Max Baucus: “after nearly 3 years and countless temporary extensions, the Senate is about to pass a monumental transportation bill.…”

“after nearly 3 years and countless temporary extensions, the Senate is about to pass a monumental transportation bill. We will provide over $286 billion that will create thousands of jobs and keep our transportation infrastructure healthy. Getting to this point truly has been a work of dedication and perseverance. First, I thank Senator Inhofe and Senator Jeffords, from the Environment and Public Works Committee, as well as Senator Bond, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure. They provided excellent leadership and cooperation. I sincerely thank their staffs many of whom spent sleepless nights getting this done. In particular, I thank Ken Connolly, J.C. Sandberg, Malia Somerville, Alison Taylor, Jo-Ellen Darcy, Catharine Ransom, Chris Miller, Malcolm Woolf, Carolyn Dupree, Thomas Ashley, Cara Cookson, Andy Wheeler, Ruth Van Mark, James O'Keeffe, Nathan Richmond, Alex Herrgott, Angie Giancarlo, Greg Murrill, Heideh Shahmoradi, Ellen Stein, John Stoody. They played an important role developing the transit title in this bill. I also thank my good friend Senator Grassley, the chairman of the Finance Committee, for his commitment to the transportation program. Let me take a moment and speak about the hard work of the Finance Committee staff. Getting the Tax Title done presented many challenges, not the least of which was getting it paid for. The House bill simply did not provide enough money for our highway infrastructure.…”