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The Senate will vote to begin debate on a bipartisan transportation reauthorization bill next week.    It is anticipated that Republicans and Democrats will come to an agreement on what amendments will be voted on when the Senate resumes consideration of the transportation bill, hopefully clearing the path to final passage.

Rumors are circulating on Capitol Hill today that the Republican leadership is considering redrafting the five year surface transportation reauthorization bill and replacing it with a bill of eighteen month duration. A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner (R-Oh.) acknowledged that a “revamped approach” is being considered. The spokesman also said that Speaker Boehner still intends to link the transportation bill with expanded opportunities for domestic energy production.

The House and Senate have been deliberating their respective versions of the transportation reauthorization legislation this week but long lists of amendments in both Chambers have slowed down progress. As a result final action on both bills has been postponed until after the Present’s Day Congressional recess scheduled for next week.

After more than a four-year delay by Congress and 22 short-term extensions, this week President Obama signed a four-year compromise Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization bill. The legislation includes $13.4 billion for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and extends the airline ticket tax. AIP finances airport infrastructure projects. The AIP authorization level was set at $3.35 billion a year, which is the same amount provided to the program in FY 2012 through the appropriations bill but 5 percent less than was provided in FY 2011.

Despite the importance of this legislation to the highway and transit construction industry �۽�ֱ�� has been told that Senators and Representatives are not hearing from construction contractors about the importance of passing the highway bill now.

The House and Senate have begun deliberation on their respective versions of the transportation reauthorization legislation, but long lists of amendments in both chambers have slowed down progress. As a result, final action on both bills has been postponed until after the Present’s Day congressional recess.

On Tuesday the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rejected LightSquared’s plans for a 4G broadband network. The decision was largely influenced by final recommendation from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is a joint panel consisting of nine federal agencies. The NTIA sent a letter to the FCC saying the group “cannot support” further deployment of LightSquared’s technology since there is no practical way to mitigate potential interference of the company’s transmissions with GPS signals at this time.

President Obama’s FY 2013 budget request for the Department of Transportation rehashes last year’s request. The president renewed his request for $50 billion in the current fiscal year to provide a targeted economic boost and to jump start job creation. In addition, the administration used the budget request to again propose ideas for a long-term legislation to reauthorize the surface transportation programs. The timing of the proposal took away much of its relevance because both the House and Senate are already considering their own versions of transportation reauthorization. 

March 11-17, 2012 National Convention Honolulu, Hawaii      March 13, 2012 H&T Issues Forum 9:15-10:30 a.m.      March 16, 2012 H&T Division Meeting 10:30 – NoonMarch 20, 2012 Road Rally Washington, D.C.April 16-18, 2012 Federal Contractors Meeting Washington, D.C.Transportation Track April 17Hill Visits April 18April 22-28, 2012 Work Zone Awareness WeekApril 23, 2012 Work Zone National Event St. Louis, MissouriMay 30-31, 2012 TCC Fly-In Washington, D.C.�۽�ֱ�� Issues Briefing Lunch—Tuesday, May 30 11:00 -1:30 p.m.Legislative briefing --- Tuesday, May 30 2:30 – 5:00 p.m.For more information, please contact Brian Deery at (703) 837-5319 or deeryb@agc.org. 

A half day Civil, Industrial, and Utilities VDC (Virtual Design and Construction) Forum will be held on April 24th in conjunction with the April 25-26 BIMForum in San Antonio, Texas. The BIMForum is looking for presentations on successful implementations of VDC on Highway, Road, Bridge, Utility, Treatment Plants, and Power Distribution projects. These projects have the potential to realize substantial financial and schedule savings. Presentations should focus on the use of VDC to enhance work flow, minimize schedules, increase safety, provide a better end product, or increase field productivity. Submissions are due on Friday, February 24th, 2012.