Transportation and Infrastructure

The House on Thursday evening approved a manager's substitute amendment to the Federal Aviation Authorization (FAA) bill, setting up votes on several other amendments over the next two days.

Members voted 251-168 in favor of the amendment from Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.).

House Democrats on Thursday afternoon indicated that they oppose a Republican amendment to the Federal Aviation Authorization (FAA) bill that would limit the ability of the FAA to regulate the transport of lithium batteries.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) offered the amendment as a manager's amendment to the FAA bill, H.R. 658. Under Mica's amendment, the FAA would not be allowed to issue or enforce any regulation related to the transport of lithium batteries that goes beyond international standards.

Early House debate on a rule for a four-year extension of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) focused on language that Democrats objected to because it would make air and rail unionization more difficult. But Democrats also objected to spending cuts in the bill, which they said would lead to tens of thousands of lost transportation jobs.

The bill, H.R. 658, would reverse a 2010 decision by the National Mediation Board (NMB) that allows unions to be formed based on the votes only of voting workers. Prior to this change, non-voting workers were counted as "no" votes for forming a union.

The Congressional Budget Office released a report that called taxing drivers for mileage a "practical option" for raising revenue

The Senate returns at 2 p.m. Monday to take up judicial nominations, but all eyes are on Tuesday, when two test votes are expected on spending bills for fiscal 2011.

Both votes are expected to fail — the vote on H.R. 1, the House Republican spending bill, and Senate Amendment 149, a Senate Democratic amendment that would restore most House cuts and shave just $6.5 billion  from current spending levels. While the vote is expected to signal the need for House-Senate negotiations, the contents of the Senate amendment indicate that the two bodies — and the two parties — are still very far apart.

A bill that would ensure federal transportation spending for the rest of FY 2011 was overwhelmingly approved by the House Wednesday afternoon, in a 421-4 vote.

The bill, which will now be sent to the Senate, won the support of all Democrats but one, even though less than 20 Democrats supported the rule for considering the bill earlier in the day. Without passage this week, federal highway money will expire on Friday.

The House on Wednesday approved a rule for considering a surface transportation spending bill, H.R. 622, and will debate that bill for an hour and vote on it later in the day. The bill funds federal transportation spending for the rest of FY 2011, at FY 2010 levels.

During debate on the rule, Democrats argued that the rule should be rejected because it does not allow any Democratic amendments to be considered, like several other rules Republicans have written.

The rule was approved in a party-line 256-169 vote, and less than 20 Democrats supported it. But the vote on the bill is likely to draw support from Democrats, which in recent weeks have rejected some rules but then found room to support the underlying bill.

On Tuesday, for example, only 15 Democrats supported the rule for the two-week spending bill, but 104 Democrats voted for the actual spending bill.

As the Senate prepared to hold a Wednesday morning vote on a two-week spending bill, the House was preparing to move on tax and transportation bills.

Beginning at noon, the House will take up the rule to H.R. 4, which would eliminate language in last year's healthcare law requiring companies to report all goods and services transactions over $600. The rule to H.R. 4 allows for two and a half hours of debate, and a vote on the bill itself is expected Thursday.

The House Rules Committee on Tuesday approved two rules for bills that will be considered on the House floor Wednesday and Thursday.

The first is a rule for the Surface Transportation Act, H.R. 662, which will come up on Wednesday. The measure would fund federal transportation spending at 2010 levels. As approved, it only allows a Republican technical amendment to be in order, so Democrats will not be able to offer amendments.

The second is a rule for a bill, H.R. 4, that would repeal the IRS reporting requirement in last year's healthcare law, a requirement that both parties oppose. This is a closed rule that will not allow for any amendments, but it will allow for two and a half hours of debate that is expected to conclude on Thursday.

After the House approved a two-week spending bill on Tuesday, Republicans began a one-hour special-order discussion in opposition to the healthcare law.

House Republicans next week plan to move ahead with legislation that would extend federal aid for highway and transit spending through the rest of FY 2011.

The House Rules Committee plans to take up H.R. 662, the Surface Transportation Extension Act, in a March 1 meeting. The approval of a rule for considering the bill at that meeting would pave the way for a House vote soon thereafter.