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Coble Named Conferee on Highway/Transit Bill

U.S. Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC), a senior member of the House Transportation committee, has been named as a conferee for the six-year, multi-billion dollar highway and transit reauthorization bill. Congressman Coble, who ranks fourth in seniority on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, was named to the panel by the Speaker of the House.

On April 2, the House passed a $284 billion six-year reauthorization of the nation’s highway and transit funding priorities. This followed on the heels of Senate passage of a $318 billion package. Now, leadership in the House and Senate have named members of the conference to iron out the differences between the two spending measures and work with the White House to craft legislation which can be signed by President Bush.

“I am honored that leadership has named me to this prestigious conference,” Rep. Coble noted. “We have secured some $60 million for highway and transit projects in the 6th District in the House-passed version of the bill. I will be working with staff to protect these worthwhile projects, while at the same time continue to work on the inadequacies of the present funding formula that harms states such as North Carolina that receives only a little more than 90 cents for every dollar in gasoline tax revenue that it sends to Washington. We must see progress in correcting this inequity among the states.”

The first conference meeting will be this Monday for staff, with the members getting together for the first time this coming Wednesday. No timetable has been set for an agreement, but Congress adjourns July 23 for a seven-week district work period.

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