RAIL Magazine Applauds Reauthorization Proposals from Obama, Camp

President Barack Obama inspects a new Green Line light-rail vehicle at Metro Transit's Saint Paul maintenance facility before his address at the neighboring Saint Paul Union Depot. Photo by White House Photographer Pete Souza

Yesterday, a pair of important developments took place that present encouraging signs for the process of reauthorizing the nation's surface transportation legislation, currently known as MAP-21. In Saint Paul, Minn., President Barack Obama announced his Administration's FY2015 budget will include a proposal for a four-year reauthorization of MAP-21, including full details on corresponding revenue sources to support the $302 billion investment. The President identified a number of tax loopholes that would be closed under his proposal as the sources of revenue to makeup the pending shortfall derived from the nation's transportation trust fund.

Meanwhile, Rep. Dave Camp (Mich.) - Chair of the House of Representatives's Ways and Means Committee - also announced a proposal that would deliver $126.5 billion over the next eight years to the trust fund, resolving the fund's forthcoming insolvency. Camp's proposal would target overseas bank accounts that are currently havens for tax-free stockpiling of capital. Among others, Rep. Bill Shuster (Pa.) - Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee - signaled his initial support for Camp's proposal.

The twin proposals address the fundamental challenge of the reauthorization process: identifying new revenue to support levels of investment necessary to maintain and expand the nation's surface transportation network. During the legislative process in 2012 that ultimately produced MAP-21, revenue sources were not revealed to the public until passage of the legislation was imminent, and those sources were only stop-gap measures, hence MAP-21 was a two-year bill. Along with the more than 4,000 members of the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) – which publishes RAIL Magazine – we are encouraged by these developments from leaders in both parties at the federal level.

"The Community Transportation Association and its members embrace yesterday's proposals by the President and Chairman Camp as very positive indicators that reauthorization of our nation's surface transportation legislation is closer now than before," said CTAA Executive Director and RAIL Magazine Publisher Dale J. Marsico, CCTM. "The revenue sources identified by both leaders suggest robust support for investing in our nation's transportation network and are a recognition of the vital role that network plays in connecting Americans with the jobs, heath care, social services and all the other elements of strong communities necessary for a good quality of life. Our nation's community and public transportation network is a vital part of overall transportation infrastructure."

For the most in-depth coverage of the impact of MAP-21 reauthorization on the nation's community and public transportation providers, visit CTAA's MAP-21 Central.