New congress convenes

The 110th Congress, now under Democratic control, is expected to deal with leftover FY '07 spending bills very quickly, according to NSSGA. At the end of last month, the House Democrats announced that when Congress convenes they would enact a long-term "joint resolution" that will fund the government -- without earmarks. Under the joint resolution, the highway program would be funded at the FY '06 level, $3 billion less than the authorized amount. New House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), a friend of the industry, is pressing House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) for an exception for highway funding that would allow the increases called for in SAFETEA-LU to take affect. Oberstar contends that if the increases are delayed, many states' construction projects will be 'knocked off the schedule.'The aggregates industry is in full agreement. Your comment?