Max Baucus: “I rise, with all due respect, to ask the majority leader to reconsider the schedule which he has set so that we take up…”

“I rise, with all due respect, to ask the majority leader to reconsider the schedule which he has set so that we take up the Intermodal Surface Transportation Act, otherwise known as ISTEA, right away rather than deferring it as presently seems to be the case. I say this because our States, contractors, all of our people who depend on highways, very much depend upon the Congress to reauthorize the highway bill. Unfortunately, we have yet to do that. The current program, as we know, expired last year on September 30. However, despite the fact that the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee favorably reported a six-year reauthorization in October, neither the full Senate or the House considered it. Instead, we were forced to pass a temporary, stopgap, 6-month extension, which expires May 1. Mr. President, if the current schedule holds, that is, if the highway bill is not brought up until after the budget resolution, there is a strong possibility that Congress may not pass a highway bill until shortly before it adjourns this year, which is in October. That result would be totally unacceptable. It would be unacceptable to our people, to our contractors, and to our highway workers. And it would be unacceptable to me. Frankly, it would not be a responsible way to conduct our Nation's business.”