Discussion: View Thread

Hi folks-

With all the focus on the President's infrastructure plan, many people don't realize there is an opportunity right now to increase infrastructure investment via legislation currently moving through Congress. The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) authorization will expire September 30th, so the House and Senate are currently working on reauthorizing legislation. 

ASCE is asking Congress to do two things in the bill: (1) increase funding for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP); and (2) remove the cap on the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC). AIP is a grant program and is the largest source of federal funding for aviation infrastructure. PFCs are fees airports can collect from departing passengers and use to fund federally approved capital projects. Since 2000, the federal government has capped PFCs at $4.50 per enplanement, restricting local airports abilities to determine their own needs, raise necessary funds, and invest in their own infrastructure.

The legislation is scheduled to be marked-up in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation at the end of June, so we're asking ASCE members to contact their Representatives/Senators if they sit on one of those committees. You can lookup if you are a constituent of one of our targeted officials here and send a predrafted email (which you can edit too). (If you are not a constituent of one of those Senators or Representatives, you will not be able to participate in this alert at this time, but we will need your help once the bills get to the floor.)

Please take two minutes to help: Tell Congress to Increase Funding for Airport Infrastructure in the FAA Bill!

Thank you!

------------------------------
Laura Hale
Manager, Federal Government Relations
American Society of Civil Engineers
Washington, DC
------------------------------

Hi folks-

We have another opportunity to increase funding for airport infrastructure, but we need your help to make sure the language stays in the bill! 

The Senate Appropriations Committee will markup the Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) spending bill on Thursday, July 27th. The bill passed by T-HUD subcommittee today includes a $250 million increase to the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) for FY18 and an increase from $4.50 to $8.50 on the cap on the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) for originating airports. In March, ASCE graded the nation's airports a "D." This bill is a chance to raise the grade, but only if the PFC and AIP increase language survives the full committee. 

We need you to contact your senator if s/he is one of the ones list below. Click here to send an email- it only takes a minute!

Majority	Minority
Thad Cochran, Mississippi, Chair	Patrick Leahy, Vermont, Ranking Member
Mitch McConnell, Kentucky	Patty Murray, Washington
Richard Shelby, Alabama	Dianne Feinstein, California
Lamar Alexander, Tennessee	Dick Durbin, Illinois
Susan Collins, Maine	Jack Reed, Rhode Island
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska	Jon Tester, Montana
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina	Tom Udall, New Mexico
Roy Blunt, Missouri	Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire
Jerry Moran, Kansas	Jeff Merkley, Oregon
John Hoeven, North Dakota	Chris Coons, Delaware
John Boozman, Arkansas	Brian Schatz, Hawaii
Shelly Moore Capito, West Virginia	Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin
James Lankford, Oklahoma	Chris Murphy, Connecticut
Steve Daines, Montana	Joe Manchin, West Virginia
John Neely Kennedy, Louisiana	Chris Van Hollen, Maryland
Marco Rubio, Florida

------------------------------
Laura Hale
Manager, Federal Government Relations
American Society of Civil Engineers
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-19-2017 14:30
From: Laura Hale
Subject: Help Increase Funding for Aviation Infrastructure

Hi folks-

With all the focus on the President's infrastructure plan, many people don't realize there is an opportunity right now to increase infrastructure investment via legislation currently moving through Congress. The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) authorization will expire September 30th, so the House and Senate are currently working on reauthorizing legislation. 

ASCE is asking Congress to do two things in the bill: (1) increase funding for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP); and (2) remove the cap on the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC). AIP is a grant program and is the largest source of federal funding for aviation infrastructure. PFCs are fees airports can collect from departing passengers and use to fund federally approved capital projects. Since 2000, the federal government has capped PFCs at $4.50 per enplanement, restricting local airports abilities to determine their own needs, raise necessary funds, and invest in their own infrastructure.

The legislation is scheduled to be marked-up in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation at the end of June, so we're asking ASCE members to contact their Representatives/Senators if they sit on one of those committees. You can lookup if you are a constituent of one of our targeted officials here and send a predrafted email (which you can edit too). (If you are not a constituent of one of those Senators or Representatives, you will not be able to participate in this alert at this time, but we will need your help once the bills get to the floor.)

Please take two minutes to help: Tell Congress to Increase Funding for Airport Infrastructure in the FAA Bill!

Thank you!

------------------------------
Laura Hale
Manager, Federal Government Relations
American Society of Civil Engineers
Washington, DC
------------------------------

Hello all-

 Good news out of the Senate Appropriations Committee today! The committee passed the FY18 transportation-housing bill unanimously, including the language increasing AIP funding and the PFC cap. Thanks to all who reached out to their senators! Obviously, the fight is not over yet, as the bill still has to clear the entire Senate and then be conferenced with the House version. We will likely need your help again before the FY18 appropriations process is over, so thank you again for all that you do. Please know that reaching out to your representatives on issues like these really can make a difference and we wouldn't have the success that we do if we didn't have such smart, passionate members behind us.

 
In case you're interested, here are the other big takeaways from the bill:

•  Highways and transit receive the full amount of funding from the Highway Trust Fund promised to them in the FAST Act ($44.234 billion for highways and $9.733 for transit).
• The TIGER grant program is funded at $550 million, a $50 million increase from FY17. The Trump Administration had proposed ending the program, which was originally created by the 2009 stimulus bill to support innovative projects that are difficult to fund through traditional federal programs.
• The Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Capital Investment Grant program is funded at $2.133 billion, which $280 million below FY17 levels. This was another program the Trump Administration targeted for cuts, proposing to limit FY18 spending to only projects with a full funding grant agreement (i.e. funding already approved projects but not accepting new projects). The Senate again largely ignored those proposed cuts.
• Amtrak also received the full amount of funding authorized by the FAST Act ($358.4 million for the Northeast Corridor and $1.242 billion for the National Network).
• The Federal Railroad Administration's new grant programs that were authorized by the FAST Act (Consolidated Rail Grants, Good Repair Partnership Grants and Restoration/Enhancement Grants) are funded at $123.5 million, far less than their authorized level of $425 million.
• The Federal Aviation Administration's NextGen modernization program received $1.1 billion.
• After adopting amendments from Sens. Hoeven (R-ND) and Shaheen (D-NH), the bill modifies restriction on truck weights for vehicles travelling in interstates in North Dakota and New Hampshire.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you ever have questions.

 Thank you again!

------------------------------
Laura Hale
Manager, Federal Government Relations
American Society of Civil Engineers
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 07-25-2017 16:20
From: Laura Hale
Subject: Help Increase Funding for Aviation Infrastructure

Hi folks-

We have another opportunity to increase funding for airport infrastructure, but we need your help to make sure the language stays in the bill!

The Senate Appropriations Committee will markup the Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) spending bill on Thursday, July 27th. The bill passed by T-HUD subcommittee today includes a $250 million increase to the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) for FY18 and an increase from $4.50 to $8.50 on the cap on the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) for originating airports. In March, ASCE graded the nation's airports a "D." This bill is a chance to raise the grade, but only if the PFC and AIP increase language survives the full committee.

We need you to contact your senator if s/he is one of the ones list below. Click here to send an email- it only takes a minute!

Majority	Minority
Thad Cochran, Mississippi, Chair	Patrick Leahy, Vermont, Ranking Member
Mitch McConnell, Kentucky	Patty Murray, Washington
Richard Shelby, Alabama	Dianne Feinstein, California
Lamar Alexander, Tennessee	Dick Durbin, Illinois
Susan Collins, Maine	Jack Reed, Rhode Island
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska	Jon Tester, Montana
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina	Tom Udall, New Mexico
Roy Blunt, Missouri	Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire
Jerry Moran, Kansas	Jeff Merkley, Oregon
John Hoeven, North Dakota	Chris Coons, Delaware
John Boozman, Arkansas	Brian Schatz, Hawaii
Shelly Moore Capito, West Virginia	Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin
James Lankford, Oklahoma	Chris Murphy, Connecticut
Steve Daines, Montana	Joe Manchin, West Virginia
John Neely Kennedy, Louisiana	Chris Van Hollen, Maryland
Marco Rubio, Florida

------------------------------
Laura Hale
Manager, Federal Government Relations
American Society of Civil Engineers

Original Message:
Sent: 06-19-2017 14:30
From: Laura Hale
Subject: Help Increase Funding for Aviation Infrastructure

Hi folks-

With all the focus on the President's infrastructure plan, many people don't realize there is an opportunity right now to increase infrastructure investment via legislation currently moving through Congress. The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) authorization will expire September 30th, so the House and Senate are currently working on reauthorizing legislation.

ASCE is asking Congress to do two things in the bill: (1) increase funding for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP); and (2) remove the cap on the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC). AIP is a grant program and is the largest source of federal funding for aviation infrastructure. PFCs are fees airports can collect from departing passengers and use to fund federally approved capital projects. Since 2000, the federal government has capped PFCs at $4.50 per enplanement, restricting local airports abilities to determine their own needs, raise necessary funds, and invest in their own infrastructure.

The legislation is scheduled to be marked-up in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation at the end of June, so we're asking ASCE members to contact their Representatives/Senators if they sit on one of those committees. You can lookup if you are a constituent of one of our targeted officials here and send a predrafted email (which you can edit too). (If you are not a constituent of one of those Senators or Representatives, you will not be able to participate in this alert at this time, but we will need your help once the bills get to the floor.)

Please take two minutes to help: Tell Congress to Increase Funding for Airport Infrastructure in the FAA Bill!

Thank you!

------------------------------
Laura Hale
Manager, Federal Government Relations
American Society of Civil Engineers
Washington, DC
------------------------------