|
Federal Transportation Law
Every 6 years Congress re-authorizes spending
for the nation's surface transportation needs. The
last
bill, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st
Century (TEA-21), expired on September 30th, 2003 and
was the second iteration since Congress
established the
Inter Surface Transportation Act (ISTEA) in 1991.
TEA-21 was been extended 11 times during the life
of the 108th & 109th Congress. Full
reauthorization was a priority for the current
Congress and a new law was passed on August 10th
when the President signed SAFETEA-LU (Safe,
Accountable, Flexible & Efficient Transportation
Equity Act - a Legacy for Users) .
109th Congress Timeline
August 10th, 2005 - President signs SAFETEA-LU
into law!
July 29, 2005 - Bill Passed!
We are
delighted to report that the House & Senate have
passed the transportation reauthorization bill.
July 20, 2005 - Mini Extension Agreed
Yesterday evening the House and Senate approved
a two-day extension of TEA-21, allowing further
time to resolve differences the two chambers
have over the rate of return states will receive
from the Federal Highways Trust Fund.
July
01, 2005 -
Extension Passes
Late last night
the Senate confirmed an earlier vote by the House to extend TEA-21 a
further time. This is the eighth extension since the original
legislation first expired on September 30, 2003 and gives House and
Senate conferees until July 19th to reach a compromise on the new
bill.
May 17,
2005 -
Senate
Passes Final Bill; Rejects Sessions Amendment
The Senate
passed SAFETEA, its version of the federal transportation bill,
on May 17th, with significant provisions to benefit
bicycling and walking.
Click here for a more
detailed breakdown of the bill.
March 17, 2005 - Senate Environment and
Public Works Committee approved SAFETEA
Yesterday the Senate
Environment and Public Works Committee approved it’s TEA-21
reauthorization legislation, known as SAFETEA (Safe
Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act
of 2005). The bill provides $284 billion funding for surface
transportation projects until 2009.
A full vote in the Senate will
follow and the bill will then move on to conference, with
legislators aware that the current TEA-21 extension expires May
31st. We will keep you posted as the process
moves forward.
More on the bill at the
Senate EPW Committee website.
March 11, 2005 -
House approves TEA-LU
On Thursday March 10th
the House overwhelmingly approved a $284 billion transportation bill
that will provide funding for highway, transit and road safety
projects until 2009. There is, however, "a great bipartisan
sentiment" for more funding, said House Transportation and
Infrastructure ranking member James Oberstar (D-Minnesota).
Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska)
inserted language in the House bill to allow lawmakers to
"reopen" the legislation after it becomes law to add more
projects and funding to increase the minimum guaranteed rate of
return states receive in aid from the federal Highway Trust
Fund. The White House has threatened to veto the bill unless
this provision is withdrawn from the final version.
The bill is similar to H.R. 3550, which died at the end of
the 108th Congress. Spending would rise 42 percent
over levels signed into law in the last reauthorization, in
1998.
From a bicycling perspective, all of our programs and
initiatives remain intact.
More on the legislation at the Committee website :
www.house.gov/transportation
Details of attempts to secure reauthorization in
the 108th Congress
here.
Policy Book for 2003 Reauthorization:
America Bikes, America Benefits
|
