By Cian Cashin, Senior Manager, Government Affairs

And by this, I don’t mean our recently departed technological guru, I mean concrete, getting Americans back to work…JOBS.  The answer, apparently, would depend on who you ask. This week, Senate Republicans offered a counter proposal to the Senate Democrats $60 billion infrastructure proposal the Senate is expected to debate this week. The Senate Democratic proposal would essentially be “part two” of the Obama jobs package.  Senate Dems have taken the first procedural steps to move the legislation (S 1769) by filing a motion to limit debate on the second component of Obama’s larger job creation proposal (S 1549).  The Republicans have countered with general comments that they would like to utilize House Transportation Infrastructure Chairman John Mica’s proposed transportation reauthorization measure as the vehicle for their “jobs” proposal. While both would obviously invest in infrastructure as a way to get people back to work while simultaneously repairing the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, the stand alone legislation would obviously provide a more ideal mode of debate than taking on the comprehensive long-term highway reauthorization.   With Republicans already offering a counterproposal, we can assume pre-election rhetoric may bar the way for bipartisan investment in the nation’s infrastructure as long as it carries the “jobs” moniker and both parties have their differing approaches.

In concrete events, the Senate has passed an amended version of the fiscal 2012 “minibus” appropriations package this week.  It now moves to a conference with the House that could start as early as this week. This legislation (HR 2112) passed by a roll call vote of 69-30 and combined the Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Transportation-HUD spending bills for fiscal 2012. One stumbling block during consideration of amendments was the mandatory set-aside of 10 percent of the Department of Transportation’s program funding obligated for “transportation enhancements.”  These could include such things as landscaping, historic preservation and bicycle paths…which many called inessential given the state of the nation’s tunnel and bridges which are in desperate need of dedicated repair funds.

Finally, lawmakers have indicated that they would like to use a recently released safety report on “curbside carriers” as ammunition in bolstering regulation of the commercial busing industry.  While particular to the newer and smaller intercity passenger bus operations that often leave from one location and ferry passengers back and forth from nondescript locations, the report could provide segue to increased FMCSA oversight of all bus and motorcoach carrier operations.