ARTBA for ARTBA

Budget/Appropriations BUD

ARTBA urged appropriators to provide the full amount for federal transportation programs authorized in the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act plus additional supplemental infrastructure investments pursuant to the 2017 two-year budget deal. ARTBA urged Congress to repeal the recission of $7.6 billion in Federal highway contract authority scheduled for July of 2020 as part of any budget agreement. ARTBA supported language in Section 192 of the House Transuportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill for FY2020 preventing the Admiistration from re-allocating funds dedicated to the California high-speed rail program. ARTBA opposed amendments 229 and 237 to the House THUD Appropriations bill. Amendment 229 would repeal a clarification of current law that any loan repaid with non-federal dollars under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation (TIFIA) program count towards the local share of a project's cost. Amendment 237 would amount to a $1.2 billion cut to federal transit funding for FY 2020.

Contacted: Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); SENATE; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; President of the U.S.; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); White House Office; Small Business Administration (SBA); Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Treasury, Dept of; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Roads/Highway ROD

ARTBA sent two letters to the Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration concerning energy companies (specifically CenturyLink and Consumer Energy) delaying and not answering "locate ticket" meetings with excavation contractors, causing delays to transportation improvement projects.

Contacted: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); SENATE; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); White House Office; President of the U.S.; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Treasury, Dept of; Small Business Administration (SBA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

Civil Rights/Civil Liberties CIV

Urged proper implementation of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program. Discussed several larger DBE program issues, including the legal and regulatory limitations on prime contractors abilities to help grow DBE capacity as well as the disparity between the pool of certified DBE firms and those actually able to participate as subcontractors on federal-aid highway projects.

Contacted: Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Small Business Administration (SBA); President of the U.S.; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Treasury, Dept of; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); SENATE; Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); White House Office; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Transportation TRA

ARTBA staff met with members of Congress and Trump Administration officials to discuss myriad federal transportation issues, including the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. ARTBA met with House and Senate staff to discuss priorities for reauthorization of the surface transportation program.

Contacted: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); White House Office; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); SENATE; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); President of the U.S.; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Treasury, Dept of; Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; Small Business Administration (SBA)

Taxation/Internal Revenue Code TAX

ARTBA staff met with various congressional offices to urge inclusion of a long-term Highway Trust Fund revenue solution in any legislation with a tax title or as a stand-alone measure. ARTBA urged Congress to consider raising the federal gas tax.

Contacted: Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); White House Office; Small Business Administration (SBA); President of the U.S.; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Treasury, Dept of; SENATE

Copyright/Patent/Trademark CPT

ARTBA actively supported the repeal of 23 CFR 635.411, the patented and proprietary products rule" with administration officials as well as House and Senate staff.

Contacted: Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); SENATE; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); White House Office; Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); President of the U.S.; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Treasury, Dept of; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Small Business Administration (SBA); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Trucking/Shipping TRU

ARTBA expressed support for exempting transportation construction industry workers from federal hours of service regulations to Administration officials and House and Senate staff.

Contacted: Transportation, Dept of (DOT); White House Office; President of the U.S.; Treasury, Dept of; Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Small Business Administration (SBA); SENATE; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Aviation/Airlines/Airports AVI

ARTBA staff advocated to House and Senate offices for reauthorization of federal aviation programs, an increase in airport infrastructure investment and an increase in the Passenger Facilities Charge cap.

Contacted: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; Small Business Administration (SBA); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Treasury, Dept of; White House Office; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); SENATE; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); President of the U.S.

Government Issues GOV

ARTBA met with Department of Transportation officials to discuss regulatory reform priorities.

Contacted: Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); President of the U.S.; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); White House Office; Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; Small Business Administration (SBA); SENATE; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Treasury, Dept of; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace LBR

ARTBA urged President Trump to overturn Executive Order 13502 requiring project labor agreements on federal-aid construction projects.

Contacted: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; Treasury, Dept of; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); President of the U.S.; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); SENATE; Small Business Administration (SBA); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); White House Office

Clean Air and Water (quality) CAW

Urged opposition to expanding the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers jurisdictional authority under the Clean Water Act to include all U.S. water bodies. ARTBA thanked the Senate Environment and Public Works COmmittee for advancing S. 747, the Diesel EMissions Reduction Act of 2019. The legislation provides federal financial support to states and localities for retrofitting and replacing older diesel engines.

Contacted: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Treasury, Dept of; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Small Business Administration (SBA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); SENATE; White House Office; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; President of the U.S.; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers)

Bills named: S. 747 (116th)