ARTBA for ARTBA

Roads/Highway ROD

ARTBA urged House and Senate Leaders to allow the use of federal funding to implement automated enforcement, if permitted by a state, in work zones.

Contacted: Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; White House Office; Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Treasury, Dept of; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); President of the U.S.; SENATE; Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Defense, Dept of (DOD); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Small Business Administration (SBA)

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); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Defense, Dept of (DOD); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); SENATE; Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); White House Office; Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Small Business Administration (SBA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Treasury, Dept of; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); President of the U.S.

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. ARTBA urged Congress to make reauthorization of the federal surface transportation program a central part of COVID-19 recovery efforts. ARTBA also supported direct aid to state departments of transportation as part of COVID-19 recovery efforts. ARTBA supported the inclusion of direct financial assistance for state highway programs in H.R. 6800, the "Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Energy Solutions" (HEROES) Act. ARTBA, through both individual and coalition letters, supported H.R. 2, the "Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act" (INVEST Act). ARTBA also urged support and opposition for various specific amendments to the act. ARTBA supported H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act.

Contacted: Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Small Business Administration (SBA); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; White House Office; Treasury, Dept of; SENATE; President of the U.S.; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Defense, Dept of (DOD)

Bills named: H.R. 2 (116th), H.R. 6800 (116th)

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 lift the $15 billion cap on Private Activity Bonds (PABs) for highway construction projects.

Contacted: Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Federal Communications Commission (FCC); SENATE; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; President of the U.S.; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Small Business Administration (SBA); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Defense, Dept of (DOD); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Treasury, Dept of; White House Office; Office of Management & Budget (OMB)

Copyright/Patent/Trademark CPT

ARTBA discussed the issue of how best to ensure patented and proprietary products are allowed to compete in the marketplace in light of the repeal of 23 CFR 635.411, the patented and proprietary products rule" with administration officials as well as House and Senate staff.

Contacted: Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); White House Office; Small Business Administration (SBA); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Treasury, Dept of; President of the U.S.; Defense, Dept of (DOD); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); SENATE; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Small Business SMB

ARTBA urged congress to clarify that business expenses related to the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program are tax-deductible. ARTBA urged congress to increase the amount of Paycheck Protection Program funds which could be used for non-payroll expenses. ARTBA urged Congress to extend the eight-week duration of Paycheck Protection Program loans. ARTBA urged congress to extend the Paycheck Protection Program's "safe harbor" provision for rehiring workers. ARTBA asked OMB to clarify that Paycheck Protection Funds spent on federal contracting work do not need to be credited back to the contracting agency. ARTBA supported H.R. 7010, the "Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act."

Contacted: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); White House Office; Internal Revenue Service (IRS); President of the U.S.; Small Business Administration (SBA); SENATE; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Treasury, Dept of; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Defense, Dept of (DOD)

Bills named: H.R. 7010 (116th)

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: Internal Revenue Service (IRS); White House Office; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Treasury, Dept of; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Small Business Administration (SBA); President of the U.S.; SENATE; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Defense, Dept of (DOD)

Environment/Superfund ENV

ARTBA supported the Council on Environmental Quality's efforts to modernize the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Contacted: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Treasury, Dept of; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); SENATE; Internal Revenue Service (IRS); White House Office; Small Business Administration (SBA); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); President of the U.S.; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Defense, Dept of (DOD); Transportation, Dept of (DOT)

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: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; White House Office; Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Treasury, Dept of; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Federal Communications Commission (FCC); President of the U.S.; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Defense, Dept of (DOD); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); SENATE; Small Business Administration (SBA); Office of Management & Budget (OMB)

Government Issues GOV

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

Contacted: Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); President of the U.S.; Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Treasury, Dept of; Small Business Administration (SBA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; White House Office; Defense, Dept of (DOD); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); SENATE

Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace LBR

ARTBA urged President Trump to overturn Executive Order 13502 requiring project labor agreements on federal-aid construction projects. ARTBA requested further clarification from OSHA regarding the application of OSHA's Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records rule to certain employer-conducted COVID-19 health screenings.

Contacted: Small Business Administration (SBA); Defense, Dept of (DOD); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); SENATE; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); White House Office; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); President of the U.S.; Federal Communications Commission (FCC); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Treasury, Dept of; Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)

Clean Air and Water (quality) CAW

Urged opposition to expanding the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers jurisdictional authority under the Clean Water Act to include all U.S. water bodies. ARTBA urged EPA and Congress to make fundamental changes to the Clean Air Act's transportation conformity program. ARTBA expressed concern about the impact of the "Safe, Affordable, Fuel-Efficient" Vehicles Rule on the ability of states to meet federal goals under the Clean Air Act's transportation conformity program. ARTBA opposed changes to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting structure proposed in H.R. 1497, the "Water Quality and Jobs Creation Act of 2019."

Contacted: Treasury, Dept of; Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); Small Business Administration (SBA); President of the U.S.; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); White House Office; Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Federal Communications Commission (FCC); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Defense, Dept of (DOD); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers); SENATE

Bills named: H.R. 1497 (116th)

Communications/Broadcasting/Radio/TV COM

ARTBA opposed a decision by the Federal Communications Commission's acceptance of Ligado Networks, LLC's application to provide 5G services nationwide. ARTBA also filed a petition for reconsideration of the decision with the FCC.

Contacted: Treasury, Dept of; White House Office; Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Transportation, Dept of (DOT); Defense, Dept of (DOD); Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Small Business Administration (SBA); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ); President of the U.S.; SENATE; Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers)