A statement released by Republican and Democratic lawmakers hint that a bipartisanship deal on the delayed and hotly debated $109 billion transportation bill could be in the works and completed by next week.
As reported by The Hill, the statement Thursday by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Rep. John L. Mica (R-FL), Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, read: “The conferees have moved forward toward a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on a highway reauthorization bill. Both House and Senate conferees will continue to work with a goal of completing a package by next week.”
In March, President Obama signed a 90-day extension for the two-year bill that the Senate approved in early that month.
Passage of this transportation legislation is important not only to the tens of millions of public transit riders, but to the economic health of this country. According to the American Public Transit Association, investing in public transportation creates jobs and also gives people access to jobs. Every $1 billion invested in public transportation creates and supports 36,000 jobs. Nearly 60 percent of trips on public transit are taken for work commutes.