Eno Transportation Weekly

August 16, 2019 – The Congressional Budget Office is scheduled to release its annual summer update to its Budget and Economic Outlook on August 21.

August 19, 2019 – This week, the Federal Railroad Administration announced the availability of $252.5 million in fiscal year 2019 funding for rail capital improvement grants under the CRISI program (Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements) established by the FAST Act in 49 U.S.C. §22907.

August 16, 2019 – It may be a quiet Congressional recess in most places around the nation’s capital, but work continues in some circles on the fiscal 2020 appropriations process, focusing on three areas: drafting an initial stopgap continuing resolution, making most of the hard choices on the Senate appropriations bills, and giving initial thought to how to downsize some of the House appropriations bills.

August 16, 2019 – This week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a proposed rule that would implement some long-expected changes in the federal rules that govern the consecutive and cumulative hours of service (HOS) that commercial vehicle drivers are allowed to work.

August 1, 2019 – The July 30 markup of the highway reauthorization bill by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee left stakeholders with a positive feeling that morning, but by the end of the day, the specter of politics as usual had put a damper on emotions.

August 1, 2019 – A week after the House of Representatives left town for the remainder of the summer, the U.S. Senate followed suit today, after clearing the bipartisan two-year budget deal and over 60 nominees (including two National Transportation Safety Board nominees). The chamber will be in recess until Monday, September 9.

August 1, 2019 – The Federal Highway Administration has completed its initial funding analysis of S.

July 30, 2019 – This morning, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved, by a 23 to 0 vote, a five-year highway program reauthorization bill containing $287 billion in Highway Trust Fund contract authority and authorizing an additional $5.7 billion in general fund appropriations.

This is a summary of S. 2301, the highway authorization bill, as amended and approved by the Senate EPW Committee on July 30, 2019.

July 29, 2019 – This is a summary of the draft highway bill released by the Senate EPW Committee this morning, the “America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019,” in anticipation of tomorrow’s markup session.

July 26, 2019 – The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is preparing to mark up a draft five-year federal-aid highway program reauthorization bill on July 30 that will provide a first-year increase in Federal Highway Administration contract authority for fiscal 2021 that is about 17 percent higher than the fiscal 2020 amount provided by the FAST Act of 2015.

July 26, 2019 – Earlier today, the Federal Transit Administration announced 38 grants to transit agencies for purchase of low or no emission buses, totaling $85 million.

July 26, 2019 – This week, the U.S.

July 25, 2019 The House of Representatives has passed H.R. 3877, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019, by a roll call vote of 284 to 149 at 5:12 p.m. The party split was as follows: Yes No Dem. 219 16 Repub. 65 132 Ind… Sorry – you don’t have access to this item.

July 25, 2019 – Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs approved a bill (S.

July 25, 2019 – Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the recipients of the fiscal year 2019 round of INFRA grant funding provided by the FAST Act of 2015, with 20 projects totaling $856 million in federal funds.

Tuesday, July 30 – Senate Environment and Public Works – full committee markup of a draft highway reauthorization bill and S. 1992, repealing the July 1, 2020 highway rescission – 9:00 a.m., SD-406 Dirksen.

Links to all long-form transportation policy history articles written for the Eno Center by Jeff Davis.

July 23, 2019 – Later this week, the House of Representatives will consider a new bipartisan budget bill introduced last night in the House.

July 19, 2019 – Congressional leaders are frantically negotiating with Treasury Secretary Mnuchin (and, possibly, other Trump Administration officials) on a two-year debt ceiling increase that would also increase the Budget Control Act’s ceilings on defense and non-defense appropriations for fiscal years 2020 and 2021.