By Ron Thaniel
May 24, 2004

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (TN) and Minority Leader Tom Daschle (SD) reached agreement late May 19 on the makeup of Senate Conference Committee for the long-delayed transportation bill.

The agreement states that Republicans would not sign a conference report that did not reflect the bipartisan consensus achieved when the Senate passed its $319 billion measure (S. 1072) in February. Daschle and other Democrats had been seeking guarantees that they would not be locked out of conference discussions as occurred over the pass year on significant legislation, such as the Medicare Reform law.

Led by Environment and Public Works Chairman Senator James M. Inhofe (OK), the Senate will send 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats to conference with the $283 billion House measure (H.R. 3550). As U.S. Mayor goes to press, the House leadership has not announced who or number of conferees. With Congress heading for Memorial Day recess, Conference negotiations will likely begin somewhere within the first two weeks in June.

Roadblocks Remain

Substantial roadblocks await conferees. These include:

• funding levels;
• veto threat from the President directly linked to the funding level;
• substantial language and program differences;
• grievances of 28 states that say they pay more in federal gasoline taxes than they get back in federal assistance for road building and mass transit, commonly known as the 95 percent equity guarantee;
• expiration of the third extension at the end of June and the question, if needed, how long the fourth extension should be; and
• dwindling number of days before the month long August recess.

Veto Threat Looms Over Negotiations

Earlier this month, Republican leaders abandoned efforts to reach a pre-conference agreement with the Bush Administration on the funding level for the bill. After initially insisting on a funding level of $256 billion, the Administration has off the record refused to accept more than $275 billion, and has threatened to veto a final version reflecting either the House or Senate number.

Current law, which expired last October and has been extended three times, provides $218 billion in funding for the period 1998-2003.

Mayors Continue Call For Metropolitan Focused Transportation Bill

During the 22-day legislative impasse, the United States Conference of Mayors, led by Transportation and Communications Chair Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, continued to urge congress to approve a well funded six-year transportation reauthorization that invest in the expansion of high-capacity public transit, aging and congested infrastructure, protects the environment and defends local participation.

Senate Conferees

Republicans

James M. Inhofe (OK)

John W. Warner (VA)

Christopher S. Bond (MO)

George V. Voinovich (OH)

Charles E. Grassley (IA)

Richard C. Shelby (AL)

Orrin G. Hatch (UT)

Trent Lott (MS)

Mitch McConnell (KY)

John McCain (AZ)

Don Nickles (OK)

Democrats

Thomas A. Daschle (SD)

James M. Jeffords (VT)

Harry Reid (NV)

Bob Graham (FL)

Joseph I. Lieberman (CT)

Barbara Boxer (CA)

Ernest F. Hollings (SC)

Paul S. Sarbanes (MD)

Max Baucus (MT)

Kent Conrad (ND)

House Conferees to be named after Memorial Day recess.