The word on Capitol Hill is that the Highway Bill, which has
been stalled in conference committee for several weeks, is going to be extended
into July.
Rod Nofziger, government relations representative for OOIDA,
said this would mark the eighth time the bill has been extended since the 1998
bill expired in September of 2003.
Any extension approved by Congress must then be signed by
President Bush by midnight tonight, June 30. If that does not happen, many federal
employees, including Department of Transportation workers, could be furloughed
beginning July 1.
Mandatory fuel surcharge legislation, which was introduced
as part of the House version of the Highway Bill, still remains in play.
Another key proposal is the “no tolls on existent interstates” amendment in the
Senate version.
Nofziger said there has been discussion of some of the
policy matters, including the fuel surcharge, but no official or unofficial
agreements have been made.
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