Tue May 31, 2016
Senate Introduces Concurrent Resolution Opposing Federal Excise Tax Increases
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 40 (S.Con.Res.40), expressing opposition toward increasing the 12-percent Federal Excise Tax (FET) on heavy trucks and truck bodies. Last year, House Representatives Reid Ribble (R-Wis.) and Tim Walz (D-Minn.) introduced companion legislation, H.Con.Res.33....
Tue May 31, 2016
Senate Approves DERA Reauthorization
Global Trade Mag is reporting that The United States Senate's Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee approved a standalone, five-year reauthorization of the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) last week....
David Klepper - ASSOCIATED PRESS - Tue May 31, 2016
Some Worry Cuomo's New N.Y. Agency a Power Grab
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) Gov. Andrew Cuomo pitched a new big-projects agency as a way to help smooth the way for massive state construction like the planned $29 billion mass transit overhaul in New York City, but critics worry about a power grab by the famously hands-on leader....
Tue May 24, 2016
Ounce of Prevention... State Spends $40M to Settle Road Claims
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) A newspaper reports that South Carolina has paid about $40 million since 2010 to settle road claims and lawsuits against the Transportation Department, with much of that money going to settle cases involving damages caused by potholes....
Kim Chandler - ASSOCIATED PRESS - Tue May 24, 2016
Alabama Committee Approves Gas Tax to Pay for Road Construction
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) A proposed gasoline tax increase to pay for road and bridge construction cleared its first hurdle in the Alabama Legislature on March 17. The House Transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure Committee approved the bill, sending it to the full House of Representatives for a vote that could come in early April....
Andrew Demillo - ASSOCIATED PRESS - Tue May 24, 2016
Session Sets Stage for Fight on Road Funding
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) No matter what happens when Arkansas lawmakers meet to take up the governor's highway funding plan, one thing is clear: This won't be the end of the debate over how to pay for the state's road needs....
Tue May 24, 2016
Rescissions Could Cost Highway Fund Billions
Associations representing state departments of transportation, legislatures and the nation's governors worked this month to head off a Senate appropriations provision that could potentially take away billions of dollars in already-authorized highway funds....
Fri May 20, 2016
House Passes $81B Measure for Veterans and Military Construction After Heated Debate
The New York Times is reporting that the House of Representatives has approved an $81.6 billion spending measure for veterans affairs and military construction programs after hours of contentious floor debate that at times focused on cultural disputes, including efforts to restrict the flying of the Confederate flag and a bitter split over workplace protections for gays and lesbians employed by federal contractors....
Kyle Potter - ASSOCIATED PRESS - Thu May 19, 2016
Minn. Senate Rejects $1.5M Public Works Bill
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Minnesota's Senate narrowly rejected a Democratic plan to borrow $1.5 billion for public construction projects across the state on May 5, providing just the latest reminder of the wide divide between Republicans and Democrats as the legislative session winds down with little settled....
Thu May 19, 2016
Equipment Leasing and Finance Industry Confidence Eases in May
The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation released the May 2016 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI) recently. Designed to collect leadership data, the index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $1 trillion equipment finance sector....
