Conferees are scheduled to meet on Tuesday in yet another attempt to reach an agreement on the overall funding level for TEA-21 reauthorization. This meeting comes in the wake of last week’s developments, when two scheduled meetings were canceled and rumors about a House deal with the Administration abounded. If an agreement is not reached this week, chances for reauthorization would have to be put on hold until September, when lawmakers return from the August recess. By that time however, election year activity may constrain further progress. If a funding agreement is reached by the end of this week, the process could leap forward during the August recess. If an agreement is reached, the summer break would allow many program and funding issues to be negotiated on the staff level, speeding up the process significantly. We will bring you updates on tomorrow’s conference when we have any further information (provided the conferees buck the current trend and do, in fact, meet as scheduled).