Missouri Bicycle News

Following is a summary of the recent U.S. Senate and House action on the TEA-21 renewal from the Surface Transportation Policy Project. TEA-21 expired in September 2003 and was extended until February 2004. The TEA-21 renewal will set U.S. surface transportation policy for the next six years.

Missouri Senator Kit Bond was a key player in putting together the Senate's bi-partisan proposal for TEA-21 renewal.

The Missouri Bicycle Federation has endorsed five key points regarding TEA-21 renewal; if you write your MO senator or representative, please mention these points:

• Routine accomodation of bicycles and pedestrians in road construction/re-construction
  
• Increased focus on bicycle and pedestrian safety, use of safety funds for this purpose
  
• Funding for Safe Routes to Schools
  
• Increases in Transportation Enhancements and Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality (CMAQ) funds
  
• A fair share of federal highway funding for Missouri

AmericaBikes has a very useful PowerPoint presentation that summarizes the data, issues, and proposals.

Senate Panel Gives Boost to TEA-21 Renewal Effort

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved its TEA-21 renewal plan, approving a $255 billion, six-year package that bolsters Congress' efforts to show progress in reauthorizing the nation's surface transportation law. Committee members worked with the panel's top leadership to secure adoption of about 65 "non-controversial" amendments just before the November 13 drafting session.

At markup, panel members approved several additional amendments before voting 17-2 to approve the final bill (S. 1027), which renews the highway and research titles of TEA-21. Several of these amendments were strongly supported by STPP coalition partners.

Surprisingly, with all of the panel's attention to the underlying federal funding and formula elements, the bill proposes few changes affecting how states now disclose financial information on their use of federal funds or maintain financial commitments to transportation, at a time when states have diverted hundreds of millions out of their own state transportation accounts to other priorities and are incurring unprecedented transportation debt.

The Committee leaders - Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Jim Jeffords (I-VT), Kit Bond (R-MO) and Harry Reid (D-NV) - who developed the package strongly defended their bill, announcing their intention beforehand to oppose member amendments during markup. The Committee's bill largely embraces key features of the Administration renewal plan, known as SAFETEA that was released earlier this year.

Led by environmental and public health groups, the strongest criticisms have been leveled at the bill's many new proposals recasting how transportation agencies evaluate the effects of their decisions on clean air objectives and how environmental and other project reviews are conducted. While Senator George Voinovich (OH) pledged to make Section 4(f) changes and further revisions to the environmental provisions of the bill his top priority, most of the concerns during the panel's work session were in the financial area, including how the proposal's much higher spending levels would be supported as well as how funds would be allocated among the states by program category.

The action breathes new life into Congressional efforts to move a six-year renewal plan forward, with TEA-21 programs now operating under a 5-month extension law (October 1 - February 29) that was enacted just before October 1.

. . .

House Committee Panel to Release Its TEA-21 Renewal Plan

With Congress approaching its targeted November 21 adjournment date, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, led by Chairman Don Young (R-AK), will unveil key details on their six-year, $375 billion renewal plan. The Committee's bipartisan leadership plan is scheduled for release at a November 19 press event.

Related:

News: Federal Complete Streets Amendment offered--your support needed

News: U.S. House floor fight on Enhancements, other federal transportation issues likely for mid-September

permanent link to article: "Senate & House working towards TEA-21 renewal, MO Senator Kit Bond a key player"
posted by Brent Hugh at 11/19/2003 01:07:49 PM |comment on this article