WASHINGTON D.C. (WTAQ) – House Republican Reid Ribble of Northeast Wisconsin will be part of a congressional conference panel which has just two weeks to agree to a new federal transportation package.
If they don’t reach a deal by November 20th, federal highway funds could be temporarily cut off.
The House approved its version of the six-year, $325 billion package Thursday. It passed 363-64, with all eight Wisconsin members voting yes.
The Senate endorsed a different package earlier.
Ribble tried but failed to pass an amendment to raise weight limits for trucks on federal highways.
Wausau Republican Sean Duffy managed to add heavier weights for logging trucks on 12 miles of Interstate 39 in Marathon County, to get those vehicles off roads that go through smaller towns.
Both houses voted to require funding for the first half of the six-year deal. The House version mandates that Congress come up with a funding package for the finals three years — while the Senate voted to keep Congress out of that.
There’s talk about raising the federal gas tax, which is not raising enough to meet highway needs around the country.
Both houses also included a return of the U.S. Export-Import Bank. Its closing was blamed by General Electric for moving 350 Waukesha jobs to Canada.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
