Leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee have scheduled November 12 for action on their renewal plan for key portions – highways and research titles – of the nation’s surface transportation law, known as TEA-21.

Late last month, the top leaders of the Committee – Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Jim Jeffords (I-VT), Kit Bond (R-MO) and Harry Reid (D-NV) – unveiled their bipartisan agreement, breaking an impasse that has dominated the Committee’s efforts for some time. The Committee leaders now hope to jumpstart the TEA-21 renewal process by approving the panel’s legislative package before Congress adjourns November 21.

The 477-page legislative proposal largely follows many of the key elements of the Administration’s renewal proposal, known as SAFETEA, which was unveiled earlier this year. In fact, the Senate bill uses the SAFETEA title for its proposal. While drawing extensively from the Administration’s renewal plan such as its legislative emphasis on project delivery and clean air conformity changes, it does depart on program funding levels, proposing substantially higher spending levels than the President’s plan.  The Senate panel leaders have not provided details on how their plan’s higher funding levels will be supported, although it appears that new taxes have been ruled out and it is widely speculated that general funds are being targeted.

In addition to the lengthy proposal, Committee leaders November 10 released details of their own amendments, known as the “managers’ amendment”, which outlines 66 pages of amendments to their bipartisan agreement. The bill and the managers’ amendment will be brought before the 19-member Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for their consideration and approval on November 12. Already, scores of additional amendments are being prepared by Committee members to offer during the Committee markup. 

The Committee leadership plan generally sets forth how the lion's share of TEA-21’s program resources are to be allocated among states and within the states, including key policies and rules governing how federally-assisted projects at the state and local level move forward. Transit funding is handled by the Senate Banking Committee, which plans no action until next year.

STPP coalition partners are now focusing on a number of specific amendments to the legislation, while evaluating what the overall bill and its lengthy managers' amendment propose for existing policies and practices. Among the coalition partners' concerns are adequate funding for the CMAQ program anticipating additional areas coming into the program, higher funding for the newly-created Safe Routes to School program and increased investment (i.e. PL funds) in the capacity of metropolitan planning organizations so they can shoulder new responsibilities.  

The Committee’s aggressive schedule to bring the bill up for action before Congress adjourns was driven by public criticism by highway industry leaders, state transportation departments and others that key Congressional panels had failed to move forward with legislative proposals providing for a multi-year renewal of TEA-21. The nation’s surface transportation law expired September 30; last month current law programs and policies were extended for five months, expiring again on February 29, 2004.

To view a copy of the letter sent to EPW members by the STPP Coalition visit http://www.transact.org/PDFs/Senate_EPW_letter.pdf  

Leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee are continuing their work on their renewal plan and have pledged to release details of their TEA-21 renewal plan next week before Congress adjourns.

Conferees Expected to Finalize FY'04 Transportation Appropriations Bill

House and Senate appropriators are expected to meet this week to reach an agreement on the Fiscal Year 2004 Transportation, Treasury and Independent Agencies bill.

STPP and several partner organizations recently wrote to Senators Richard Shelby and Patty Murray (D-WA), leaders of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, to convey the coalition’s priorities during upcoming conference committee negotiations. The key issues raised in the STPP partners’ letter were Amtrak, the Jobs Access and Reverse Commute Program (JARC), New Starts, Scenic Byways and funding for the Federal Transit Administration.

To view a copy of the letter, go to:  http://www.transact.org/PDFs/Senate_Appropriations_letter.pdf

Citing growing maintenance costs and demand for new transportation priorities and job creation, leaders of The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) November 6 pledged to support a $375 billion funding level for highway and transit programs at an event with Chairman Don Young (R-AK), Ranking Member James Oberstar (D-MN), Subcommittee Chair Tom Petri (R-WI) and Subcommittee Ranking Member William Lipinski (D-IL), the four key leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

USCM President and Hempstead Mayor James Garner, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and other Conference leaders indicated the nation’s mayors support a higher funding level because of the transportation needs at the local level.  Local governments own 75% of 4 million miles of highway and roads; over 50% of all bridges; and manage about 90% of the nation’s transit systems.  Also speaking were Akron Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic, who discussed the need for more local empowerment over regional transportation decisions, and Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill, who recommended greater federal support for intermodal facilities like the Alameda Corridor project in order to handle growing freight traffic.   

“The support of the Mayors is vital to our effort to provide the federal funding needed to address America’s growing congestion and highway safety problems,” noted Chairman Don Young (R-AK).

Although the House leaders noted mayors and other local elected officials are key to engaging Members of Congress to successfully pass a $375 billion, six-year  transportation bill, they have not announced their intentions on how they will address the mayors’ call  for increased local decision-making authority.

For more information on The U.S. Conference of Mayor’s transportation event, visit www.usmayors.org.

In action last month, Orlando voters rejected a half-cent sales tax increase that would have raised $2.6 billion over 20 years on a broad package of transportation projects.   The “Mobility 20/20 Plan” plan called just over half of the tax revenues to be spent on road and highway expansions, including widening Interstate 4 by adding four toll lanes to the existing eight free lanes.  Other projects included $300 million for improving rail traffic flow and grade separations, $45 million for building sidewalks, $15 million for 20-30 miles of trails, $20 million for transit capital improvements such as new buses and shelters, and $60 million for installing “smart systems” for timing lights to manage traffic flow.  About $400 million was to be dedicated to the development of two new light-rail lines and one commuter rail line.