Max Baucus: “I do have a couple of points I want to make which I think are very important. No. 1, this is a true compromise. We in…”

“I do have a couple of points I want to make which I think are very important. No. 1, this is a true compromise. We in this body suggested $500 million in new contract authority. The House originally suggested about $12 billion in new contract authority for next year. We have compromised on $5.5 billion in new contract authority, and we have done it in a way which does not get into new formulas. The Senate has its formula certainly in the 6-year bill it passed. The House has their formula approach. This short-term bill is a compromise in the amounts of the contract authority, but in a way that does not get into formulas. I think that is very fair, again reminding Senators that about $9.7 billion will be available May 1. The second point is this will allow States to have continuity in their highway programs. Contractors, highway commissions, employees, guys in the various labor unions, men and women who actually do the work here are very worried about whether we will have continuity, whether the program will continue, whether States will be able to let bids and accept bids and set up new projects.”