House committees to hear testimony on surface transportation reauthorization, California high-speed rail

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will meet tomorrow to hear testimony related to the reauthorization of the federal surface transportation programs.

Representatives from the National Governors Association, Caterpillar Inc., U.S. Conference of Mayors and Amalgamated Transit Union are scheduled to testify.

Congress most recently reauthorized federal surface transportation programs in Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, or MAP-21, which is set to expire on Sept. 14.

Meanwhile, the committee’s Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials will hold a hearing on Wednesday on the status of the California High-Speed Rail project, which is the largest high-speed rail project currently administered by the Federal Railroad Administration.

"Recent state court actions have raised new concerns regarding the availability of funding to complete the project," committee officials said in a meeting notice.

Among witnesses invited to testify are FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo; California High-Speed Rail Authority Chairman Dan Richard; and Alissa Dolan, a legislative attorney for the Congressional Research Service.