10-12-04

Interbike

The America Bikes' booth on Advocacy Island at this year's Interbike show was well received by industry insiders and retailers. With a message thanking the industry for it's support and emphasizing that there is still much to be done, the booth attracted a steady stream of visitors through the three day event.

Congress passes 8-month extension to TEA-21

Yesterday, the House and Senate passed an 8-month extension bill authorizing funding (as opposed to guaranteed funding) for highway and transit programs at levels recommended in TEALU (H.R. 3550) for FY 2005,providing 8/12 of the authorized total. However, the bill links the actual guaranteed funding to what the budget resolution for FY '05 assumed for highway and transit spending. This means that transit spending will remain at the FY '04 level, well below what the extension authorizes for FY '05. Highway spending, which includes money available for bike/ped projects, will rise for the first 8 months, with funding at roughly $23.1 billion (8/12 of the $34.7 billion authorized in TEALU).

Thanks for your continued support and keep an eye on our website as we plan our response to this latest bill extension.

The America Bikes team