High-speed rail projects and the money needed to pay for them have been eliciting strong reactions from all sides. Tuesday's announcement of the Obama Administration’s plan to spend $53 billion over the next six years on rail infrastructure projects produced a flurry of responses, some praising the plan — others deriding it.
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With Republicans taking over the House and focusing on cutting spending, it will be interesting to see where transportation falls on their list of priorities. Despite T&I Chairman Mica's plan to push for a transportation authorization bill early this year, the major hurdle remains how to fund it.
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Having long been recognized as a national leader on a variety of transportation issues, Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.) was recently elected by his peers in the House of Representatives to serve as the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I), the largest Congressional panel in Congress. He succeeds long-time Chairman James L. Oberstar.
Read More →Working on a story for the magazine regarding federal legislation and reauthorization and let's just say I am not filled with optimism. It seems that at this time last year, all the experts expected reauthorization to be somewhere behind health care and climate legislation on the federal government's list of priorities. The long, slow process of getting both of those bills completed has now led to a reconstituted Congress...
Read More →We in the industry, now more than ever before, need to help make the case that there is a federal role in public transportation, and it needs to be strengthened.
Read More →It was just less than two years ago that the cry for more public transportation funding or, at least, an understanding that more funding was necessary, had been heard by the federal government, in particular by President Barack Obama. Now, a half-term of bi-partisan incompetence has yielded a swift change in congressional leadership that is nearly unprecedented.
Read More →In the previous two congresses, he served as the Committee's Republican leader. Prior to that, from 2000 to 2006, he chaired the Aviation Subcommittee, during which time he authored the last multi-year FAA authorization to be signed into law. Mica has been a member of the Committee since his election to Congress in 1992.
Read More →The award is presented to individuals for their support for a fully developed train network and leadership in promoting rail development.
Read More →Issues include ensuring adequate funding for public transit; making communities, infrastructure and transportation services more commuter friendly and more accessible; and helping persons with disabilities with transportation costs, and making transportation services more affordable.
Read More →Last year, Mica was part of the effort to open high-speed rail development to private sector participation in 11 federally designated corridors in the U.S. The measure including this initiative was signed into law in October.
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