role as the House Ways and Means Chair. He’s a serious student of policy," said Foxx. "He’s hearing from his colleagues on both sides of the aisle [about] how critical getting a highway bill is. I’d expect him to work to find a way to get something done. But the question will continue to be at what order of magnitude and for how long. We continue to urge Congress to go big.”
