STOUT TO LEAD TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE AGAIN IN NEW SESSION

HARRISBURG, JAN. 16, 2007 - State Sen. J. Barry Stout will add to his decades of expertise on highway and transit issues by returning as the Democratic chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee in the 2007-08 legislative session.

“Pennsylvania is facing a major funding crisis when it comes to our crumbling network of roads and bridges,” said Stout (D-Allegheny/Beaver/Greene/Washington/Westmoreland). “One of the major tasks of this legislative session will be finding a way to raise additional funds for transportation, and I look forward to helping reach a solution to this problem.”

Stout was a member of the governor’s blue-ribbon panel on transportation funding, which reported last year that Pennsylvania needs an additional $1.7 billion annually to maintain the state’s highways and bridges and keep mass transit running.

Stout will also serve on the Appropriations, Environmental Resources & Energy, and Judiciary Committees. The Appropriations Committee reviews most every piece of legislation that moves through the Senate because the panel must evaluate the fiscal impact of each bill before being considered by the full Senate. This committee also plays a key role in shaping the state’s budget. Assignment to the Appropriations Committee is typically reserved for experienced legislators.

Stout first won election to the House in 1971 and moved to the Senate in 1977.

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