After contentious negotiations the Congress passed a 5 year fully funded Transportation Bill, boosting spending on roads and transit systems by billions each year.   The “FAST ACT” is an over $305 billion bill.  It increases spending on highways by 2.1 $billion the first year above current levels.  By the final year 2020 the bump is $6.1 billion above the $50 billion in recent years.

The FAST ACT provides a significant percentage increase in monies on highway funding.  And it has protected funding for Transit Systems, that some wanted out from the bill, and also gives increases for pedestrian and bicycle programs and $200 million for rail safety.

The Senate and the House initially had different funding provisions.  The Conference Committee settled primarily on House plan to use money that The Federal Reserve Bank uses as a cushion against losses and a Senate proposal to reduce the amount of interest the Federal Reserve pays to Banks.

This bill ended the era of short term extensions that has been the order of the day for the last 10 years.  The bill triples the amount the National Highway Safety Administration can impose in civil fines, and continues the popular Transportation Infrastructure Finance Act program.  And, it re-authorized the Export Import Bank that allowed loans to foreign companies purchasing US goods.

While this Bill is a landmark moment for Congress that is considered a do nothing body, it still failed once again to find a renewable source of cash for the nation’s transportation needs.  Because the need to get from place to place in our country stands alone to the degree it touches everyone young and old – it is a goal that transcends political parties.  Thus the compromise on the Bill by the Conference Committee was touted as a bi-partisan success.   But the failure to fund a long-term way to pay for transportation reveals the party politics differences.

These are all proven to be thorny political issues.   A key reason that the House opted not to raise the gas tax even though a gas tax had broad support from the Chamber of Commerce, Automobile Association, Labor Unions and Trucking was that many House members pledged to NEVER raise taxes on anything.   And another key belief held by the far right wing or Tea Party Coalition was that the Federal Government should be less involved in Transportation.   Instead they want the issue left to the states and give localities the right to prioritize Transit programs or pedestrian projects.  Some States believe that would eliminate some costs imposed by Federal regulations and then the States would be free to spend their own money on their own priorities.

This debate over the power of States or the Federal Government to control funding for Transportation echo’s the debate today in Indian Country over Dual Taxation.  Right now many of us in Washington are looking at how to use the revision of the Indian Trader Regulations to stop dual Taxation of Tribal Governments.  State governments provide few services on Indian Reservations, but still impose taxes on severance of nature resources, retail sales, and increasingly on property such as wind generation facilities. Tribal governments are then forces to collect state taxes and if they impose a tribal government tax, then the resulting dual taxation drives business away.  The dilemma means Tribes collect no taxes and suffer inadequate roads, schools, police, courts and health care.  We raise the Dual Taxation issue that is currently being debated in Indian Country as a possible source of revenue for Tribal roads and other infrastructure needs, to highlight, that now is the time to pay attention to the how the overall funding for transportation is resolved in Congress.  This may be the right political time, for Tribes to seek a solution to prevent dual taxation by States, and provide Tribes more tax jurisdiction to supplement their own transportation funding needs.   The new Transportation bill includes provisions to promote development of alternatives to the 18.4 cent gas tax, which as you know is not enough to pay for National or Tribal Transportation costs.

It was reported that Senator Boxer (D-CA) and Senator Inhofe (R-OK) worked closely to get the job done on the Transportation bill.   Boxer said it was such a “bruising process” it was motivating to finding a permanent solution.   Because Transportation is such a high priority for both Parties she believes they will “figure it out”.

The bottom-line the FAST ACT moved fast out of the Senate.  In one day the bill got out of the House and Senate with a vote of 83 to 16 in the Senate and 359 to 65 in the House.  In the House Chairman Shuster and Ranking member DeFazio worked through hundreds of amendments, requiring staff to work on the bill through Thanksgiving weekend.  The FAST ACT was a breakthrough in partisan politics and deadlock.  But much still needs to be done for adequate long term funding for Transportation.