AASHTO Journal, 30 November 2012
Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) has officially been approved as the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair of the 113th Congress, the House Republican Conference announced Wednesday. He will assume his chairmanship in January and succeed current Chair Rep. John Mica (R-Fl.), who has hit his term limit for the chairmanship.
“It is a great honor to be selected by my colleagues to serve as Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and I thank them for the confidence they have placed in me,” Shuster said in a statement. “Transportation issues are among the most critical that we face in Congress and as a nation. Our transportation infrastructure is the backbone that supports economic growth and global competitiveness. Working together in the 113th Congress, the committee will focus on strengthening America’s transportation networks to make us more efficient, more competitive, and more prosperous.”
Rep. Mica announced Monday that he had withdrawn his bid to obtain a waiver from House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to keep his chairmanship another term, endorsing Shuster in a letter published by Politico.
“I want to urge your consideration of Mr. Bill Shuster to lead the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,” Mica said in the letter. “Bill has served in two subcommittee leadership positions and has both the experience and ability to assume this important position for our conference.”
Shuster recently met with members of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials at the group’s Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh last week, where he discussed the importance of members educating the public and elected officials on the importance of a strong transportation system and what it means to communities (see related AASHTO Journal story: bit.ly/AJShuster).