The House and Senate each overwhelmingly passed final legislation July 29 reauthorizing the nation’s federal highway and transit programs through FY 2009. The House approved the measure 412 to 8 and the Senate vote was 91 to 4. The `Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act—A Legacy for Users` (SAFETEA-LU) will provide $286.5 billion in guaranteed funding for the federal highway, transit and safety programs. The investment level is $2.5 billion more than the House-passed TEA-21 reauthorization bill and $7.5 billion less than the Senate’s version. SAFETEA-LU includes US$ 52.3 billion through fiscal-year 2009 for the federal transit program Bush Administration officials have said the President will sign the measure.
The bill’s investment levels were made possible largely by the reforms enacted last year to the federal tax treatment of ethanol motor fuels. The ethanol tax changes ensured the Highway Trust Fund will be compensated for the sale of ethanol motor fuels and will provide $18.9 billion in new trust fund revenues that will be used by the multi-year reauthorization of TEA-21 to improve the nation’s highway infrastructure network.
Congress also approved July 29 an extension of administrative expenses for the agencies overseeing the federal surface transportation programs through August 14. The current extension of the highway/transit programs expires July 30, and this latest extension does not provide any new federal highway or transit funds. The measure, however, will allow U.S. Department of Transportation employees to continue to work while the multi-year bill is prepared for President Bush’s signature.
SAFETEA-LU includes a number of policy provisions called for in the 2001 ARTBA TEA-21 Reauthorization Task Force Report.
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