Joseph Knollenberg: “I am not going to repeat the funding proposals described by the gentleman from Massachusetts, but I will say that the…”

“I am not going to repeat the funding proposals described by the gentleman from Massachusetts, but I will say that the vast majority of the legislation and the principles behind the funding levels are very similar to prior year House-passed bills for housing and transportation. Crafting this bill is not for the faint of heart. There is no easy formula when you consider the authorizations and expectations of both the housing and the transportation communities. Neither group is shy about vocalizing what it wants, and both communities have needs and issues that need attention. Some of these needs are intertwined, however, and we do have different approaches for the solution. The chairman proposes that these issues need to be handled at a Federal level and has even included funds for a commission between DOT and HUD to coordinate housing and transportation policies. I am of the school that the Federal Government needs to be aware of these issues and provide guidance on these issues, but we need to recognize that housing and transportation decisions are local decisions made by cities and metropolitan planning organizations, or MPOs.”