During 2012, ARTBA's government affairs team will:

-Defend against short-sighted cuts in federal transportation investment that threatens jobs and handicaps the U.S. economy against its global competitors.

-Promote the comprehensive recommendations of the ARTBA SAFETEA-LU Reauthorization Task Force with members of Congress, the Obama Administration, and other stakeholders to build support for a multi-year reauthorization of the federal highway and transit programs that boosts investment, and establishes a national program to facilitate the movement of freight.

-Work with congressional offices and the Obama Administration to complete a multi-year reauthorization of the federal aviation programs.  The bill must increase airport infrastructure investment and include critical reforms such as specific steps to help small and large airports relieve aviation congestion improving the nation’s economy.

-Utilize ARTBA's leadership role in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce-led Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) coalition and the ARTBA co-chaired Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) to work with the business and transportation construction communities to ensure support for expanded transportation capital investments.

-Lead transportation construction industry market protection activities in the environmental arena, including:

• ensure labor and health related legislation does not impede on the extraction and use of safe construction supplies;
• support legislative and regulatory efforts to expedite the delivery of transportation improvement projects by opposing unnecessary environmental requirements which delay sorely needed maintenance and improvement of our nation's infrastructure;
• and promote the interests of the transportation construction industry through aggressive participation in federal rulemaking and study development, particularly in environmental, safety and health areas.

-Work with general business-construction coalitions to help advance business relief measures (e.g. comprehensive immigration reform and depreciation expensing, and workforce mandates).

-Advance federal initiatives that utilize public-private partnerships and innovative financing programs that increase transportation infrastructure investment and complement core federal programs.