Maryland congressman Delaney gains bipartisan traction on infrastructure funding.
The hallowed wisdom on Capitol Hill is that freshmen should be seen, not heard. That’s a notion that clearly doesn’t appeal to Maryland rookie John Delaney, and the Democrat from Montgomery County seems to be making powerful friends, not enemies, with his upstart behavior.
A bipartisan effort to find new funding for roads, bridges and transit that he launched in the House last spring gathered momentum last week when two senators — one a Republican and the other a Democrat — introduced a companion bill in their chamber Friday. . .
Twenty-five Republicans and 25 Democrats have signed on as co-sponsors in the House, among them Reps. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), James P. Moran (D-Va.) and C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.). Blunt and Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-Colo.) have taken the lead in their chamber, with support from five Republicans and three Democrats, including Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.).
The bill is an attempt to address twin problems: How to fund transportation with the traditional source — the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents a gallon — at death’s door. And how to entice U.S. corporations, which have stashed an estimated $1.45 trillion abroad, to bring that money home.
Delaney’s plan would create a $50 billion federal fund to bankroll loans and leverage private investment for transportation and other infrastructure. The money would come from bonds bought by companies who want a tax break if they bring cash earned abroad back to the United States.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/maryland-congressman-delaney-gains-bipartisan-traction-on-infrastructure-funding/2014/01/20/04d67cfc-7fa6-11e3-9556-4a4bf7bcbd84_story.html