Day 1 Wrap Up: Congressional Conference Committee Action
This morning the conference committee for the surface transportation authorization bill met for the first time. The first order of business was appointing Representative Bill Shuster (R-PA) – chair of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee – as the conference chair and Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) – chair of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee -as the vice-chair.
Possibly the most revealing item covered during this first official meeting was an early statement from Chairman Shuster (R-PA) that the conference plans to work diligently through the Thanksgiving recess that starts this Thursday, November 19th, to meet a self-imposed deadline of Monday, November 30. The proposed timeline will allow the House and Senate to vote on final passage for the conference agreement before MAP-21 expires on Friday, December 4th (MAP-21 expires this Friday, November 20th, but the House has already passed a bill to extend the authorization to December 4 and the Senate is expected to follow suit today or tomorrow).
There are still a few sticking points that need to be resolved and came up today during each conferee’s opportunity to speak today. Many hold differing positions on the low funding levels for this authorization as well as the non-transportation generated revenue used to pay for the bill. Those in the Northeast took issue with a House provision to remove transit funding dedicated to high-growth states in the northeast and place it in a national competitive bus and bus facilities program. And others, while not objecting to including passenger rail authorization in the surface authorization for the first time ever as expected by this bill, wanted to include greater reform at Amtrak.
We do not expect any further public meetings until the Members of Congress return on November 30, at which time the conference is expected to have finalized this bill. This means that much of the work on the conference report will happen out of view and behind closed doors. If interested, we advise that you contact your member over the Thanksgiving recess and visit them in person if you can about items of importance for you and your community.
Senate Conference Members
Environment & Public Works Committee
Republicans
Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
John Barrasso (R-WY)
Deb Fischer (R-NE) – also a Commerce Committee member
Democrats
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Commerce Committee
Republicans
John Thune (R-SD) – also a Finance Committee member
Democrats
Bill Nelson (D-FL) – also a Finance Committee member
Banking Committee
Democrats
Sherrod Brown (D-OH) – also a Finance Committee member
Finance Committee
Republicans
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Democrats
Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Other Conferees
Republicans
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Democrats
Dick Durbin (D-IL) – Democratic Whip
House Conference Members
Transportation & Infrastructure Committee
Republicans
Bill Shuster (R-PA)
Reps. John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN)
Sam Graves (R-MO)
Candice Miller (R-MI)
Rick Crawford (R-AR)
Lou Barletta (R-PA)
Blake Farenthold (R-TX)
Bob Gibbs (R-OH)
Jeff Denham (R-CA)
Reid Ribble (R-WI)
Scott Perry (R-PA)
Rob Woodall (R-GA)
John Katko (R-NY)
Brian Babin (R-TX)
Cresent Hardy (R-NV)
Garret Graves (R-LA)
John Mica (R-FL)
Barbara Comstock (R-VA)
Democrats
Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
Corrine Brown (D-FL)
Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
Elijah Cummings (D-MD)
Rick Larsen (D-WA)
Michael Capuano (D-MA)
Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
Daniel Lipinski (D-IL)
Steve Cohen (D-TN)
Albio Sires (D-NJ)
Donna Edwards (D-MD)
Ways & Means Committee
Republicans
Kevin Brady (R-TX)
Dave Reichert (R-WA)
Democrats
Sander Levin (D-MI)
Energy & Commerce Committee
Republicans
Fred Upton (R-MI)
Markwayne Mullin (R-OK)
Democrats
Frank Palone (D-NJ)
Financial Services Committee
Republicans
Jeb Hensarling (R-TX)
Randy Neugebauer (R-TX)
Democrats
Maxine Waters (D-CA)
Other Committees
Republicans
Mac Thornberry (R-TX)
Mike Rogers (R-AL)
Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
Tom Marino (R-PA)
Darin LaHood (R-IL)
Glenn Thomson (R-PA)
Will Hurd (R-TX)
Lamar Smith (R-TX)
Democrats
Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)
Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)
Gerry Connolly (D-VA)